"World Tungsten Capital" Scenic Area

"World Tungsten Capital" Scenic Area

A key scenic spot in Dayu County, currently applying for national mining geological park status. The area features attractions such as the Yardang Desert City and an underground maze, offering a uniquely tungsten-themed geological experience. Dayu is known as the "World Tungsten Capital" due to its abundant tungsten ore resources, particularly represented by the Xihuashan Tungsten Mine, whose mining heritage is world-renowned. The Yardang Desert City, located about 5 km southwest of the county town near Dengxin Bridge and over 500 meters from National Highway 323, is an artificial sandy erosion landscape and a unique spectacle in southern China. It consists of tailings from the Xihuashan Tungsten Mine and other mineral processing waste. Over time, accumulated tailings have been shaped by wind, rain, and human sand extraction into striking formations resembling "mountain ranges" and "natural objects"—some like castles, others like "dragons wagging their tails," and some even like Egypt’s "pyramids," forming the Yardang Desert City. Visitors feel as if they’ve entered a vast desert, where they can walk barefoot on the fine sand to enjoy "sand therapy" or glide down dunes on sandboards. The Underground Maze is situated 9 km northwest of the county town at the 230 Level of the Xihuashan Tungsten Mine’s main shaft. As the central mining area of Dayu’s "World Tungsten Capital," it has nearly a century of mining history, with crisscrossing underground tunnels forming a massive, interconnected mine complex that resembles an underground labyrinth. Visitors can don work uniforms and safety helmets, ride small mine electric vehicles, and venture into the heart of the tungsten capital to explore this dreamlike world, witness the wonders of geological science, and appreciate the grandeur of the "World Tungsten Capital." Other attractions include a geological specimen exhibition hall, making this a comprehensive industrial tourism destination for geological study, adventure, and exploration.

Located 5 km from the county town, the Gengling Yardang Desert City is an extraordinary man-made sandy landscape. Surrounded by mountains on three sides, it resembles a piece of unpolished jade hanging between green peaks. Stepping into the desert city, visitors enter a world of sand where nature, the master sculptor, has crafted sand dunes into exquisite artworks—some like pyramids, others like sphinxes, and even uniquely shaped lion-headed, tiger-faced forms that make you feel as if you’ve stepped into a vast desert. Blowing sand and whistling winds carry the distant echo of camel bells across the barren land.