Niuhe Forest Park

Niuhe Forest Park

Niuhe Forest Park, approved as a provincial-level forest park in 2005 by the Hubei Provincial Forestry Department under document No. E Lin Zao [2005] 14, is situated in the hinterland of Danjiangkou City, the "Water Capital of China" in Hubei Province. It is located 15 kilometers upstream from the Danjiangkou Reservoir, the water source of the Middle Route of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project, and 15 kilometers from downtown Danjiangkou City (Danjiang Dam). To the east, it borders the scenic hills of Sanguandian Office; to the south, it neighbors Tuguoya Town; to the west, it faces Tutaixiang across a narrow waterway; and to the north, it looks toward Liangshuihe Town across the river. The overall terrain slopes from south to north.

Niuhe Forest Park was established through institutional reform from the former Niuhe Township, now managed as the Niuhe Forestry Development and Management Zone, also known as the Niuhe Forest Park Management Office, operating under a "one team, two brands" management system. The park encompasses 9 villages, 1 community residential committee, 53 villager groups, 1 orchard farm (Qingshan Port Orchard Farm), and 1 municipal farm (Municipal Tussah Original Breed Farm). It has a total population of 2,413 households and 9,089 people, covering a total area of 13,500 hectares. Of this, the planned forest park area is 12,640 hectares, including 3,330 hectares of water area and 9,305.99 hectares of forest, resulting in a forest coverage rate of 91.5%—the highest among all towns in the city.

Niuhe Forest Park combines forest flora and fauna landscapes, landform features, hydrological scenery, and cultural heritage, integrating mountains, water, forests, gorges, and islands. The park is divided into six functional zones: the Central Leisure Area, Phoenix Mountain Tea Culture Scenic Area, Four Seasons Fruit Experience Zone, Reservoir Leisure and Entertainment Zone, Taiping Valley Exploration Scenic Area, and Natural Water Scenery Zone. There are 33 scenic spots within the park, with key highlights including: "Emerald Waters and Thousand Islands – Qian Dao Hua Lang (Thousand Island Gallery)," "Home of the Cowherd and Weaver Girl – Shen Xian Wa (Fairy Dell) – the Core Scenic Area of the Forest Park," "Natural Stone Waterfall Ecological Gully – Yan Wang Bi Gou (Devil’s Nose Canyon)," and "Ancient Junzhou Port – Qingshan Port."

The park is home to over a hundred ancient trees aged over a thousand years, including cypress, scholar tree, soapberry, and ginkgo. It hosts 363 species of wild animals, including more than 200 types of nationally and provincially protected species such as the Lady Amherst’s pheasant, otter, golden eagle, deer, forest musk deer, wolf, monkey, and wild boar. It also preserves rare and endangered protected plants like ginkgo, metasequoia, wild soybean, camphor tree, liriodendron, and yew. The park features an intricate network of reservoir branches with crystal-clear and vast waters, where emerald mountains and blue waters complement each other, creating enchanting landscapes of shimmering lake light and mountain hues. Lush pine and fir forests, pristine waters, and vibrant bird songs and floral scents abound, making it a natural oxygen bar on the outskirts of Danjiangkou, the Water Capital.

1. Qian Dao Hua Lang (Thousand Island Gallery) Scenic Area

The Qian Dao Hua Lang Scenic Area is located in Wugu Temple Village within the forest park, covering an area of 930 hectares, including 460 hectares of islands and 470 hectares of water surface. The scenic area consists of numerous lake branches formed by the interplay of mountains and lake surfaces. Due to the raising of the water level caused by the heightening of the Danjiangkou Dam, more irregular islands have emerged, scattered like stars across the water—such as Daughter Lake, Turtle Spirit Island, Love Flower Valley, Carefree Valley, Magpie Platform, and Forgotten Love Valley—distributed artfully to create a mystically dreamy atmosphere. The area is characterized by "mountains and waters intermingling," surrounded by peaks with unified mountain-water hues, combining "majestic mountains and vast waters, divine mountains and sacred waters, and spiritual mountains with beautiful waters." Mountains hold water, water reflects mountains, and the embrace of both landscapes permeates poetic charm, as if wandering through a painting of green mountains and clear waters—hence the name "Thousand Island Gallery." The islands merge with the water, and though not tall, they form undulating, embracing ranges with an open and grand feel. The interplay of islands and water creates ever-changing scenery, making visitors feel as if strolling through a picturesque gallery.

