Chishui Five Pillars Peak Scenic Area

Chishui Five Pillars Peak Scenic Area

The Five Pillars Peak Scenic Area is acclaimed as the “No. 1 Danxia Garden” and the “Unparalleled Wonder of Chishui.” Its primary highlights are the Great White Rock, renowned as the “Danxia Cliff and a Marvel Under Heaven,” and the Five Pillars Peak, described as a “natural wonder and masterpiece of craftsmanship.” The area boasts over 30 magnificent landscapes and wonders, such as Danxia landforms, unique peaks and rocks, sheer cliff caves, the Five Pillars Peak, the White Dragon Waterfall, Danxia castles, and camellia forests. It consists of five major scenic sections: Xiaojinyi Gully, Peach Blossom Spring, Sun Valley, Plow Handle Gully, and Leopard Gully, covering an area of 20 square kilometers. The site integrates six outstanding features: novelty, wonder, danger, beauty, serenity, and wilderness. It forms an essential part of the Chishui National Key Scenic Area and is a rare, premium natural ecological tourism destination.

The Five Pillars Peak Scenic Area is located 44 kilometers northwest of Chishui City, 8 kilometers southeast of Yuanhou Red Army Crossing, and faces the Jiujiao Cave Scenic Area across the Chishui River to the north. It connects to the Golden Sand Gully Alsophila National Nature Reserve to the east, west, and south. The Five Pillars Peak Scenic Area lies on the northern foothills of the Dalou Mountains, in a section of the Guizhou Plateau that sharply descends toward the Sichuan Basin. The valley is deep with steep slopes, crisscrossed by streams and rivers, with elevation drops between 500 and 1,300 meters, and peaks mostly exceeding 1,200 meters. There are sheer cliffs and gorges with significant height differences. The exposed strata consist entirely of Jurassic and Cretaceous red sedimentary rocks formed in river and lake environments. Under the combined physical and biochemical effects of differential weathering, gravitational collapse, and erosion by wind and rain, this unique landform has given rise to countless extraordinary Danxia features—tower-like, castle-like, needle-like, pillar-like, rod-like, mesa-like, and peak forest-like formations. There are numerous striking Danxia cliffs, peculiar peaks and rocks, and cliff caves and niches, with the earth and cliffs displaying a vivid crimson-red hue. As a result, the Five Pillars Peak Scenic Area is hailed as “one of the best-developed, most fully exposed, and most typical Jurassic and Cretaceous Danxia landform areas in Chishui and even all of China.”

The most distinctive features within the scenic area are the Great White Rock and the Five Pillars Peak. The Great White Rock is a massive circular Danxia stone wall, standing 234 meters high, 666 meters wide, and stretching over 1,000 meters in circumference. It resembles a colossal open tome spread out in the sky amid the sea of clouds. When sunlight shines on it, the rock glows brilliantly like rosy clouds. A waterfall cascades from the middle of the cliff, and the drifting mist looks like smoke or silk threads, bringing dynamic vitality to the red cliff. Nearby, the Five Pillars Peak consists of five Danxia mountain peaks shaped like towers, with uniquely striking formations that are truly masterpieces of nature’s artistry. Countless grasses, ferns, and vines grow on the overlapping stone pillars, complementing the exposed red cliffs to create a breathtaking scene. The two attractions are connected by a broad and flat Danxia stone path, along which visitors can also enjoy many other unique and beautiful Danxia cliff landscapes. The scenic environment is primitive and rustic, with diverse plant communities and a complete ecosystem. The scenery is magnificent, with Danxia landforms as the highlight, earning it the titles “Crown of World Danxia” and “No. 1 Danxia Garden in the World.”

The Five Pillars Peak Scenic Area is one of the core zones of the UNESCO World Natural Heritage site “Chishui Danxia.”

Yuanhou Town: Yuanhou Town is a town under the jurisdiction of Chishui City, Zunyi, Guizhou Province. It is located in the southeastern part of Chishui City, bordering Tucheng Town and the Alsophila Nature Reserve of Xishui County to the east, connecting to Tucheng Town of Xishui County to the south, adjacent to Lianghekou Township and Bing’an Township of the same city to the west, and neighboring Hushi Town to the north.

Basic Information

Yuanhou Town is situated in the southeastern part of Chishui City. It borders Tucheng Town and the Alsophila Nature Reserve of Xishui County to the east, connects to Tucheng Town of Xishui County to the south, is adjacent to Lianghekou Township and Bing’an Township of the same city to the west, and neighbors Hushi Town to the north. The area features river valley mountains with deep valleys and steep slopes, and the highest elevation reaches 1,730... More detailed information about Yuanhou Town ++