Ancient Submerged Forest Geological Reserve in Shenhu Bay

Ancient Submerged Forest Geological Reserve in Shenhu Bay

The Ancient Submerged Forest Geological Reserve in Shenhu Bay is a national geopark and science education base.

The ancient submerged forest geological site in Fujian’s Shenhu Bay was designated as a national nature reserve by the State Council in 1992. Located within Shenlu Bay in Jinjiang City, the reserve spans 31 square kilometers and protects features such as ancient submerged forests, oyster reefs, and sea-eroded metamorphic rocks. This type of reserve is unique in China and rare in the world.

The reserve borders the Taiwan Strait, featuring a unique geological structure, numerous scenic spots, beautiful natural landscapes, and favorable socio-economic and cultural conditions. Within the area, there are over 20 remnants of a 7,800-year-old Cunninghamia lanceolata forest buried in the intertidal zone, vast oyster reefs that have grown over thousands of years, typical sea-eroded laterite cliffs, pebble beach rocks, modern fine sand dunes, as well as uniquely exposed, diverse, and well-preserved sea-eroded metamorphic rocks that showcase the long geological evolution from the Paleozoic, Mesozoic, to Cenozoic eras.

Shenhu Bay stretches 6 kilometers, with lush forests along its shores. In the Shensa Bay (Tudicha) area, when the tide recedes, you can see remnants of an ancient forest (C14 isotopic age of around 7,500 years) covering about one square kilometer and oyster reefs nearly ten thousand years old. These are valuable physical materials for studying the western coast of the Taiwan Strait’s geography, paleoclimate, paleobiology, paleobotany, tectonic movements, and sea-land changes. The State Oceanic Administration has approved the establishment of the Ancient Submerged Forest Geological Reserve and the Shizhen Coastal Geomorphological Landscape Nature Reserve. This area is open to domestic and international tourists as a high-level scientific tourism destination.

Transportation: Take a direct bus from Quanzhou to Shenhu.

Address: Huafeng Village, Shenhu Town, Jinjiang City, Quanzhou

Type: Nature Reserve

Recommended Visiting Time: 2–3 hours

Phone: 0595-85289038

Opening Hours:

Open all day

Ticket Information:

Free admission.