The Thousand Island Gallery often features misty sea landscapes. Year-round, river mist drifting from Wangjiagou wafts slowly over the broad Han River and gradually seeps into the Thousand Island Gallery scenic area, presenting diverse and ever-changing forms. On sunny days after rain, the mountains are shrouded in layered smoke and jade-like hues, with drifting clouds and light mists creating a mystical ambiance. Visitors here may feel as if they’ve entered a fairyland. "Daughter Lake" is the core area of the Thousand Island Gallery. The lakeside scenery is enchanting, where visitors can fish from the shore or boat and fish in the lake, all steeped in leisurely charm. In the center of Daughter Lake stands Turtle Spirit Island, the park’s Long Le Yuan (Longevity Paradise). The island features scenic rocks resembling a sea turtle facing Daughter Lake. Locals associate the turtle with longevity, attracting many middle-aged and elderly visitors seeking long life. The island is rich in vegetation and offers expansive views, making it an ideal spot for recuperation and leisure. Other attractions include the spring-like Butterfly Valley, the fragrant Love Flower Valley stretching for miles, the carefree Carefree Valley for forgetting worldly troubles, the Magpie Platform where lovers meet, the Forgotten Love Valley for pursuing love, and farmstay fishing villages where visitors can catch and cook their own meals.

2. The Home of the Cowherd and Weaver Girl – Shen Xian Wa (Fairy Dell) – the Core Scenic Area of the Forest Park

The Shen Xian Wa Scenic Area is located about 0.2 kilometers from the Niuhe Forest area town center, nestled in a depression. Backed by the lush pine and fir forests of Heishishan and Wanshan, and surrounded by the Niujia River below, it forms a stream valley depression. The forest, river, streams, and stone beaches coexist harmoniously. The valley has a distinct microclimate, often shrouded in misty rain, resembling a heavenly realm. The area boasts rich forest vegetation with distinctive forest landscapes, featuring endless stretches of mixed coniferous and broadleaf forests of pine, oak, and poplar. A century-old ginkgo tree, listed in the national key protection registry, thrives here with lush foliage and good growth.

The "Niu" (cow) surname of Niujiahe Village, where Shen Xian Wa is located, is the ancestral surname of the Cowherd. According to the place name index in the back of the 2010 "China Atlas" published by the National Bureau of Surveying and Mapping, the only place in China directly named "Niuhe" is in Danjiangkou, Hubei. There are only two "Niujiuhe Villages" in China—one in Danjiangkou and one in Ningxia.

This scenic area is said to be the dwelling place of the Cowherd and Weaver Girl. In 1953 and 1965, scenes from the Chinese film "The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl," produced by the China Film Bureau, were based on prototypes from Lianhuasi Village west of Shen Xian Wa. Niujiahe Village, where Shen Xian Wa is located, is the birthplace of the Cowherd, while the beautiful Bilian Pool is where the Weaver Girl bathed. Shen Xian Wa is where they lived as a farming and weaving couple, deeply in love, and gave birth to twins. Xiaojianshan Village in Niuhe Forest Park has Mulberry Tree Gully and Mulberry Tree Depression, an ancient sericulture region for thousands of years, still home to a tussah original breed farm—the source of silk materials for the Weaver Girl’s weaving. Additionally, Shiyuan County in Shiyan, 80 kilometers from Niuhe Forest Park, has successfully hosted two "Qixi•Tianhe Festivals." Legend says the Cowherd carried his children to the "Milky Way" to find the Weaver Girl and meet her on the Magpie Bridge, starting from "Shen Xian Wa in Niuhe." Furthermore, the "Five-Colored Fish Pond (Yuji Pond)" in front of Zixiao Palace, one of the "Seventy-Two Blessed Lands of the World" introduced in "Wudang Mountain Tourism," is said to have fish that change color with the seasons. Legend attributes this to the fish being transformed from the Weaver Girl’s embroidered needles...

The names of various landscape nodes in the area correspond to the legend of the Cowherd and Weaver Girl, such as Betrothal Valley, Couple’s Tree, and Milky Way Stream. The scenic area, where mountains and waters coexist, is not only rich in legendary charm but also steeped in poetic beauty. Many signs indicate that the origin of the Cowherd and Weaver Girl story is from this very region. Backed by Heishishan, the highest peak in Niuhe, and Wanshan, the largest mountain range, the area features 20,000 acres of pristine natural mountain land with dense forests. Walking trails extend deep into the mountains, where you can admire the woods, listen to pine waves, pick wild fruits, and play with mountain birds. Transportation within the scenic area is convenient. The 15,000-square-meter tourist square and the 379.5-square-meter hotel can accommodate 200 people for dining, lodging, and activities. The scenic viewing pavilion and mushroom-shaped pavilion further enhance the area’s charm. From the hexagonal viewing pavilion, you can enjoy a panoramic view of the Niuhe town center, refreshing the mind and spirit.

