Qilin Park

　　Qilin Park is situated on Qilin Mountain in the downtown area of Liupanshui City, covering an area of about 200 acres. It was a key people's livelihood project in 2009 by the Liupanshui Municipal Committee, the Municipal People’s Government, the Zhongshan District Committee, the District People’s Government, and the Management Committee of Zhongshan Economic Development Zone. The park was constructed by Hecheng Garden Real Estate Development Co., Ltd. of Zhongshan Economic Development Zone and officially opened to the public on October 1, 2009, as a gift for the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. Qilin Park enjoys convenient transportation, with the middle section of Wumeng Avenue, Hecheng Garden Section of Zhongshan East Road, Huayuan Road, Fenghuang Road, and Qilin East Road forming its internal road network. Located about 4 kilometers from the city center, it features a natural karst cave. To the east of Qilin Park are Fengchi Pond, Guizhou’s first five-star hotel in the western region—Garden Hotel—as well as a large number of ongoing projects such as Times Jiayuan, market service areas, and a large children’s amusement park. To the south are high-quality residential communities such as Xinglong Villa and the auto parts city commercial-residential buildings.

　　　　 The scenic area consists of two parts: the garden outside the cave and the landscapes inside the cave. The cave stretches 580 meters in length and offers both water and land routes for exploration, allowing visitors to either take a boat ride or stroll on foot. Based on the spatial arrangement within the cave, there are six uniquely distinctive natural cave chambers: Nesting Clouds, Listening to the Sea, Subterranean Sea City, Walking on Clouds, Lotus City Night View, and Dragon Nest Phoenix Garden. Each chamber has its own unique characteristics, forming its own style while also complementing and blending with one another. Inside the cave is the country’s largest piece of Taihu stone, spanning over 200 square meters. The karst sediments inside the cave feature bizarre shapes and varied postures, shining brilliantly under the lights with dazzling colors, creating surreal and magnificent scenes resembling “cave waterfalls” and “the Drunken Monk Ji Gong.” These formations are incredibly lifelike, overwhelming the senses and making visitors linger without wanting to leave. The cave entrance garden includes attractions such as stone qilins, a lotus pond, a dragon archway, a biological display shelf, and a Peace Altar. At the entrance of the garden, there is a pair of stone-carved qilins on either side, seated atop stone pedestals and howling toward the sky, their majestic and powerful stances resonating through the heavens. Behind the qilins stands a stone arch bridge with 14 pillars, each adorned with a small carved qilin, all exquisitely crafted and lifelike. The bridge spans over the lotus pond leading directly to the dragon archway, which is 15 meters high and 12 meters wide, intricately carved from walnut wood. Four dragon-turtles support four towering jade pillars, while four green dragons spiral upward, making it the finest example of modern wood carving in Guizhou. Passing through the archway into the garden, visitors will find a rich variety of plants, including the first-class nationally protected plant Davidia involucrata, as well as osmanthus, magnolia, lilac, and scarlet sage, all competing in vibrant blooms of purple and red. The garden’s architecture features classic antique designs, and couplets and plaques written in seal, clerical, running, cursive, and regular scripts add a scholarly touch to the park.

　　 The qilin is a legendary benevolent beast. Historically, the ancestors of Shuicheng regarded the qilin as an eternal symbol of good fortune, praying for the prosperity of their descendants and the warding off of misfortune. They also incorporated the qilin into folk proverbs, such as: “A qilin child in the heavens, a top scholar on earth,” and “Zhongzhong faces Xiazhong, with loess in between; if you can decipher this, your descendants will sit in the court.” These ancient sayings have been passed down to this day and have become goals and aspirations pursued in both the spiritual and material lives of the local people. In folklore, the qilin is closely linked to Confucius, the founder of Confucianism. It is said that the qilin spat out a jade book at the gate of Confucius’ home, leading to his birth, and thus Confucius became a sage, as well as a great thinker and educator. For thousands of years, this legend from qilin culture has endured and remains popular. It aligns with the modern emphasis on education and the nurturing of talented descendants.

　　Qilin Park is a theme park built around the qilin culture that has developed over more than 2,500 years in Chinese civilization. In terms of planning philosophy and design concepts, Confucian cultural elements have been integrated into the design and construction of the park's attractions. Structures such as Renshou Pavilion, Linrui Waterfall, Qilin Pavilion, Qilin Platform, Seal Pond, and Zhuangyuan Tower have been built, aiming to highlight the unique features of qilin culture and reflect the ancient and modern pursuit of harmony between humanity and nature, as well as the human desire for good fortune and happiness. From north to south, along the central axis of the park, various themed areas have been set up on both sides, including a leisure area for the elderly, a qilin culture landscape area, a meteorological science popularization area, a children's play area, a nursery and potted plant viewing area, and a sports activity area. These areas blend harmoniously with the landscapes of the national geological park, Qilin Cave, forming a three-dimensional cultural theme park where “mountains lie within the city, caves lie within the mountains, water lies within the caves, and stalactites densely adorn the waters, connecting cave after cave.” Visitors can climb the mountain to enjoy the park views or descend into the earth to explore caves and cruise waters. With its beautiful environment, picturesque scenery, pleasant climate, unique culture, and prime location, the park captivates visitors, making it a new highlight of leisure tourism in our city.