Gucheng Mountain Qili Gorge Scenic Area

Gucheng Mountain Qili Gorge Scenic Area

Gucheng Mountain Qili Gorge Scenic Area is a national AAAA-level tourist attraction.

Gucheng Mountain Qili Gorge Scenic Area is situated within the experimental zone of the Micang Mountain National Nature Reserve, spanning an area of over 100 square kilometers. The area includes Gucheng Mountain, Qili Gorge, Duan Gong Pool, Xiao Long Pool, the Micang Mountain Museum, Gucheng North Sichuan Vernacular Residences, Mengzi Grand Canyon, and the Micang Ancient Road. The scenic area is dominated by mountain and water landscapes, enhanced by pristine forest leisure views, wildlife and plant observation, and underground karst cave attractions. The scenery varies with the seasons and cloud formations. Especially striking are the East and West Gucheng Mountains, formed over 250 million years of geological transformation and shaped by ancient marine sediment deposits. These two massive, drum-like formations are incredibly vivid and unusually large for karst mountain landscapes in China or abroad, making them the iconic sight of the area—hailed as the “Number One Drum under Heaven.” The renowned Chinese painter and photographer Shao Yu once visited and called it a “fairyland.” In January 2011, it was designated as a national AAAA-level tourist attraction.

East and West Gucheng Mountains

The East and West Gucheng Mountains are located within the Qinling tectonic belt, with elevations of 2,071 meters and 2,043 meters respectively. The two peaks are about a kilometer apart, and their summits resemble a pair of natural stone drums, hence the name Gucheng Mountain. Between them lies a mountain ridge called “Hengdan Liang” (Carrying Beam Ridge), which looks like a shoulder pole carrying a pair of “stone drums.” The mountains are tall and steep, with twin peaks standing upright and sheer cliffs that are treacherous and difficult to climb, resembling a natural “city wall.” From the summit to the foothills, the area is covered with lush forests and year-round flowing mountain springs, offering great sightseeing value. East Gucheng Mountain is 700 meters long from east to west and 500 meters wide from north to south, dotted with peak forests and clustered depressions. Its summit has eight hilltops arranged like the “Eight Trigrams,” among which two cliffs stand opposite each other, about 10 meters high and 3–4 meters wide, resembling a gate. West Gucheng Mountain is 700 meters long from north to south and 400 meters wide from east to west. The terrain is rugged, with precipitous drops on the southern, western, and northern sides.

Duan Gong Pool Waterfall

The Duan Gong Pool Waterfall is 60 meters high, with the pool itself about 8 meters deep. Surrounded by mountains and shaded by ancient vines and green trees above, the pool water is dark green. The waterfall cascades down from the cliff, tangled with vines, and plunges directly into the deep pool. This single waterfall exhibits two contrasting styles—one side is bold and vigorous, like an innocent youth charging forward fearlessly, while the other is gentle and graceful, like a shy mountain maiden brushing her hair against your face. The pool water is deep, clear, and cold, with a rocky bottom covered in green moss, eroded smooth like a wok bottom. When there’s no wind, the surface is still, and the sound of the waterfall is soft, like a mountain maiden singing softly under the moonlight. When a sudden gust of wind rises, the clouds shift, waves surge violently, and the sound becomes like a rugged man singing of the mighty river flowing eastward.

Sinkhole

Located in the center of the scenic area, the entrance to this sinkhole is at the foot of the Kamen Gate to the north of Gucheng Mountain. It consists of upper, middle, and lower caves, as well as a dry cave. The lower cave, also known as the Lower Sinkhole, is entered by ascending about 300 meters to the front section of the Upper Sinkhole. The front section resembles a train tunnel, approximately 100 meters long, where water from the Upper Sinkhole flows into and then down into the Lower Sinkhole. Passing through the front section, there is an open sunlit recessed area outside. Not far ahead, a cave is visible on the stone wall—that’s the Upper Sinkhole. Following the underground river upstream for about 400 meters, a cave appears on the left side of the rock wall, about 10 meters above the ground. This is the Dry Cave, also called the Cave within a Cave. Some parts of the Dry Cave are about 30 to 50 meters in height and width, while others are only around 10 meters. The interior is dry and smooth, with cave walls as solid as cement. Some sections resemble plains or hills, with springs occasionally flowing; others form grand halls that could accommodate thousands of people; and some areas feature abundant stalagmites and flowstones. The full depth of the cave remains unknown to this day.

Mengzi Grand Canyon

Mengzi Grand Canyon is located to the east of the scenic area, bordering the Guangwu Mountain Scenic Area in Nanjiang County. It remains undeveloped. The area boasts pristine forest vegetation, with layered canyons and valleys, and is scattered with waterfalls and emerald pools. Key attractions include Golden Gorge, Carpenter River, Hippo Rock, and Flying Water Pit Waterfall, all of which are delightful and refreshing to the senses.

Micang Mountain Museum

The Micang Mountain Museum was established in August 2010 and expanded on May 1, 2014. It is situated at the Gucheng Protection Station of the Micang Mountain National Nature Reserve, with a construction area of over 1,200 square meters. The museum houses over 100 specimens of national first-class protected plants such as yew, southern yew, and ginkgo, as well as second-class protected plants including Taiwan beech, Bashan torreya, and Lauraceae species. It also displays over 1,000 specimens of national first-class protected animals like the golden eagle, leopard, clouded leopard, forest musk deer, and takin, along with second-class protected species such as Lady Amherst's pheasant, Chinese schizothoracin, and Chinese giant salamander—totaling over 1,000 items. This includes 50 fish specimens, 25 amphibians, 25 reptiles, 202 bird species (274 specimens), 52 mammal species (67 specimens), 126 butterfly species (over 500 specimens), and 97 insect species (105 specimens). The museum also holds 40 fossil and mineral specimens, as well as a large collection of historical photos and cultural relics reflecting the region’s heritage.

Xiao Long Pool

Also known as Black Dragon Pool, it is formed by a waterfall cascading down from a narrow crevice in a broken cliff. The waterfall is narrow at the top and widens at the bottom, standing 25 meters high and quite spectacular. Below it lies a deep, round pool about 14 meters in diameter, with ink-green water of unfathomable depth. The upper part of the gorge forms a narrow slit in the rock, densely vegetated, creating a mysterious and serene atmosphere.

Zhuangyuan Pen (Scholar's Brush)

Zhuangyuan Pen, with an elevation of over 2,100 meters, is thick at the base and narrows toward the top, resembling a brush dipped in ink and wielded boldly against the sky. The mountain peak is covered with lush bushes and shrubs.

Qili Gorge

Stretching seven Chinese miles in length, it is thus named Qili Gorge, also called Seven Maidens Gorge. The gorge is 80 to 100 meters high and 5 to 10 meters wide. It features flowing streams, waterfalls, and springs on the cliffs, with dense tree cover at the top that blocks out the sunlight. The main characteristics of Qili Gorge are its serenity, steepness, beauty, and elegance. It is said to have been formed in ancient times by tectonic movements that fractured the mountain, coupled with the accumulation of water runoff.

Address: Wangcang County, Guangyuan City

Type: Gorge, Forest, Mountain, Museum

Opening Hours:

08:00–18:00

Ticket Information:

Gucheng Mountain Qili Gorge Tourist Package (includes museum entry) – 60 RMB, half price for students