3. Yan Wang Bi Gou (Devil’s Nose Canyon)

This scenic area is located in Niujiahe Village within Niuhe Forest Park. Between two high mountains shaped like two male lions lies a canyon called Yan Wang Bi Gou, stretching 2,300 meters in length. A hundred meters inward to the west is a river gully about 20 meters wide, filled with variously shaped stones resembling humans, fish, monkeys, and pebbles. The gully is flanked by two mountains approximately 450 meters high. The left mountain is covered with pines and lush kiwi and thorny shrubs, while the right side is dominated by cork oaks and blue oaks. Trees, peaks, rocks, and rivers form a beautiful landscape painting. As you step deeper into the valley, its perilous, strange, and serene nature unfolds. The valley twists narrowly with mysterious gullies and cliffs, while wider sections feature bubbling streams and lush woods. Open areas boast ancient trees on both banks, with "fresh grass and fallen petals" by the stream. In summer, when trees flourish, sunlight barely penetrates the canyon floor, creating an extremely tranquil environment. Strolling through the valley, you’ll see crisscrossing ravines, winding streams, lush forests on both sides, rugged cliffs, and varied, perilous scenery. Hiking through the canyon, admiring the green mountains and waters, climbing steep cliffs, and playing with clear-water fish and shrimp make it hard to leave. "Peaks stacked as if blocking all paths, yet rugged stones open to another sky" make it an ideal destination for adventure tourism.

4. Qingshan Port

From the Ming Dynasty until the early 1960s, Qingshan Port was the second-largest commercial hub of ancient Junzhou. Historically, ancient Junzhou was a beautiful and prosperous place, with the Han River flowing around the city and thousands of sails gathering year-round. The ancient Junzhou city was known as the "Paper-Walled Yunyang, Iron-Fortified Junzhou." It housed many Taoist temples such as Jing Le Palace, Yang Yang Palace, and Zhou Fu An, as well as the "Eight Scenic Spots of Junzhou," including Fangshan Qingxue (Clear Snow on Fangshan), Huaiyin Gu Du (Ancient Ferry in Osmanthus Shade), Canglang Lüshui (Green Waves of Canglang), Huangfeng Wan Cui (Late-Green Huang Peak), Yan Luo Lian Chi (Wild Geese Landing on Lotus Pond), Dong Lou Wang Yue (East Tower Moon Viewing), Long Shan Yan Yu (Misty Rain over Dragon Mountain), and Tianzhu Xiao Qing (Dawn over Heavenly Pillar). In 1958, the state decided to build a large comprehensive reservoir on the upper Han River, leading to the dismantling of ancient Junzhou. By 1967, with the reservoir officially filled, ancient Junzhou was completely submerged beneath the Danjiangkou Reservoir.

Today, the old streets of Qingshan Port and a large number of ancient tombs representing Chu culture lie submerged underwater, casting a layer of mystery over Qingshan Port. During dry seasons, traces of history emerge, sparking endless imagination. On clear days, boating on the lake allows a faint glimpse of the ancient Junzhou streets lying quietly at the lake bottom, attracting countless curious visitors eager to explore. Underwater exploration teams have also conducted multiple dives in this area.

Qingshan Port is surrounded by water on three sides and backed by mountains on one. The Wangjiang Ting (River-Viewing Pavilion) area features uniquely shaped, spectacular mountains and rocks. Sunlight, water reflections, mountain shadows, cloud shadows, and sail shadows form a series of magnificent scenes. In 2001, the Danjiangkou Municipal Government invested in building the "Wangjiang Ting" here. This pavilion is a double-decked, hexagonal, antique-style viewing structure, situated atop a hill at the original Qingshan Port dock, inscribed with the couplet: "On the River-Viewing Tower, watch the flowing river; the tower stands timeless, the river flows eternal. In the Moon-Imprinted Well, the moon’s shadow lingers; the well remains ageless, the shadow everlasting." The pavilion combines corridors with rest greenery, complementing the river scenery.

Niuhe Forest Park boasts abundant water and mountain resources, stunning scenery, a pleasant climate, convenient transportation, and complete communication facilities, making it an ideal destination for summer retreats, leisure, wellness, and reconnecting with nature.

Niuhe Phoenix Tea is renowned for its natural chestnut aroma, emerald hue with hidden fine tips, tender green liquor, and fresh, refreshing taste. In recent years, it has won the "E Tea Cup" Gold Award in provincial tea competitions. The area also features unique natural and cultural attractions such as Dia’erya Guancaishi (Coffin Rock), Guihuaping Longdong (Dragon Cave), Huangjiayan Waterfall, Shujialing Island, Xiaojianshan Red Cliffs, Donggou Red Army Hometown, and Simagou Ming-Qing Residences. Through excavation, integration, and development, these sites not only highlight the forest resource advantages of the Niuhe area but also complement the Wudang Taoist holy site and reservoir scenery, contributing to the Western Hubei Ecological Cultural Tourism Circle.

Source: Danjiangkou Municipal People's Government Portal Website