Huzhu Jiading National Geopark

Huzhu Jiading National Geopark

Huzhu Jiading National Geopark is a national geopark.

Qinghai Huzhu Jiading National Geopark is located in the northeastern part of Huzhu Tu Autonomous County, Qinghai Province, at the eastern end of the Qilian Mountains and the middle and lower reaches of the Datong River, on the border between Gansu and Qinghai provinces. It is 78 km from the county seat Weiyuan Town, 110 km from the provincial capital Xining, and 220 km from Lanzhou, the capital of Gansu Province. The Weibei and Qinggang highways run through the park, and tourist branch roads within the park connect to the main highways, ensuring convenient transportation. In 1992, it was approved as a national forest park by the former Ministry of Forestry, and in 2000, it was rated as a "4A" level tourist scenic area.

The park is located in the northeastern part of Huzhu Tu Autonomous County, Qinghai Province, at the eastern end of the Qilian Mountains and the middle and lower reaches of the Datong River, on the border between Gansu and Qinghai provinces. It is 78 km from the county seat Weiyuan Town, 110 km from the provincial capital Xining, and 220 km from Lanzhou, the capital of Gansu Province. The Weibei and Qinggang highways run through the park, and tourist branch roads within the park connect to the main highways, ensuring convenient transportation. In 1992, it was approved as a national forest park by the former Ministry of Forestry, and in 2000, it was rated as a "4A" level tourist scenic area.

The park is situated in the transitional zone between the Loess Plateau and the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, with terrain sloping from northwest to southeast and elevations ranging from 2,100 to 4,308 m. The climate in the park is a cold alpine plateau climate, with an annual precipitation of 483.4 mm and an annual evaporation of 1,408.4 mm. The exposed strata in the park include: Lower Proterozoic schist and gneiss; Upper Proterozoic crystalline limestone, silty limestone, and quartzite; Ordovician volcanic breccia interbedded with metamorphic sandstone, crystalline limestone, and siliceous rock; and Cretaceous coarse sandstone, conglomerate, and muddy sandstone.

The park features a diverse range of geological relics, primarily composed of karst, glacial, Danxia, and canyon formations, integrating springs, rivers, and waterfalls into a comprehensive geopark. These geological relics are uniquely beautiful, rich in scenery, and take on shapes resembling towers, arrows, peaks, columns, humans, and objects, all vividly lifelike and varied in form. Particularly notable are the karst geological relics, which are the only high-altitude (3,400–3,700 m) karst formations in Qinghai and rare in China, making them extremely precious.

Karst Geological Relics: Mainly distributed in the upper reaches of Zhalong Valley and Langshidang Valley, these appear in the forms of stone forests, peak forests, caves, springs, and waterfalls. Formed from thick limestone deposits of the Proterozoic era approximately 1.8 billion years ago, these rocks were uplifted by later tectonic movements and repeatedly eroded by groundwater and surface water along rock fractures, eventually forming a variety of karst geological relics.

Danxia Geological Relics: Distributed in the Jiatai area along the Datong River, the strata consist of Cretaceous sandstone and conglomerate, which form the foundation of the Danxia landform. Under arid climatic conditions, these were later shaped by water erosion along fractures or weak structural planes, as well as by weathering, erosion, and gravity, resulting in Danxia landscape features such as rock pits, pillars, square mountains, and cliffs.

Glacial Geological Relics: Found in the Ezuoling area, these developed at altitudes above 3,860 m and mainly appear as cirques, horn peaks, arêtes, and glacial lakes.

