Guancen Mountain National Forest Park

Guancen Mountain National Forest Park

Guancen Mountain National Forest Park is a national-level forest park.

Guancen Mountain National Forest Park

Guancen Mountain National Forest Park is located in Dongzhai Town, Ningwu County, Shanxi Province, covering parts of Wuzhai, Shenchi, Kelan, and Jingyue counties. It is composed of sections from Dashidong, Qiuqian Gully, Majia Village, Gaoqiaowa, Yanjia Village, and some areas of Huaidao Forest Farm, with a total area of approximately 44,330 hectares, of which forested land accounts for 50%. Situated at the southern end of the Guancen Mountain Range, it spans an area of 651,600 mu. In September 1992, with approval from the Ministry of Forestry, Guancen Mountain National Forest Park was established within the management scope of the Guancen Mountain Forest Management Bureau.

The park's management area includes sections from Dashidong, Qiuqian Gully, Majia Village, Gaoqiaowa, Huaidao, Yanjia Village Forest Farms, and parts of the Luya Mountain National Nature Reserve. It stretches 42 kilometers from north to south and 22 kilometers from east to west, with a total area of 44,230 hectares, including 22,700 hectares of forested land. The total timber volume accounts for 40% of the Guancen forest region, approximately 2.08 million cubic meters, and the comprehensive forest coverage reaches 73.7%. The park is rich in flora and fauna resources.

The area is densely populated with spruce and North China larch, earning it the reputations of “Home of Spruce” and “Hometown of North China Larch.” There are 152 species of wild animals, including 36 species of mammals and 116 species of birds. It is home to Class I protected animals such as the brown-eared pheasant, leopard, sika deer, and golden eagle. Green edible resources like forest mushrooms and bracken are also extremely abundant.

The park features towering high mountains, uniquely shaped peaks, continuous mountain ranges stretching for thousands of miles, beautiful landscapes, and over 50 scenic spots. These include Luyadripping Emeralds, Fen Yuan Ling Zhao, Elephant Trunk Cooking Pot, Tianchi (Heavenly Lake), Ten Thousand Year Ice Cellar, Ten Thousand Buddha Cave, Little Hanging Temple, Guancen, and others. It is a national-level forest tourism area composed of rugged mountains, unique peaks, forests, lakes, and rare wildlife.　

The park has a cold winter and cool summer and autumn seasons. The mountains are steep and the scenery is picturesque. The highest peak, Wolanyang, stands at an elevation of 2,603 meters, and both the Fen River and Sanggan River originate here. The vegetation is relatively intact, with dense forests—mostly natural secondary forests—as well as some sparse woods, shrublands, and young forests, displaying the typical characteristics of the North China plant community. There are approximately 560 species of wild plants in the park, including over 60 species of woody plants and more than 500 species of herbaceous plants. The main tree species are North China larch and spruce, whose forest landscapes are highly regarded in Shanxi Province and North China, earning the area the titles “Hometown of Spruce” and “Home of North China Larch.” The park is also rich in medicinal plants and is home to precious wild animals such as the brown-eared pheasant.

The entire national forest park consists of seven major scenic areas, each with distinctive scenery, flavors, and unique characteristics. These include the Luya Mountain Scenic Tourism Area, Heyeping Subalpine Meadow Ecological Zone, Tianchi (Heavenly Lake) Mountain Lake Tourism Area, Huangcaoliang Geological Scenic Area, Fen Yuan Secondary Forest Scenic Area, Censhan Fault Geological Sightseeing Area, and Lianhuapan Precious Animal Observation Area. Within these sightseeing zones, there are about 50 scenic spots. The areas feature beautiful mountains and clear waters, stunning landscapes, fresh air, birdsong, floral fragrance, and misty clouds. The No. 1 Mountain of Shanxi—Luya Mountain—rises like a bamboo shoot piercing the sky. The park is also a free kingdom for wildlife. It hosts over 60 species of woody plants, more than 500 species of herbaceous plants, 36 species of wild mammals, and 116 species of birds. Among the mammals are sika deer, musk deer, leopard, golden eagle, and roe deer. Among the birds, in addition to beautiful species like cuckoos, mandarin ducks, stone martens, falcons, pheasants, and black storks, the world’s rare bird and Class I protected animal—the brown-eared pheasant—also inhabits the area.

Over the past decade since its establishment, Guancen Mountain National Forest Park has adhered to the principles of deepening reform and expanding opening up, using openness to promote development. While developing, it has also built infrastructure, rapidly transitioning from a closed model to an open one, and from simple forestry production to a combined focus on tourism and conservation, achieving comprehensive development and utilization. The construction of park infrastructure and the development of scenic areas have significantly accelerated, and its reputation has grown steadily. In 1995, Guancen Mountain National Forest Park was awarded the honorary title of “Top Ten Forestry Construction Units” by the People’s Government of Shanxi Province. In 1997, it was recognized as a “National Top Ten Forest Park Model Unit” by the former Ministry of Forestry. In 1999, Luya Mountain, with its unique and rich landscapes, was named a “Provincial Youth Patriotic Education Base” by the provincial government and was included in the book Selection of Patriotic Education Bases in Shanxi Province. In December of the same year, it was approved by the State Council to be upgraded to a national nature reserve.

Due to the park’s abundant tourism resources, it has now formed a tourism network with other famous scenic spots such as the Buddhist holy site Mount Wutai, the Yungang Grottoes in Datong, the Wooden Pagoda in Ying County, the Hanging Temple in Mount Heng, and the Yuwang Cave in Xinzhou.

Tel: 0350-4333731

Address: Wuzhai County, Xinzhou City, Shanxi Province