Kongshan National Forest Park

Kongshan National Forest Park

Kongshan National Forest Park is a national-level forest park.

Kongshan National Forest Park is a national-level forest park approved by the State Forestry Administration in December 2004, established on the basis of the state-owned Kongshan Forest Farm. It is located within Tongjiang County, Sichuan Province, on the southern edge of the eastern section of the Micang Mountains at the northeastern edge of the Sichuan Basin, bordering the three counties of Nanzheng, Xixiang, and Zhenba in southern Shaanxi. The park covers a total area of 11,511 hectares and includes five major scenic areas within the Kongshanba region: Liujiazhai, Zanziyan, Guabaoyan, Houzixia, and Jiaoyuanzi. It consists of five types of landscapes: geomorphological, biological, cultural, celestial, and aquatic, featuring a total of 56 scenic spots. These include 5 first-class spots, 11 second-class spots, 15 third-class spots, and 25 fourth-class spots. It serves as a multifunctional eco-tourism destination in northeastern Sichuan for ecological sightseeing, summer retreats, educational inspiration, and mountain exploration.

Kongshanba: The earliest site where Red Army battle relics were spread. The Republican-era "Supplementary Chronicles of Tongjiang County" records: The Taoist priest Luan Ba built the Luan Ba Temple (Nanba Temple), chanting Buddhist scriptures and spreading Buddhist culture. In the fifth year of the Jiaqing reign of the Qing Dynasty, a market town was established, and the Five Gods Palace was built, integrating palace, hall, and pavilion structures. Local cultural activities such as shadow puppetry, dragon lanterns, lion dances, and storytelling were very active.

In 1932, the Fourth Front Army of the Red Army stationed at Kongshanba. Under the command and deployment of Commander-in-Chief Xu Xiangqian, they fought bloody battles against the Nationalist forces under Tian Songyao and achieved the significant victory of the “Kongshan Great Triumph,” laying the foundation for countering the “Third Encirclement Campaign” and consolidating the Sichuan-Shaanxi Revolutionary Base. Red Army relics such as the “Kongshan Battle Site,” “General’s Tree,” “Li Xiannian Ash Scattering Memorial Monument,” “Xian’nian Memorial Monument,” “Red Army Trenches,” “Red Army Caves,” and “Military Meeting Site” are still vividly present. The spirit of the Red Army has inspired generations of Kongshan people.

From March to June 1933, warlord Tian Songyao gathered 38 regiments, nearly 60,000 troops, to launch the “Three Routes Encirclement Campaign” against the newly established Sichuan-Shaanxi Soviet Area. Facing a formidable enemy, the Fourth Front Army of the Red Army adopted the strategic policy of “contracting positions, luring the enemy deep, and active defense,” fighting tenaciously against the enemy. In early June, the 10th, 11th, 12th, and 72nd Divisions of the Red Army concentrated their forces in the Kongshanba area, employing tactics to cut off the enemy’s retreat and encircle them in segments. After three days of fierce fighting, they annihilated seven enemy regiments totaling over 5,000 men and routed six regiments, achieving a decisive victory in crushing the enemy’s “Three Routes Encirclement Campaign” and defending and consolidating the Soviet Area.

The Kongshanba Battle Site Reserve still perfectly preserves 80 li of Red Army trenches and “Red Army Caves.” The walnut tree protected by Red Army 11th Division Political Commissar Li Xiannian for the local people remains lush and vibrant. The title “Kongshanba Battle Site” was personally inscribed by the President of the Nation and is now engraved on a monument standing in the center of Kongshanba.

Major Attractions

Kongshan Tianpen (Heavenly Basin)

