Guangxi Ziyuan National Geopark

Guangxi Ziyuan National Geopark

Guangxi Ziyuan National Geopark is a national geopark.

Guangxi Ziyuan National Geopark stretches from the county seat of Ziyuan in the south to the border with Xinning County, Hunan Province, in the north and northwest. It extends 33 kilometers from north to south and spans 3–9.6 kilometers from east to west along the Zi River and its banks, covering a total area of 125 square kilometers. The geopark is characterized by its Danxia landform.

The landform landscapes within the park exhibit features such as grandeur, wonder, danger, seclusion, beauty, and mystery. Bajiao Village, the main peak of the Xinning red-bed basin, is a mesa landform with an elevation of 814 meters and a relative height of about 400 meters. Its eastern, western, and northern sides feature smooth, steep cliffs. Climbing to the top gives you a feeling of rising abruptly from the earth. In addition, the Ziyuan Danxia landform boasts many magnificent geological and geomorphological attractions, such as Sky Ridge, Dragon Ridge, Sail Rock, and the Zixin Great Fault Ruins. There is a rich variety of formations shaped like snails, elephants, frogs, the Buddha, goats, camels, castles, owls, penguins, sails, honeycombs, and various mural-like patterns. Among the most unique types are “Snails Gazing at the Sky,” “Tearful Stone,” “Herringbone Heaven” Rock, “Sail Rock,” “Elephant Drinking Water,” “Mountain-shaped Stone,” and “General Jiang Riding a Horse Mural.”

The Cretaceous strata, formed between 135 and 65 million years ago, are exposed as monoclines. Due to the effects of water erosion and landslides, the mountains generally develop steep cliffs, while the foothills accumulate into gentle slopes, resulting in the distinctive “sloping tops, steep bodies, and gentle foothills” characteristics of the Danxia landform in this region. The Ziyuan Danxia landform features numerous deep gorges and barrier valleys, such as the East and West One-Line Skies in Tianmen Scenic Area, and the Life-and-Death Valley and Huangsha River Gorge in Bajiao Village Scenic Area. Especially in the gorges and barrier valleys, it feels like entering a maze, with towering and uniquely shaped stone walls on both sides, exotic flowers and plants in the valley, murmuring streams, and a sense of being miles away from any human presence—an otherworldly, serene, and profoundly beautiful experience as if stepping into a paradise on earth.

The area is complemented by a pristine ecological environment that matches its Danxia landform geological heritage. The mountains are lush and the waters are clear, giving off a refreshing, lively, and return-to-nature feel.