Tongbai Mountain Huaiyuan Scenic Area

Tongbai Mountain Huaiyuan Scenic Area

The Tongbai Mountain Huaiyuan Scenic Area is a national scenic area and a national AAAA-level tourist attraction.

The Tongbai Mountain Huaiyuan Scenic Area is situated in the middle section of the Tongbai Mountain Range at the border of Henan and Hubei, spanning an area of 108 square kilometers. It is the birthplace of the Huai River—one of the ancient “Four Great Rivers”—and the natural divide between the Yangtze and Huai river systems. The area features extraordinary natural scenery and abundant cultural landmarks, divided into four uniquely characterized regions: Huaiyuan, Taohua Cave, Taibai Peak, and Shuiliandong. Highlights include Taibai Peak, the main summit of Tongbai Mountain and the highest peak in southern Henan at 1,140 meters above sea level; Yuntai Chan Temple, the ancestral home of the Yunjiao Sect of Zen Buddhism and renowned both in China and abroad; Shuiliandong (Water Curtain Cave), honored as one of the “Thirty-Six Grotto-Heavens” in the world; Shuiliang Temple, one of the Four Famous Temples of Henan; the mysterious and perilous Huai River Source; and three newly developed premium tourist routes—Tongtian River’s Journey to the West culture tour, Pangu Stream eco-tour, and Lover’s Valley leisure and summer retreat—with a total of 118 scenic spots, including 46 Class A attractions. It combines grandeur, wonder, danger, serenity, and beauty, embodying the charm of both southern and northern China. Experts have praised it as “more precipitous than Mount Hua and equally scenic as Mount Huang.”

Huaiyuan Scenic Area

The Tongbai Mountain Huaiyuan Scenic Area boasts profound cultural significance, featuring ancient Huaiyuan culture, influential Buddhist and Taoist traditions, the historic Pangu culture, and the significant Soviet Base culture from the period of the Chinese revolutionary war. The scenic zone houses a complete transitional forest ecosystem and a pristine natural environment, earning recognition from experts as a natural biological gene bank and living museum of central China.

In 1982, it was designated as a provincial nature reserve by the provincial government, became a provincial scenic area in 1996, was named one of Henan Province’s Top Ten Civilized Scenic Areas in 1997, approved as the Huaiyuan National Forest Park in 2001, rated as a national 3A-level tourist attraction in 2004, and honored as the “Hometown of Pangu” in 2005. The Tongbai Mountain Huaiyuan Scenic Area enjoys a strategic location at the center of major cities such as Zhengzhou, Nanyang, Xinyang, Xiangfan, and Wuhan, with highly convenient transportation. It has become a premier destination in southern Henan and northern Hubei for sightseeing, summer retreats, scientific research, adventure, and revolutionary tradition education.

Address: Huaiyuan Avenue, Chengguan Town, Tongbai County, Nanyang City

Type: Geological Landscape, Mountains, Lakes, Rivers

Recommended Visiting Time: About 1 hour

Phone: 0377-68267388

Opening Hours:

8:00–18:00

Admission Fee:

70 RMB

Further Reading:

· Seventh Batch of National Scenic Areas