Geological Attractions

North Chan Temple: Historically known as North Chan Temple, it is located on the northern mountain of Xining, nestled against the mountain and water. The well-developed Danxia landform has recessed inward, forming caves of various sizes, famously known as the "Nine Caves and Eighteen Halls." Red cliffs house towering temples and corridors that connect the halls and caves, creating a structure where halls contain caves, caves enclose other caves, and various Buddhist and Taoist deities are enshrined within. It is known as the second hanging temple in China. Some existing caves still preserve murals from the Sui, Tang, and Yongqing periods, holding high artistic value and once earning the title "The Mogao Caves of Xiping." On the eastern side, a massive 30-meter-tall Buddha statue stands proudly against the mountain. Known as the "Open-Air Vajra" in Buddhism and the "Manifestation of the Queen Mother of the West" in Taoism, it is majestic and rugged. At the mountaintop stands the Ningshou Tower. When mist and rain shroud the area, the temples and towers appear and disappear amid the fog, giving rise to the name "Northern Mountain Mist." Historically, the Northern Mountain Temple has had many names. Before the Ming Dynasty, there was a "Shrine on the Mountain," hence the name "Tulou Shrine." During the Ming Dynasty, it was named "Yongxing Temple" by Emperor Chengzu, gaining its status as a temple—over 580 years ago. Due to its layered structure resembling a tulou (earthen building), it was also called "Tulou Mountain." The Northern Wei traveler Li Daoyuan trekked to Xining, climbed Tulou Mountain, and wrote in his Commentary on the Water Classic: "The river flows eastward, passing south of Tulou, with a tulou standing north against the mountain ridge. The peak is over 300 feet high, as if carved out." As the tulou housed Taoist temples, it was also called "Tulou Guan." The Northern Mountain resembles a fledgling phoenix ready to take flight, and Tulou Mountain looks like one of its wings, earning it another elegant name: "Phoenix Wing Mountain." Despite its many names, "North Mountain Temple" remains the most commonly used. Its mountain temples are a major historical site in the Xining area. Thanks to its unique geographical location and stunning scenery, it has become a popular destination. The Commentary on the Water Classic from the Northern Wei period documented the North Mountain Temple, and ancient maps of Qinghai also marked its location at Xiping Ting, now known as Xicheng. This attests to its considerable fame.

Zhalong Valley: Located at the 88-km mark of the Minmen Highway in the southern valley, Zhalong Valley in Beishan belongs to Jiading Town, Huzhu County, Qinghai Province. Zhalong resembles a giant deer antler, with crisscrossing valleys, dense forests, and beautiful scenery. The black Zhaqu Highway runs along the Zhalong River, turning south then east, leading straight into the valley. From a high vantage point, it looks like two intertwined snakes—one black, one white—winding through the high gorge. Along the way, fields stretch out, shaded by green trees, with small bridges over flowing streams and Tibetan homes adorned with prayer flags, creating a fairy-tale-like beauty that feels like Jiangnan, if not better. Each season—spring, summer, autumn, and winter—offers unique and delightful scenery. When spring finally arrives late on the plateau and kisses Zhalong, the lower areas are already bathed in bright spring light, with green seas swaying and late spring scenes in full charm. Meanwhile, the mountains retain the freshness of early spring. The small azaleas, having endured the harsh winter, unfurl their green leaves, their branches heavy with dense purple flowers that bend the branches. Among the small azalea clusters are clumps of large azaleas, with intertwined roots, connected branches, and leaves, their branches adorned with bowl-sized flowers in pure white, pink-red, and deep purple. The mountains become a sea of flowers, a fantastical paradise. Were you not there in person, you might mistake it for the passionate brushwork of a master oil painter. Gentle breezes send waves of flowers rippling across the mountains, while wafts of fragrance drift from the valleys and peaks, filling the air and blending with the sky, deeply penetrating the mountains—even the water from newly emerged springs carries a crisp, fragrant scent.

Within Huzhu Beishan National Forest Park lies the famous "Little Three Gorges Scenic Area," consisting of Kasuo Gorge, Qinggang Gorge, and Xiahe Gorge. Kasuo Gorge features cliffs thousands of feet high and perilous rocks hanging in midair, with the sky visible only as a thin line when looking up—hence also called "One-Line Sky." Qinggang Gorge has lush greenery on both banks, with towering pines and cypresses, accompanied by the sounds of pine waves and water waves, known as "Listening to the Waves in Qinggang." Xiahe Gorge has mountain peaks shaped like swords or pens, piercing the sky. Looking west, three peaks stand side by side, resembling a pen holder, locally called "Penholder Mountain."

