Wulanba Forest Tourism Area

Wulanba Forest Tourism Area

The Wulanba Forest Tourism Area in Bairin Left Banner is located at the southern foot of the Greater Khingan Mountains. Centered around the Wulanba Forest Farm and complemented by archaeological sites such as the "Jinji Hao" (Golden Frontier Trench) and the "Fuhe Culture" ruins, it is a destination for archaeology, forest ecology, and leisure vacationing.

When a touch of autumn chill sweeps through Wulanba, we arrive at the plateau. Treading the green fields of the plateau in August, facing the August breezes, we’re like birds that have been caged for far too long, flying out into the wide-open spaces. What a beautiful wilderness, what a beautiful oasis, what beautiful autumn colors on the plateau ! The sky is so blue, so pure—so limpidly blue, so immaculately clean. Compared to the irksome noise of urban life, and the ceaseless conflicts of the human world, this is surely a realm untouched by dust. Being able to rise above the clamor and distractions of daily life, and to taste this purity, is indeed one of the most blissful enjoyments.

Known as the "Grassland Forest Park," the Wulanba Forest Farm has a forested area of 520,000 mu, featuring over 20 tree species including poplar, birch, oak, elm, Korean pine, Chinese pine, and larch. The dense forests produce abundant wild mountain vegetables like wood ear mushrooms, bracken, mushrooms, and daylily shoots, along with more than ten species of wildlife such as deer, roe deer, wild boar, badgers, rabbits, wolves, foxes, pheasants, sand grouse, and partridges, as well as over 200 types of medicinal herbs.

Walking along the paths of the forest farm, a yellow leaf drifts down. Catching it in your hand and examining it closely, you’ll find the leaf inscribed with the sentiments of autumn, evoking a sense of desolation and helplessness. The season has turned to autumn, and people are nearing middle age—the mood, too, has reached autumn. Strolling among the arrays of larch trees in front of the forest farm gate, leaning against the tall trunks with eyes closed, you can quietly listen to the sounds of autumn: autumn is decline, autumn is withering. Gazing up at the towering peaks shrouded in misty clouds, the mountains brew vague emotions, deep and contemplative. But within this green-hued expanse, my heart is purified and becomes as crystal-clear as a mountain spring, refined by the charm of this verdant land.

The forest farm houses Inner Mongolia’s largest larch seed orchard, spanning over 1,000 mu, and is a key project of the National Forestry Administration. The red deer breeding base currently houses more than 4,500 red deer, producing 2,500 kilograms of deer antler annually. It stands as China’s leading, Asia’s largest, and world-class open-range, naturally grazed red deer breeding facility.

Wulanba boasts numerous breathtaking attractions, including the Eighteen Arhats Mountains, Twin Secluded Caves, Immortal Cave, Laojun Alchemy Site, Twin Turtles in Love, Crocodile Rock, Guanyin, Wolf Fang Peak, Eagle Beak Peak, One Pillar, Stone Gate Peak, and South Heaven Gate. The first scenic highlight of the forest area, known as the “Pillar Supporting the Sky of the Grassland,” lives up to its reputation. It rises abruptly from the flat grasslands, formed by dozens of massive granite slabs stacked into a towering stone peak dozens of zhang high, resembling a colossal pillar reaching to the heavens.　

Viewed from the front, the cliffs are steep and rugged, but the back side of the mountain slopes gently into the grasslands. The most famous sites are Erlin Dam, Wulanba, and Kulong Mountain, each unique and incomparable. Erlin Dam has no peaks or cliffs, standing abruptly with its body covered in bizarre rocks and dense primeval forests that yield various wild fruits and mountain vegetables. Vast and profound, with lush forests and grasslands, it serves as a natural grazing ground. Kulong Mountain lies to the south of the village, where the gently rising terrain suddenly converges into an upright cliff, rectangular in shape. At the center of the mountain peak is a perfectly round cave, seemingly man-made yet upon closer inspection appearing beyond human capability. Legend says the cave once yielded a trove of treasures—gold, silver, copper coins, artifacts, and more. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to see it in person.

Snow-white clouds drift across the azure blue sky of the plateau in August. In the distance, on the hillsides, deer graze leisurely. A young herdsman rides his horse, singing loudly, silhouetted against the red sun, forming a moving oil painting. Gazing at this living painting, the heart warms and stirs gently.

Wulanba has a long history. The thousand-mile-long "Jinji Hao" (Golden Frontier Trench) stretches past the dam. On the east bank of the Wulanba River, ruins of the Fuhe Culture site, dating back over 5,000 years, have been excavated. On the way to the early Khitan tombs, amidst the deep grass, there grows a herbaceous plant with a single slender stem, broad oval leaves growing oppositely, slightly tapered at both ends like a pair of outstretched wings. From each leaf axil grows a thin stalk bearing bluish-black berries that droop in clusters, weighing down the stem in a very pleasing sight. Near the top of the stem, among the leaf axils, are un-withered bell-shaped white flowers. This is the medicinal plant Polygonatum odoratum, or Solomon’s seal. Beautiful Wulanba turns out to be a natural treasure trove of traditional Chinese medicine.

As we prepare to bid farewell to Wulanba, we read Wulanba once more, and the plateau once more. Wulanba is so young, so innocent—who could paint its charm in a way that stirs the soul so deeply? Wulanba is so ancient, so profound—who could capture its majestic grandeur and the vicissitudes it has endured? Only nature itself. The heart opens wide. Time is fluid, like a mountain spring flowing into the surging waves of a river. Time is also solid, like the towering Wulanba Plateau, frozen into the lofty visage of nature. This is Wulanba—my Wulanba, a place I yearn for day and night.