Beihai Guantouling National Forest Park

Beihai Guantouling National Forest Park

Beihai Guantouling National Forest Park is a national-level forest park.

Beihai Guantouling National Forest Park is located at the westernmost tip of Beihai City, Guangxi, stretching 3 kilometers in length. It resembles a green dragon lying across the sea surface, with undulating slopes and ridges that resemble a raised crown, hence its name. The park consists of the main peak Wanglouling (where a "watchtower" was built during the late Qing Dynasty, at an elevation of 120 meters), along with a group of hills including Fengmenling, Yjiling, and Tianmaling, extending northeast to the southern foothills of Shipuling and ending there, with connecting subterranean ridges linking to Shipuling and Dijiaoling.

The mountain body of Guantouling National Forest Park is composed of sandy rock. At the southwestern foot lies a bay with crystal-clear seawater, where huge, rugged reefs are scattered. The ancient site Longwangyan (also known as Lianyang Ancient Cave) features exposed bedrock due to sea wave erosion of the sandstone, displaying bizarre and jagged rock formations. Beneath the rocks, crashing waves and thunderous tides have made the "Dragon Rock Tidal Sound" one of Beihai’s major scenic attractions. From the mountaintop, one can gaze over the boundless sea and sky dotted with sailing boats, which is truly refreshing to the mind and spirit. Watch the sunrise at dawn and the sunset at dusk, listen to the waves crashing against the shore, and see the sea foam rise like thousands of snowdrifts... The natural beauty is beyond description. The foothills have been eroded by the sea into steep cliffs. Guantouling stands majestically by the Beibu Gulf, at the southwestern tip of Beihai City, overlooking the ancient Pearl Pools, and is known as the "Three-Lian Sea Gate."

Historically, Guantouling served as a key coastal defense fortress. It was a natural barrier for the people of the Beibu Gulf region in resisting imperialist invasions. The ridge mainly consists of three mountains: Fengmenling, Yjiling, and Ma'anshan. Stretching over 3 kilometers from southwest to northeast in an arc, the entire ridge is covered in dense forests, lush and green all year round, with a warm climate.

In the eighth year of the Hongwu reign during the Ming Dynasty, a cannon emplacement was built on the side of the main peak to guard against pirate attacks, and remnants of it still remain. Today, the lighthouse at the mountaintop has been heightened, and a mountain road leads directly to the summit. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the entire ridge was afforested, and now Guantouling has become a national-level forest park.

In 1988, the Ministry of Forestry approved the establishment of Guantouling Forest Park. In 1995, the Beihai City Planning Bureau issued a land use boundary map for the forest park, covering an area of 245.7 hectares. The forest park currently mainly features Masson pine as the dominant tree species, with a forested area of about 3,000 mu. The site is part of the national Guantouling Forest Park and is currently in its initial construction phase. The natural vegetation is primarily Masson pine forest, including ten scattered open spaces and mountain depressions, half facing the sea and half the land, backed by a mountain peak with an elevation of 70 meters. It forms part of the Guantouling National Forest Park.