Shijinglin · Garden Expo Park

Shijinglin · Garden Expo Park

Shijinglin · Garden Expo Park is a national AAAA-level tourist attraction.

Shijinglin · Garden Expo Park is located in the southern new district of Chongzuo City, about 1 kilometer from the nearby municipal government administrative center, covering a total area of approximately 3,000 acres. The Shijinglin Scenic Area was developed and constructed in 1988 and officially opened to the public in 1991, while the Garden Expo Park officially opened at the end of 2015. By the end of 2016, the Shijinglin–Garden Expo Park was rated as a national 4A-level tourist attraction.

The Chongzuo Shijinglin Scenic Area is part of the national scenic area approved by the State Council in 1988 and is also an important section of the Guangxi Huashan Scenic Area. The Shijinglin Scenic Area features karst landforms, characterized by rocks that are "wrinkled, translucent, porous, and slender." Due to years of rain erosion and weathering, it has formed a natural bonsai-like stone forest, hence the name Shijinglin (Stone Forest). It is renowned for its dense clusters of peaks, steep yet graceful beauty, numerous karst caves, and the spectacular array of uniquely shaped rocks and peaks. As a result, it has been praised by visitors and experts from all over as “rare throughout the country, and the best in Guangxi.” A number of classic sites have been discovered here, including “Sānmèi in Meditation” (also known as “Jade Maiden in Meditation”), “Bajie Admiring the Flowers,” “Smooth Sailing,” “Twin Lions Greeting Guests,” “Jade Rabbit Descending to Earth,” “Elephant Trunk Hill,” “The Virtuous Live Long,” “Mandarin Duck Vines,” “Flying Rock,” “Arhat Cave,” and “Immortal Cave.” The Shijinglin Scenic Area boasts prominent subtropical plant landscapes, with evergreen vegetation year-round and abundant green resources. It is home to rare plants such as the “China No. 1 Adiantum” (a first-class nationally protected plant from the dinosaur era) and the “Dragon’s Blood Tree” (a second-class nationally protected plant), as well as many local specialty plants like “Nine-layer Skin” (Sterculia nobilis) and various types of orchids. According to incomplete statistics, the scenic area contains hundreds of varieties of medicinal herbs.

The Chongzuo Garden Expo Park is themed around “the sentiment of the Zhuang people, the beauty of Chongzuo,” and follows the concept of “discovering the landscapes of Chongzuo, realizing a unique version of Guilin.” It highlights the local Zhuang ethnic folk culture. Among its features are four landscape bridges connecting the park — Nadao Bridge, Bronze Drum Bridge, Embroidered Ball Bridge, and Mazha Bridge — which vividly showcase elements of Zhuang culture. The overall layout of the park consists of “one axis (mountain-water-flower axis), one core (main exhibition hall and central square), two rings (main touring loop and water loop), and four zones (main exhibition hall zone, exhibition garden zone, tourism service zone, and Zhuang cultural garden).” It incorporates local Zhuang characteristics, with sloped, stilt-style building roofs predominantly in gray tones. The park includes urban exhibition gardens (from 14 cities), corporate exhibition gardens, a rare tree species garden, and special theme gardens. The park is designed with mountain-water-flower-plant elements along the axis and water landscape features as belts. The northwest side features exhibition gardens from 14 cities in Guangxi, while the north and east sides are public display areas, including the main Chongzuo exhibition hall, the Zhuang cultural garden, and a rare tree species garden planted with hundreds of local tree species such as teak, rosewood, agarwood, and ziran wood. The waterside leisure landscape area extends from the northwest to the center, featuring boardwalks, the Chengshui Corridor, the Shuixin Pavilion, the Xinglong Pavilion, and boat docking platforms built around a 100-acre wetland water system.

The Chongzuo Garden Expo Park will become a permanent comprehensive park, forming a national-level scenic area together with the nearby Shijinglin Scenic Area and the Shuikouhu Conservation Area. It will serve as a microcosm of Chongzuo’s rich tourism resources and a sustainable green space.