Qilin Park

Qilin Park

Qilin Park is situated on Qilin Mountain in the downtown area of Liupanshui City, with an area of about 200 acres. It is a major public-benefit project initiated in 2009 by the Liupanshui Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government, Zhongshan District Party Committee and District Government, and the Management Committee of Zhongshan Economic Development Zone. The park was built by Hecheng Garden Real Estate Development Co., Ltd. of Zhongshan Economic Development Zone. It officially opened to the public on October 1, 2009, as a tribute to the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. Qilin Park boasts convenient transportation, with roads such as the middle section of Wumeng Avenue, Hecheng Garden Section of Zhongshan East Road, Huayuan Road, Fenghuang Road, and Qilin East Road forming its internal road network. It is about 4 kilometers from the city center and features a natural karst cave. To the east of the park are Fengchi Garden, Guizhou’s first five-star hotel in the western region—Huayuan Grand Hotel—as well as a large number of ongoing projects, market service areas, and a major children’s amusement park. To the south are Xinglong Villas, auto parts city residential buildings, and other high-quality, upscale residential communities.

The scenic area consists of two parts: the garden outside the cave and the cave interior. The cave stretches 580 meters in length and offers both water and dry routes for exploration—you can either take a boat ride or stroll on foot. Based on the spatial layout inside the cave, there are six uniquely distinctive natural cave chambers: Nesting Clouds, Listening to the Sea, Subterranean Sea City, Ascending Clouds, Huicheng Night View, and Dragon Nest Phoenix Garden. Each chamber has its own unique features, standing independently yet harmonizing with one another to form a cohesive whole. Inside the cave lies the country’s largest piece of Taihu stone, spanning over 200 square meters. The karst deposits in the cave feature peculiar shapes and varied postures, sparkling brilliantly under the lights with dazzling colors and surreal forms, resembling sights such as a “cave waterfall” or “Ji Gong drunk”—vividly lifelike and mesmerizing, leaving visitors spellbound and reluctant to leave. The cave entrance garden includes attractions such as stone qilins, a lotus pond, a dragon archway, a biological display stand, and a peace altar. At the entrance of the garden, a pair of stone-carved qilins sit atop stone pedestals on either side, howling toward the sky with majestic and imposing stances that resonate through the heavens. Behind the qilins stands a stone arch bridge supported by 14 pillars, each adorned with a small qilin, all exquisitely carved and incredibly lifelike. The arch bridge spans over the lotus pond and leads directly to the dragon archway, which stands 15 meters high and 12 meters wide. It was meticulously carved from walnut wood, featuring four dragon turtles supporting four sky-reaching jade pillars, with four green dragons coiling upwards—making it the finest example of modern wood carving in Guizhou. Passing through the archway into the garden, visitors will find a rich variety of plants, including the national first-class protected plant Davidia involucrata, as well as osmanthus, magnolia, lilac, and scarlet sage, all competing in beauty with vibrant and richly colored blossoms. The garden structures are quaint and classic, with couplets and plaques written in seal, clerical, running, cursive, and regular scripts adding a scholarly charm to the park.

The qilin is a legendary benevolent beast. Historically, the ancestors of Shuicheng regarded the qilin as an eternal symbol of good fortune, praying for the prosperity of their descendants and the warding off of misfortune. They also embedded the qilin in folk proverbs, such as “A qilin in the heavens begets a top scholar on earth” and “Zhongzhong faces Xiazhong, with loess in between; if you can decipher this, your descendants shall rule the court.” These ancient sayings have been passed down to this day, embodying the goals and aspirations pursued by the local people in both their spiritual and material lives. In folklore, the qilin is closely linked to Confucius, the founder of Confucianism. Legend says the qilin spat out a jade book at the gate of Confucius’ home, leading to his birth, and thus Confucius became a sage, a great thinker, and an educator. For thousands of years, this legend from qilin culture has endured. It resonates with modern society’s emphasis on education and the cultivation of talented descendants.

Qilin Park is a theme park built around the qilin culture that has been developed in Chinese civilization for over 2,500 years. In terms of planning philosophy and design concepts, Confucian cultural elements are integrated into the park’s attractions. Structures within the park include Renshou Pavilion, Linrui Waterfall, Qilin Tower, Qilin Platform, Seal Pond, and Zhuangyuan Tower, all aiming to highlight the characteristics of qilin culture and reflect the ancient and modern pursuit of harmony between man and nature, as well as the desire for good fortune and happiness. From north to south, along the park’s central axis, various themed zones are arranged on both sides, including a senior leisure landscape area, a qilin culture landscape area, a meteorological science popularization area, a children’s play area, a nursery and potted plant viewing area, and a sports activity area. These are blended with the landscape of the Qilin Cave National Geopark, forming a three-dimensional cultural theme park where the city encloses mountains, the mountains house caves, the caves contain water, and the water features abundant stalactites. The interconnected caves and rippling waters offer visitors the experience of sightseeing on land and boating underground. With its beautiful environment, picturesque scenery, pleasant climate, unique culture, and prime location, the park captivates and enchants visitors, becoming a new highlight of the city’s leisure tourism offerings.

Address: Left Side, No. 172 Renmin Middle Road, Liupanshui, Guizhou Province

Tel: 0858-8968703

Admission:

2 RMB