China's Fantastic Stone Mountain

　　The current site of China's Fantastic Stone Mountain was originally the No. 1 Fly Ash Dump of Dawukou Power Plant. After over 20 years of heavy dumping, it formed a site covering an area of one square kilometer, standing 13 meters above the surrounding ground, with a fly ash storage volume of over 11 million cubic meters. It was dubbed the “No. 1 Coal Slag Hill” in Shizuishan City and became the main source of pollution in the Dawukou District. Estimates showed that if the coal slag from the hill were used to pave a one-meter-thick road, it would cover one-third of Dawukou’s urban area. Even if transported away, not to mention solving the transport capacity issue, finding a suitable dump site would be the biggest challenge.

　　Before remediation, the area was strewn with sewage and, when the wind blew, dust filled the air, making it a major pollution source in the Dawukou area. Moreover, the land was difficult to utilize, plants struggled to survive, and it was particularly unsightly. To build a new industrial city with the character of landscape gardens, create a new image featuring visible mountains, exposed waters, transparent greenery, unobstructed space, and harmony — and to provide residents with a place for leisure, fitness, and entertainment — after repeated deliberation, the Shizuishan Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government halted fly ash dumping on March 15, 2006. They made use of the existing terrain of the coal slag hill to transform decay into magic and built China's Fantastic Stone Mountain.

　　Since construction began on March 15, 2006, slope grading and earthmoving shaping projects have been completed, with a general application of one meter of planting soil and the movement of 1.5 million cubic meters of earthwork. A 24-kilometer water pipeline has been laid, using reclaimed water to solve irrigation problems. 24,000 various species of trees and 240,000 shrubs have been planted, along with an appropriate amount of ground cover plants. 12 kilometers of garden paths have been built, along with two parking lots totaling 12,000 square meters. By utilizing the terrain, a 53-mu lake surface has been constructed, along with one landscape bridge, and the lighting project has completed the installation of lights on the first and second level garden paths, parking lots, street lamps, as well as decorative lighting for the Butterfly Spring Bridge and the mountain gate.

　　China's Fantastic Stone Mountain is designed to include three stone forest areas: one featuring stones from Feixian County in Shandong Province, one with Lingbi stones from Anhui Province, and one with Helan Mountain stones from Ningxia. There are also nine sculpture parks: the World Celebrities Garden, the Garden of Ethnic Flowers, the Garden of the Great Unity of Fifty-Six Ethnic Groups, the Shizuishan Cultural Spirit Garden, the Model Garden, and gardens dedicated to famous statesmen, educators, scientists, and military strategists. There is also a "Thirty-Six Stratagems" Pillar Area. In mid-August 2006, all municipal agencies and enterprises were mobilized to transport over 42,000 natural stones from the Helan Mountain. A large performance square was built, along with a 30-meter-long and 15-meter-high mountain gate, a “Heaven-Earth Square Platform,” a “Four-Way-Connected Platform,” a children’s playground, a Dragon Palace, and an 80-meter-long, 2.5-meter-wide corridor. The central square covers an area of 19,000 square meters, with seven massive Helan Mountain stones placed on it. Over 200 pieces of Linyi stones, Lingbi stones, and Taishan stones were purchased and arranged to create landscapes for building China's Fantastic Stone Mountain. The construction of China's Fantastic Stone Mountain is planned to take five years. Once completed, it will showcase a landscape of blooming flowers in three seasons, evergreen foliage year-round, fascinatingly shaped rocks, and ecological conservation. It will also serve as a base for patriotic education.

　　Today, China's Fantastic Stone Mountain has welcomed batches of visitors drawn by its fame. (They stop to admire the Shandong Linyi stone weighing over 80 tons — some say it looks like a sword, others say it resembles the “Shenzhou VI” spacecraft.) Over 200 uniquely shaped fantastic stones captivate visitors, and from its heights, the rippling waters of Xinghai Lake stretch out as far as the eye can see, offering yet another spectacular view. People exclaim that with its combination of mountains, water, and unique stones — where the mountains exude masculinity and the waters enhance the serene beauty — the Fantastic Stone Mountain is truly the crowning touch of Xinghai Lake. Since its completion, the mountain has seen daily visitors. A Fantastic Stone Mountain, themed around the charm of pristine ecology and embodying the cultural essence of Shizuishan, is beginning to take shape. To allow visitors to enjoy even more stones, Shizuishan City plans to develop the Fantastic Stone Mountain into a stone trading market to attract stone enthusiasts from across the country to exhibit and trade.

China's Fantastic Stone Mountain