Laiyuan South Sky Grassland

Laiyuan South Sky Grassland

There are two sky grasslands in Hebei Province. One is the South Sky Grassland in Laiyuan County, and the other is the North Sky Grassland in Yu County. The South Sky Grassland is 25 kilometers from Laiyuan County town, while the North Grassland is 35 kilometers away. The South Sky Grassland is a grassland-type natural scenic tourism area, with an altitude of 2,151 meters, known for its alpine meadows, forests, and grassland scenery.

This meadow is long from east to west, broad from north to south, and flat and wide at the top, covering an area of over twenty square kilometers. It was formed by the horizontal extrusion of a large fault block due to differential uplift during the Yanshan Movement, creating a large platform between two basins. When the rock layers were weathered and eroded down to the chert conglomerate at the bottom of the Cambrian period, this layer of highly resistant and relatively intact rock was not eroded away, nor were large gullies cut through it. Like a pot lid covering the mountaintop, it formed a massive flat-topped mountain.

The abundance, vibrancy, beauty, and uniqueness of the flowers and grasses on the sky grassland are truly breathtaking. Here, the sky is clear blue, the clouds are like cotton, the green waves roll, and the flower seas compete in splendor. Famous and nameless wildflowers stretch as far as the eye can see, blooming in fierce competition, displaying a rainbow of colors. Among the rare and exotic plants, the edelweiss stands out. It makes its home only in cold high mountains above 2,000 meters above sea level, and its resilience in the face of frost and snow makes it the sole bloomer even into the depths of winter. The silvery-white little flower has quietly endured millions of years on the grassland, until it was finally recognized by Mr. Feng Jicai, Vice Chairman of the China Writers Association. Not only did this nameless wildflower gain a resounding name, but the sky grassland also became even more radiant and famous far and wide because of it.