Lishan Scenic Area

Lishan Scenic Area

Lishan is a beautiful natural scenic area located in Yicheng County, at the junction of Yuanqu County, Yicheng County, Yangcheng County, and Qinshui County. The scenery here is uniquely enchanting, making visitors feel as though they are strolling through a painting or wandering amidst immortal landscapes. It is hailed as a “natural grand park.” Those fortunate enough should visit Lishan to experience the splendid beauty of its natural scenery.

Lishan is the main peak of the Zhongtiao Mountain range, covering a total area of 100 square kilometers with an elevation of 2,358 meters. It borders Yicheng, Yuanqu, and Yangcheng, featuring undulating peaks that rise high above the clouds. It is the highest mountain in southern Shanxi Province and preserves the only remaining primeval forest in North China. Here, natural landscapes, ancient forests, and prehistoric human culture blend seamlessly into a comprehensive scenic area offering tourism, exploration, hunting, archaeology, sketching, and vacationing. It is a pollution-free natural scenic zone with exceptionally high standards of air, soil, water, and environmental quality. In 1982, it was designated as a national nature reserve by the State Council.

Lishan is wonderfully unique and captivating, boasting rich natural and cultural landscapes. Viewed from below, its jagged peaks and towering trees rise majestically into the sky. From above, the land spreads out flat and vast, covered in blooming wildflowers, lush grasses, and rare blossoms competing in a colorful display. The surrounding valleys and peaks are connected, with straight-standing forests and ever-shifting mists, presenting different sceneries in every season. In the sweltering summer heat, mountain breezes bring cool relief. In the harsh winter cold, the snowy landscape, with icicles hanging like crystal chandeliers, transforms the forest-clad mountains into a world of ice. The legend of Emperor Shun farming at Lishan, the diverse and dazzling cave clusters, the Xiachuan ruins, waterfalls, ice curtains, the “One-Line Sky” crevice, Dragon-Slaying Platform, and Sword-Testing Stone are among the highlights that form seven natural scenic zones: the White Cloud Cave Area, Shunwangping Area, West Gorge Area, East Gorge Area, Shanshanyan Area, Jianhe Hunting Area, and Xiachuan Area. Each scene is stunningly beautiful and every corner is mesmerizing.