Ezuoling: Most miraculously, at the mountaintop grassland of the main peak Ezuoling in Beishan, over 3,800 m above sea level, lie two lakes—one large, one small—arranged in a stepped formation. Locals call them the "Sacred Mother Heavenly Lakes." Year-round, water from the upper small lake flows steadily and constantly into the lower large lake, unaffected by seasonal changes. On this mountain ridge, where there isn’t enough snow accumulation and the mountaintop grassland lacks the area to absorb such flow, how can so much water accumulate to form these lakes, remain full year-round, and continuously flow downhill? If it were meltwater from snow, it would require vast, thick snow cover as a source; if from rain, it would need extensive grassland to supply it; if from forest water retention, the forest would have to be above it; if from groundwater, it wouldn’t likely emerge from the mountaintop. Where does all the water in the "Sacred Mother Heavenly Lakes" come from? This remains an age-old mystery that even many domestic and international experts have yet to solve.

Langshidang Valley: The main scenic area of Beishan National Park, it combines forests, peculiar peaks, waterfalls, and temples. The historic Gelug sect Tibetan Buddhist monastery—Tiantang Temple—is located on the north bank of the Datong River in Tianzhu Tibetan Autonomous County, Gansu Province, connected to the Huzhu Beishan Tibetan area in Qinghai. Here, the mountains are lush and the waters picturesque, with an altitude of 2,200 m and a pleasant climate, making it one of the rare scenic spots on the Gansu-Qinghai border, commonly known as the "Jiangnan of Tianzhu." Travel by car through the Xianmi Forest Farm leads to Menyuan County, known as the "Sea of Flowers."

Hule Tianchi: Situated atop a high mountain, the scenery is boundless, featuring peculiar landforms like towering pillars, mother and child worshipping Buddha, and Tang Sanzang retrieving scriptures. The Datong River valley is deep, with steep cliffs on both sides, towering peaks, and crystal-clear river water at the bottom, with splashing waves. Especially notable are the "Little Three Gorges"—Kasu Gorge, Qinggang Gorge, and Xiahe Gorge—which are particularly steep, with bizarre rocks on both sides, towering pines on the vertical cliffs, and eagles soaring in the blue sky, limiting the view to the "One-Line Sky." The valleys of Langshidang, Zhalong, Shilong, Yaoshui, and Nazhi are mostly 10–50 km long, with relatively wide bottoms covered in poplar and birch trees, and the sound of clear springs tinkling. The mountain foothills on both sides are densely forested. Yaoshui Valley contains medicinal spring water, regarded as sacred by locals, with legends of 108 springs capable of curing 108 diseases.

North Shan Zha Long Valley, located at the 88-km mark of the Minmen Highway in the southern valley, belongs to Jiading Town, Huzhu County, Qinghai Province. Zha Long resembles a giant deer antler, with crisscrossing valleys, dense forests, and beautiful scenery. The black Zha Qu Highway follows the Zha Long River, turning south then east, leading straight into the valley. From a high vantage point, it looks like two intertwined snakes—one black, one white—winding through the high gorge. Along the way, fields stretch out, shaded by green trees, with small bridges over flowing streams and Tibetan homes adorned with prayer flags, creating a fairy-tale-like beauty that feels like Jiangnan, if not better. Each season—spring, summer, autumn, and winter—offers unique and delightful scenery.

When the plateau’s belated spring finally kisses Zha Long, the lower areas are already bathed in bright spring light, with green seas swaying and late spring scenes in full charm. Meanwhile, the mountains retain the freshness of early spring. The small azaleas, having endured the harsh winter, unfurl their green leaves, their branches heavy with dense purple flowers that bend the branches. Among the small azalea clusters are clumps of large azaleas, with intertwined roots, connected branches, and leaves, their branches adorned with bowl-sized flowers in pure white, pink-red, and deep purple. The mountains become a sea of flowers, a fantastical paradise. Were you not there in person, you might mistake it for the passionate brushwork of a master oil painter. Gentle breezes send waves of flowers rippling across the mountains, while wafts of fragrance drift from the valleys and peaks, filling the air and blending with the sky, deeply penetrating the mountains—even the water from newly emerged springs carries a crisp, fragrant scent.