In the center of the “Heavenly Basin,” there are four isolated peaks standing majestically and responding to each other from afar. The central peak is about 120 meters high, covering an area of approximately 5,000 square meters, with sheer cliffs on all sides. The summit is adorned with ancient pines and wildflowers, and inside there is a karst cave inscribed with an ancient phrase: “The First Cave Heaven.” Another peak, about 140 meters high and covering an area of over 6,000 square meters, also has steep cliffs and thick brambles. The entire mountain is a honeycomb-like karst cave, accessible from all directions—east, west, south, and north. People jokingly call it the “Honeycomb Park,” and it contains an ancient inscription labeled “The Second Cave Heaven.” In 1933, it served as a Red Army camp, so locals also refer to it as the “Red Army Stockade.” The other two peaks are named “Cizhu Bao” (Bamboo Bag), where a farmhouse below was the site of the Fourth Front Army’s “Kongshan Military Meeting.” This meeting proposed the military strategy for the Fourth Front Army to counter the “Three Routes Encirclement,” which was of great significance to the consolidation and development of 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, resembling a blue lotus blooming in the basin when viewed from afar. These four isolated peaks are interspersed to form the main scenery of the basin, while the surrounding basin floor is dotted with stone buds. Among them, the “Mianfo Chaotian” (Buddhas Facing Heaven) in the northeast is the most spectacular. This attraction stretches over 2,000 meters in length and 300 meters in width, with large stone teeth arranged along the slope, ranging from 5–6 meters to 1–2 meters in height. From a distance, it looks like thousands of Buddhas standing in formation, facing heaven and earth; up close, each stone Buddha has a unique expression, vivid and lifelike.

The surface of the “Kongshan Tianpen” is indeed hollow, with many unfathomable pits on the slopes. Even during flash floods, the water disappears in an instant. Large crevices in the forest disappear without a trace. Interestingly, in Longchi Village, there is a water cave where the groundwater level always remains level with the cave entrance. It neither overflows during the rainy season nor dries up in the dry season. Locals call it the life source of Kongshan. The surroundings of the “Kongshan Tianpen” are surrounded by mountains, with 137 peaks, each offering unique scenery.

Guabao Yan (Hanging Treasure Rock)

Guabao Yan dominates the northern part of the Tianpen, with an elevation of 2,088.6 meters, making it the highest peak in the Tongjiang Nuoshui Scenic Area. Its summit is round like a jewel, and the central main peak protrudes with a plaque-like structure hanging in the clouds. The middle of the plaque is overgrown with wild grass and vines, twisted into the shape of two flower-like ingots, colorful and dazzling, making one’s eyes blur with the wind. On either side of the plaque, there is a stone stalagmite about 20 meters high and three meters in diameter, forming an arched gate. Entering through the arch, there is a rugged ancient path leading to the mountaintop. Below the peak lies a lake of over 5,000 square meters, with a mirror-like surface, unfathomable depth, never drying up in prolonged drought or overflowing in prolonged rain. The water is exceptionally clear and is called the “Pure Water Pond.”

Wufo Guanbang (Five Buddhas Viewing the Plaque)

Wufo Guanbang is located northwest of Guabao Yan. At the summits of five peaks, each features a tall, strange rock that resembles five venerable monks wearing Buddhist hats and robes, calmly gazing up at the plaque on Guabao Yan, hence the name.

Chaqi Shan (Flag-Planting Mountain) is located in the western part of the Tianpen. Rising steeply, a hill about one kilometer long features five prominent hills of varying sizes. They are closely spaced, with roughly equal distances between them, covered with green pines and distinct folds. When the breeze stirs the grass and trees, it looks like five green flags fluttering in the wind. On both sides of the mountain, there are long trenches left behind by the Red Army.

Qixing Deng (Seven-Star Lantern)

Qixing Deng is located in the southern part of the Kongshan Tianpen. On a hillside covering an area of 5 square kilometers, seven small hills of varying heights and shapes rise up. The tallest is about 120 meters, and the shortest is only 80 meters, resembling old-fashioned lanterns used by farmers. Due to the dense growth of maple trees on the hills, during the golden autumn season, the red leaves blaze like fire. Under the sunlight, the seven hills shimmer like seven red lanterns among the mountains, creating a spectacular sight. Yizao Santuo (One Stove Three Pots) is located south of the Kongshan Basin. There is a small hill shaped like a farmer’s earthen stove, with three round depressions resembling pots. The largest has a flat bottom of 7,000 square meters and is 30 meters deep, called the Big Pot; the medium one has a flat bottom of 3,500 square meters and is 20 meters deep, called the Medium Pot; the smallest has a flat bottom of 2,000 square meters and is 15 meters deep, called the Small Pot. There are also three stove entrances, with households living beside each. The edges of the pots and the stove surfaces are densely covered with green pines, making the stove and pots resemble a grand sports stadium.