Tongshi Ridge Scenic Area

Tongshi Ridge Scenic Area

Tongshi Ridge Scenic Area is a national AAAA-level tourist attraction.

Tongshi Ridge Scenic Area is a 4A-level attraction located in Min’an Town, Beiliu City, Yulin. The area boasts stunning landscapes of mountains and waters, as well as the rare coexistence of karst and danxia landforms. There are also numerous historical relics nearby.

Tongshi Ridge is divided into Big and Small peaks, which appear as one when viewed from a distance. The Gui River flows from south to north around the front of the mountain. This mountain features undulating ridges and majestic beauty, with rocks all in a purplish-copper hue. Its highest peak, Phoenix Summit, stands at an elevation of 421.9 meters. The Big Tongshi Ridge has cliffs on three sides, and visitors can climb to the summit via the East or West Gate. The summit spans several miles and is composed of layered peaks. There is a famous stone hall called Shihua Hall on the mountain, which once housed Buddha statues and was attended by monks for scripture chanting. In the valley lies a large pond named Lingchi, which never dries up throughout the seasons. On the eastern cliff, there is a waterfall that cascades down from the top. Midway up the mountain cliff is a cave known as “Huixian Pavilion,” where the waterfall pours down in front of the cave’s eaves, resembling rainfall all year round—like a “water curtain cave.” It offers a cool and refreshing atmosphere in the height of summer. On the southern mountainside and foothills of the Small Tongshi Ridge are the “Twin Maidens Stone” and one of the “Eight Scenic Spots of Beiliu,” the “Stone Carp Fountain.” The Tongzhou Prefecture was established in the early Tang Dynasty and was named after this mountain.

Tongshi Ridge was formed hundreds of millions of years ago due to submarine volcanic eruptions and crustal uplift, resulting in a uniquely complex geological structure: the base consists of sedimentary rocks (limestone), the middle layer is igneous rock (purplish-red stone), and the top layer is weathered soil (clay). It encompasses many deep caves, rocky outcrops, cliffs, and steep faces. There are naturally-formed copper-toned rock wonders totaling 108, along with seven caves, ten rock formations, ten springs, and three ponds. Other scenic spots such as the Cool Cave, Mentou Cave, Sanniang Cave, Duckling Cave, Shihua Hall, Huixian Rock, Thousand-Buddha Rock, and Herringbone Rock are also highly picturesque. Many of the unique rock formations are concentrated around the foothills of the mountain. For example, on the northern route are the Twin Maidens Stone, Mushroom Stone, Giant Python Stone, Strange Goose Stone, Egg Stone, Miao Maiden Stone, and Lion Stone; on the eastern route are Mandarin Duck Stone, Guardian Stone, Page Boy Stone, Mother-and-Son Stone, Xishi Stone, and Imperial Concubine & Prince Stone; on the western route are Guanyin Stone, Hongli Market Stone, and Hemp-Spinning Elder Stone; and on the southern route are Lampstand Stone, Eight Immortals Stone, Piggy Stone, Dragon Stone, and many more—too numerous to list—all vividly lifelike.

Tongshi Ridge Scenic Area covers an area of over 30,000 mu, with a planned total investment of 5 billion yuan. Since construction began in 2015, a number of infrastructure projects have been completed, including the main gate tower of the South Gate, mountain-surrounding wooden boardwalks, a visitor service center, the Nanyue Royal Palace, the Bronze Drum Square, the Zhao Tuo Square, the Flag and Drum Square, a landscape flower sea, a dendrobium health garden, a landscape lake, an ecological parking lot, and star-rated restrooms. These developments have created a cultural leisure and tourism resort that integrates the natural landscape of coexisting danxia and karst landforms with the humanistic culture of bronze drums. Currently, the scenic area is planning to build supporting facilities such as a Bronze Drum Town, glass walkways, slides, cable cars, and leisure resort hotels. In 2017, it was rated as a national 4A-level scenic area.

Tongshi Ridge

It is speculated that ancient people were smelting copper here as early as the Western Han to Eastern Han periods. In 1966, relics and waste materials such as ancient copper mine shafts, furnaces, slag, copper ingots, and air ducts were discovered. Tongshi is recognized as a key cultural relic protection unit of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region due to its Han Dynasty copper smelting and bronze drum casting sites.

Min’an Town: Min’an Town is located in the northeastern part of Beiliu City, about 10 kilometers from the city center. It covers a total area of 68 square kilometers, with 27,000 mu of arable land, including 20,400 mu of paddy fields and 28,000 mu of fruit orchards. The town administers 7 villages and 139 villager groups, with a population of 36,189. It enjoys a superior geographical location and convenient transportation. The area has a subtropical monsoon climate and features a combination of low hills and plains. It has high-quality raw materials for cement and ceramic production, such as limestone and kaolin. National Highway 324 and the Yurong First-Class Highway run through the region, and the Minling Highway traverses the area. The planned Guangzhou–Nanning Expressway and Luozhan Railway... More detailed information on Min’an Town++