Tianshengqiao National Forest Park

Tianshengqiao National Forest Park

Tianshengqiao National Forest Park is a national AAA-level tourist attraction, a national forest park, and a national geopark.

Tianshengqiao National Forest Park is located in Fuping County, Hebei Province, adjacent to Mount Wutai in Shanxi Province. Its geographical coordinates are: 113°46' to 113°56' east longitude and 38°45' to 38°56' north latitude. The park covers a total area of 11,600 hectares, with the highest elevation at 2,144.5 meters.

The park is characterized by its diverse forest plant species, typical geological sections, and unique landform features — such as the

Natural Bridge and a waterfall cluster. The vegetation coverage in the park reaches 95%, and the forest coverage is 80%. At elevations above 2,000 meters, the landscape transforms into alpine meadows, where numerous wildflowers bloom during the flowering season, including species such as Trollius chinensis, Potentilla, Veratrum, and wild poppies. The park features the Jiulian Waterfall (Tianshengqiao Waterfall Cluster), among which the fifth-tier waterfall has a drop of 60 meters, and the ninth-tier reaches a drop of 112.5 meters.

Fuping County is a piece of red land that nurtured revolution. Shortly after the founding of the Chinese Communist Party, a group of progressive individuals spread the seeds of revolution here and established the Fuping County Group of the Party. During the Second Revolutionary Civil War, the 24th Army of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army advanced into Fuping and established China's first red political power — the Chinese Soviet Government of Fuping County. During the War of Resistance Against Japan, China’s first anti-Japanese democratic base behind enemy lines was established here, earning the reputation of “the model county of the model base” and even serving as the capital of the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Border Region for a time. During the Liberation War, proletarian revolutionaries such as Mao Zedong and Nie Rongzhen worked and fought in Fuping, leaving behind numerous revolutionary sites.

Location

Fuping County is situated in the heart of the Taihang Mountains. It is 113 kilometers east of Baoding City, 245 kilometers northeast of Beijing, 96 kilometers southeast of Shijiazhuang City, and 78 kilometers west of Mount Wutai. The forest park lies along the transportation route from Beijing, Tianjin, Baoding, and Shijiazhuang to Mount Wutai, enjoying a strategically advantageous location.

Geographic Features

The scenic area is mainly composed of ancient gneiss, with complex mineral compositions and varied textures. In many sections, plagioclase amphibole gneiss and plagioclase amphibole granite appear. The degree of metamorphism is relatively high, with distinct mineral arrangement and well-developed joints. The rocks date back to the Archean Eon, over 2.8 billion years ago, and form an important part of the Tuoliang massive geographic unit in the hinterland of the Taihang Mountains. The highlight of the area — the Natural Bridge and its multi-tiered, towering waterfalls — is formed from this type of plagioclase amphibole granite gneiss, representing a unique stratigraphic system within the 500-kilometer-long Taihang Mountain range.

Climate Features

The region has a temperate semi-humid continental climate. Springs are dry and windy, summers are hot and rainy, autumns are cool, and winters are cold with little snow. The average annual temperature is 12.5°C, with January being the coldest month at an average of -3.2°C, and July the hottest at an average of 26°C. The annual precipitation is 615.6 mm, with a maximum of 1,158.9 mm and a minimum of 257.4 mm. The frost-free period lasts 192 days. Higher altitudes experience colder climates, with snow still covering shaded areas above 1,600 meters in early June.

Rich Biodiversity

The vegetation in the scenic area belongs to the North China Flora — a semi-arid forest-steppe vegetation system. Plants are distributed in vertical zones: below 700 meters, there are species such as Pinus tabuliformis, poplar, willow, and catalpa, along with various economic tree species. Between 1,000 and 1,700 meters grow pine, birch, cypress, and Lespedeza; above 1,000 meters, there are sparse birch and mountain poplar forests, as well as shrublands of Viburnum, hazel, and moss. Above 1,500 meters, larch predominates. The park’s vegetation is dense, consisting of both natural secondary forests and artificially seeded woodlands, with a vegetation coverage rate exceeding 80%. The dense woods are home to many rare birds and animals, including over 30 species such as pheasants, eagles, owls, cuckoos, and red turtle doves, as well as mammals like squirrels, goats, roe deer, and foxes.

Transportation

Transportation here is very convenient. A tourist highway branches off from the national secondary highway Dinglong Highway at Dongxiaguan and leads directly to the scenic area. It meets national secondary road standards and accommodates all types of tourist vehicles. Taxis and minibuses run every half hour, making travel fast and convenient.

Ticket: 50 RMB per person

Recommended visiting time: 1 day. For those wishing to explore the three excellent valleys around the Tianshengqiao scenic area as well, 3 days is advisable.