Shimen National Forest Park - Shizao Scenic Area

Shimen National Forest Park - Shizao Scenic Area

The Shimen National Forest Park Shizao Scenic Area is a national-level forest park.

• A paradise on earth and a summer retreat, offering views of red cotton tree flowers, michelia figo, and alpine blooms.

Shizao Scenic Area

The Shizao Scenic Area is 12 kilometers from the park’s hotel and sits at an altitude of over 800 meters; it's a true paradise on earth and a great place to escape the heat. In spring and summer, flowers of all kinds bloom competitively, mountain breezes blow gently, birds chirp and cicadas sing, with wisps of floating clouds drifting by — a scene straight out of poetry. It gets its name from a natural stone stove found here.

Here lies a 16,000-mu expanse of pristine secondary forest (an international forest bathing ground), known as an "oasis on the Tropic of Cancer," which complements the beauty of the 300-plus-mu Shizao Tianchi (Heavenly Lake).

Strolling along the boardwalk by the flower sea of Tianchi, when you look back, you’ll see what looks like a “giant umbrella” formed by trees that rival those in the pristine secondary forest — this is the Ancient Tree Garden. As the name suggests, the trees here are very old, with many being over a hundred years old. Within the Ancient Tree Garden, there’s a bluestone path that leads directly to the forest trails in the International Forest Bathing Ground.

The "Colorful Tianchi" is located within the Shizao Scenic Area, covering nearly 100 mu and stretching two kilometers along the lake, facing the 16,000-mu expanse of pristine secondary forest across the water. The "Colorful Tianchi" is made up of a variety of colorful flowers. Bright red salvia splendens, golden sulfur cosmos, purple gomphrena globosa, orange zinnias, deep red celosia cristata, light yellow celosia argentea, and pink rhynchostylis all come together. Meanwhile, surrounding this seven-colored sea of flowers are also cosmos and cleome, with their reds, pinks, purples, and whites dotting this beautiful landscape.

The maple leaf display in the Shizao Scenic Area is characterized by uniform tree species and bright hues, covering a forest of nearly 1,000 mu. All the trees are sweet gum trees, and from a distance, they form a solid sheet of red, taking on golden tones in late autumn.

Address: Shimen National Forest Park, Taoyuan Town, Conghua District, Guangzhou City

Type: Forest

Recommended visiting time: 2–3 hours

Phone: 020-87850738

Official website: http://www.shimenpark.cn/

Opening hours: Monday–Sunday, 9:00–17:00 (opens one hour earlier during holidays)

Ticket information: No separate ticket required. Included in the entry to Shimen National Forest Park.