Lotus Pond Scenic Area

　　The Lotus Pond Scenic Area is located 18 kilometers northwest of the county town, adjacent to National Highway 323 and the under-construction Guiwu Expressway. It gets its name from being situated in Hezhuang Village, Gong’an Township, and covers an area of approximately 36 square kilometers. The scenic area features Devonian limestone formations, which are carbonate deposits from the Lower Paleozoic era. The highest point in the scenic area is Crown Mountain, with its main peak reaching about 450 meters above sea level, while the lowest point is the bottom of the Gongpo Mountain Reservoir. The terrain is higher in the east and lower in the northwest. The area has a mid-subtropical humid monsoon climate, characterized by abundant light and heat, plentiful rainfall, moderate temperatures, comfortable warmth and coolness, long summers and short winters, distinct seasons, frequent summer floods and autumn droughts, uneven rainfall distribution, late springs and early autumns. It enjoys a fine leisure and vacation climate with gentle winds and pleasant temperature (and humidity) levels. The main tourism resources of the scenic area are natural landscape resources, primarily karst peak cluster scenery, supplemented by mountain landscapes and lake surface views, forming a serene and harmonious blend of natural and pastoral scenery. Stunning sights include the Lotus Pond Peak Cluster, Shuangyuan Peak Cluster, Gongpo Mountain, Yangyuan Rock (Candle Facing the Sky), Guanyin Mountain, and Pagoda Mountain. Stretching over tens of miles with picturesque views, the scenic area is also nicknamed the “Ten-Mile Gallery of Lotus Pond.” Since its opening to the public in 1991, the area has attracted tens of thousands of domestic and international tourists every year, and has been recognized by many tourism experts and scholars as a rare and exceptional natural scenic area.