Kongshan Tianpen Scenic Area

Kongshan Tianpen Scenic Area

Kongshan Tianpen Scenic Area is a national AAAA-level tourist attraction.

Located in the Kongshan area of northeastern Tongjiang, the highland basin landscape spans an altitude of 1,450–2,108 meters and covers an area of 60 square kilometers. The terrain is open and expansive, featuring over 80 well-known scenic spots mainly distributed around Kongshan Township, Linjiang Township, and Lianghekou Township. This scenic area blends unique karst landforms, mysterious primeval forests, and relics from the World War II-era Kongshan Campaign personally commanded by Li Xiannian.

The unique karst landforms have created a 13-square-kilometer alpine basin on this mountain over 1,400 meters above sea level. The basin floor is flat, stretching 8.5 kilometers in length and 1.5 kilometers in width. Surrounded by layered peaks that soar into the clouds, the 137 mountain peaks are often shrouded in mist, presenting ever-changing scenery that resembles a “natural bonsai.” Hence the name “Kongshan Tianpen” (Kongshan Heavenly Basin).

At the center of the “Heavenly Basin,” there stand four isolated peaks, standing majestically and echoing one another. The central peak is about 120 meters high, covering an area of approximately 5,000 square meters, with sheer cliffs on all sides. Its summit is adorned with ancient, sturdy pines and wildflowers, and contains a karst cave inscribed with an ancient phrase: “The First Cave Heaven.” Another peak, about 140 meters high and covering over 6,000 square meters, also features steep cliffs and thick brambles. The entire mountain is a honeycomb-like karst cave accessible from all four directions—east, west, south, and north. Locals jokingly call it the “Honeycomb Park,” and it houses an ancient inscription labeled “The Second Cave Heaven.” In 1933, it served as a campsite for the Red Army, so locals also refer to it as the “Red Army Stockade.” The other two peaks are named “Cizhu Bao” (Bamboo Pouch), at the foot of which lies a small farmhouse that was the site of the Red Fourth Army’s “Kongshan Military Conference.” This conference proposed the military strategy for the Red Fourth Army to counter the “Three-Way Encirclement Campaign,” playing a significant role in consolidating and developing the Sichuan-Shaanxi Revolutionary Base. The other is called “Pudi Lianhua” (Prostrate Lotus), consisting of six ridges covering an area of about 30,000 square meters, which from afar looks like a blue lotus blooming in the basin. These four solitary peaks are arranged in a crisscross pattern, forming the main scenery within the basin. The edges of the basin floor are dotted with numerous stone teeth, among which the “Mianfo Chaotian” (Buddha Faces the Sky) in the northeast is the most spectacular. This feature stretches over 2,000 meters in length and 300 meters in width, with large stone teeth lining the slope, some as tall as 5–6 meters and others as short as 1–2 meters. From a distance, they look like thousands of Buddhas standing in formation, worshipping the heavens and earth; up close, each stone resembles a uniquely expressive, lifelike Buddha.

The ground beneath the “Kongshan Tianpen” is indeed hollow. There are many unfathomably deep pits on the mountainsides, and even during torrential rains, the floodwaters vanish in an instant. Interestingly, in Longchi Village, there is a water cave where the underground water level remains constant with the cave entrance—never overflowing in the rainy season nor receding in the dry season. Locals call it the lifeblood of Kongshan.

The surroundings of the “Kongshan Tianpen” are encircled by mountains, with 137 peaks, each a unique scenic wonder in itself.