Baishishan (White Stone Mountain)

Baishishan

Baishishan is a national AAAAA-level tourist attraction, a national forest park, and a national geopark.

“The Taihang Mountains are like the sea, their waves majestic and boundless. Nineteen twists in the gorges, with towering peaks rising before you.” Among the 800-li (400 km) stretch of the Taihang Mountains, Baishishan boasts the most remarkable peaks. The Baishishan Scenic Area sits at the northernmost end of the Taihang Mountain range and derives its name from the abundance of white marble found throughout the mountain. Covering a total area of 34 square kilometers, with over 7,000 meters of main ridgeline, the area features three summits, six terraces, nine valleys, and eighty-one peaks, making it China’s only marble peak forest landform. With cliffs soaring into the clouds, vibrantly colored peak stones and forests, and the presence of Buddha’s halo and sea of clouds, it truly deserves to be called the “Number One Marvelous Mountain of the North”!

The Baishishan Scenic Area is located 15 kilometers south of Laiyuan County, Baoding City, Hebei Province. It enjoys convenient transportation, with driving times of approximately 2–3 hours from Baoding, Beijing, Tianjin, Shanxi, and Shijiazhuang. Due to its unique geological structure and stunning natural scenery, it was designated as a “National AAAA-Level Tourist Attraction” by the National Tourism Administration in 2005, and on September 18, 2006, it was approved as a “UNESCO Global Geopark” by UNESCO.

The landscapes of Baishishan embody the five major characteristics of mountain scenery: wonder, grandeur, danger, fantasy, and beauty — with wonder being the core. The peak forests of Baishishan rise like clusters, with steep cliffs and deep valleys that are both perilous and spectacular. The peaks are adorned with rocks of countless fantastical shapes, creating maze-like formations that are almost impossible to count. The area is known for its numerous peaks, sheer cliffs, unusual forms, and treacherous terrain, offering visitors endless fascination.

The mountains of Baishishan rise majestically towards the sky, exuding a powerful presence. The towering peaks stand firmly atop ridges and within valleys like iron pillars, with each summit emerging from the earth. The deep valleys between the high peaks convey a sense of unyielding strength — this is what is meant by “grandeur.”

The “danger” of Baishishan lies in its thousands of precipitous peaks and cliffs, as if carved by knives and axes. Dangerous ravines are spread throughout, resembling bottomless chasms. The sheer cliffs feature enormous height differences that are nearly impossible to traverse.

In summer and autumn, above an altitude of 1,800 meters, Baishishan is often shrouded in thin mist with rolling sea of clouds, forming a variety of mysterious and unique atmospheric phenomena. It is the mountain in North China where Buddha’s halo appears most frequently. This element of “fantasy” feels dreamlike yet real.

Baishishan is covered in dense vegetation and is home to a rich diversity of wildlife. It is one of the three major biodiversity distribution centers in Hebei Province. The complex topography and elevation differences result in distinct vertical plant distribution zones, creating a scene where “one mountain contains four seasons” during spring and autumn. The beautiful and enchanting scenery showcases the “beauty” of the landscape.

The scenic area connects all twelve representative views of “Baishishan’s Twelve Scenic Spots” — including “White Stone Clear Clouds,” “Jiang Ziya Fishing,” “Zhu Bajie Gets Married,” “Two Heroes Guard the Mountain,” “Glass Walking on Air,” “Vows on the Mountain,” “White Stone Frost Rhyme,” “Mist Heart Flowing Haze,” “God of Taihang,” “Three Saints Worshiping Buddha,” “Immortal Drying Boots,” and “Auspicious Clouds and Buddha’s Halo” — through cliffside plank walks. This allows visitors to experience ever-changing views with every step, all while enjoying a relaxing and pleasant journey. Not only can visitors take in the bold, ink-painting-like beauty of Baishishan’s landscapes, but standing on the plank walks also offers the sensation of “clouds floating beneath your feet and the wind playing around you,” providing a heavenly sense of comfort. Among these, the “plank walk on the cliff” — the Baishishan Gallery — and the two suspended glass plank walks are considered the most challenging to develop and the most spectacular in terms of visual impact in all of China.

The unique geographical location and prolonged tectonic activity have given rise to the “double-layer structure” of white marble, the oldest stromatolite fossils, ancient earthquake relics, and hydrogeological relics. The marble structural peak forest landform is a new type of geological and geomorphological landscape first named by Chinese geologists based on the formation of Baishishan’s peaks. Coupled with its pristine ecological environment and distinctive climatic features, it stands as a masterpiece among mountainous scenic areas in North China.

The towering Taihang Mountains stretch endlessly across the land. Timeless Baishishan has endured since ancient times. Baishishan combines peak forests, peculiar rocks, cliffs, gorges, forests, sea of clouds, Buddha’s halo, and the Great Wall into one. The attractions are relatively concentrated, with vast scale and capacity, and boast first-class natural ecological surroundings. It is an excellent destination for sightseeing, vacationing, leisure, and eco-tourism. As those who are noble love mountains, Baishishan welcomes all visitors with the open arms of its grand peaks.

Source: Baishishan Scenic Area

Further Reading:

· 32nd Batch of National AAAAA-Level Tourist Attractions (February 2017)