Golden Rooster Mountain Scenic Area

Golden Rooster Mountain Scenic Area

The scenic area covers a total of 10,727 hectares. It is both a provincial-level nature reserve and a legendary ancient military camp. It earned its name from the legend that a golden rooster once appeared on the Tianchi Rock on the mountain. Located in Shangshuai Town at the southwestern edge of the county, the area is about 60 kilometers from the county seat, with Provincial Highway 263 passing nearby.

The Golden Rooster Mountain Nature Reserve is a provincial-level nature reserve. Situated north of the Tropic of Cancer, the area boasts extremely rich natural resources, surpassing even the Dinghushan National Nature Reserve, and is hailed as a treasure trove of species in Lingnan. Preliminary surveys have identified 1,201 species of native plants in the scenic area, including 18 rare and endangered wild plant species under national key protection, such as Alsophila spinulosa and Bretschneidera sinensis. There are also 159 species of terrestrial vertebrates, including 29 rare and endangered wild animal species under national key protection, such as the silver pheasant and the pangolin. The forest vegetation coverage in the area reaches 95%, featuring large areas of monsoon evergreen broad-leaved forests, valley seasonal rainforests, and evergreen broadleaf-conifer mixed forests, all lush and vast. Numerous small streams and creeks crisscross the area, each with uniquely beautiful waterscapes: some form crystal-clear pools, some flow gently past small bridges, and others cascade down to form waterfalls. There are ten peaks in the reserve with elevations above 1,000 meters, the highest being Golden Rooster Mountain at 1,469.4 meters. The summit is flat and expansive, stretching across hundreds of square miles, covered with ancient trees and dense bamboo groves, and dotted with several spacious alpine lakes.

Ancient military camp ruins and cliff inscriptions can still be seen in the Golden Rooster Mountain Scenic Area. Legend has it that Wu Sangui once stationed troops here for several months.