Jiǔcài Píng (Leek Flatland)

Jiǔcài Píng (Leek Flatland)

Jiǔcài Píng is a national AAA-level tourist attraction.

A national geopark. Located in Dawan Town, Zhongshan District, Liupanshui City, Guizhou Province. Both the Shuibì Highway and Shuǐdà Highway lead to Dawan, which is 90 kilometers from the city center. It features typical early Cenozoic ancient karst geological relics on the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau and is the highest peak of the Wumeng Mountain Range situated on the eastern slope of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, with an elevation of 2,900.6 meters. It is one of the best-preserved karst landform landscapes dominated by karst geology in the Liupanshui area.

Fossils of marine reptiles from the Middle Triassic strata, dating back over 260 million years, represent the earliest known paleotriassic paleontological fossil site discovered in the world to date and mark another major breakthrough in paleontology. The fossils mainly consist of ichthyosaurs, as well as Guizhou dragons, thalattosaurs, mixosaurs, along with scales of lepidotids, palaeoniscoids, and saurichthyids. These findings are of great significance for studying the evolution, paleoecology, and marine environments of marine reptiles during the Triassic period. The area serves both as a geological heritage reserve and an ecological protection zone.

The climate of Jiǔcài Píng is subtropical alpine, characterized by distinct zonal variations—ranging from seasonal to even daily changes. There are no permanent water systems on the mountain, only seasonal streams. Currently, there are two year-round water sources: one is magma drip water inside a cave at the mountaintop, and the other is seepage from a stream near the parking lot, both with relatively low flow. The vertical zonation on Jiǔcài Píng is quite distinct: between 2,500–2,600 meters in elevation, there are expanses of tall trees; between 2,600–2,800 meters, mixed forests of trees and shrubs dominate; and above 2,800 meters, large areas are covered with shrubbery.

Jiǔcài Píng is famed for its geological wonders, complemented by various natural landscapes. The karst landform spectacles feature uniquely shaped stone forests—some resembling gateways, others like swords. There is also a “Hundred Beasts Garden” where rocks take the shapes of cats, tigers, lions, and more. The vegetation is rich and diverse, including nationally protected plants such as Xīlán camellia and alpine banyan, vast stands of rock poplar, vast blooms of Wumeng azaleas, clusters of arrow bamboo, wild leeks like felt, as well as high-altitude caves, sinkholes, fossils, all of which hold significant aesthetic and scientific research value.

Entrance ticket: 50 RMB

Cable car (one way): 40 RMB; sightseeing bus (one way): 25 RMB

Transportation

Expressways include the Xiarong Expressway and the Chuanbiwei Expressway. Take a train to Liupanshui or Weining, then transfer to a bus to Xingfa in Hezhang.

Location of the attraction

Northern part of Dawan Town, Zhongshan District, Liupanshui City, Guizhou Province; within Xingfa Township, Hezhang County, Bijie City, Guizhou Province

Dawan Town: Located in the northwest of Liupanshui City, it is known as the “Western Gateway” of Liupanshui. It is an “exclave” of Zhongshan District within the border areas of Weining County and Hezhang County. As the junction of Weining, Hezhang, and Zhongshan District, it holds strong geographical advantages and is referred to as the “Three-County Interchange.” The town stretches 14 kilometers from east to west and 9 kilometers from north to south, covering a land area of 102 square kilometers, which accounts for one-fourth of the total area of Zhongshan District. With many high-altitude areas and a significant poverty incidence, it has 10,088 people living in poverty. The town administers 12 administrative villages and 5 neighborhood committees, with a total population of 5... More detailed information about Dawan Town++