At 9:30 p.m. on April 14, after more than six hours of searching, Tonglu police, along with local officials and residents, successfully rescued 15 stranded hikers in the Cross Canyon of Fengchuan Town. They had chartered a bus from Hangzhou to Tonglu. Police said that judging by their accents, most were from downtown Hangzhou, but the hikers refused to disclose their workplaces.
After the rescue, one female hiker surnamed Zhang said with lingering fear that she would never be so reckless as to go "exploring" again.
Reporter’s Note
This group of hikers had specifically come to see the online-famous "Cross Canyon."
"canyon."
Pan Genshun, a 70-something villager from Gan Bamboo Village at the foot of the mountain, found it strange. Having grown up in these mountains, he thought the scenery was nice, but didn’t understand what made the “Cross Canyon” so appealing.
The villagers didn’t know that someone had previously posted an online guide titled "Tonglu Cross Canyon Travel Guide," along with a simple hand-drawn map. Others described it like this: The mysterious Cross Canyon is located in Zhutongwu Village, Fengchuan Town, Tonglu. The canyon got its name from a giant natural cross on the cliffside of the valley. The cross can only be spotted on rare clear days from a distance on the mountainside. About ten meters above the ground and set against deeper surrounding rock walls, the “cross” area appears lighter in color. The whole formation looks like a marvel of nature—bold and powerful. Ever since the hunters moved out of the mountains over a decade ago, almost no one except local hunters had ventured into this part of the canyon.
One hiking club even claimed that the upper part of the cross hides a strikingly lifelike skull image, which is breathtaking and has earned it the nickname “Devil’s Cross.”
Xiao Zhang, one of the rescued hikers, said they had connected through the internet and had gone exploring together in other places before, where everything had gone smoothly. But this time, not only did they not find the “Cross Canyon,” they ended up trapped and circling at the mountaintop.
The “Cross Canyon” and the “Devil’s Cross” thus attracted Xiao Zhang and the other hikers. Apart from the driver, the group consisted of 15 people, including eight women, mostly around 30 years old.
Their planned route was to hike up from Zhutongwu to the “Cross Canyon” and then descend through Gan Bamboo Village. Along the way, following online tips, they indeed found red ropes left by veteran hikers that served as trail markers guiding them uphill.
Although the red ropes were spaced quite far apart, they could still follow the faint paths through the bushes and continue their adventure. As they climbed higher, however, the red ropes became harder to find.
Unexpectedly, after it started raining around 1 p.m., heavy fog rolled in the forest, visibility dropped drastically, and soon they couldn’t find the red ropes anymore—not even the path up or down the mountain.
Around 3 p.m., as the rain intensified, most of the hikers’ plastic raincoats were ripped by bushes, and everyone got wet.
They hadn’t brought camping gear because they had originally planned to return after reaching the “Cross Canyon.” Eight female hikers were too exhausted to walk, and everyone’s curiosity had vanished.
Finally, the 15 of them thought to call the police, but none of their mobile phones had any signal, and GPS also stopped working.
Such an “adventure” was too “leisurely”
At 3:34 p.m., a hiker who introduced himself as “Yi Jian” finally managed to dial 110 for help.
The Tonglu County Public Security Bureau command center immediately issued a 110 social emergency response directive: Fengchuan Town government and Fengchuan Police Station quickly organized forces for the rescue.
Police learned that the hikers had gone up from Zhutongwu Village. If they were heading in the right direction, along this route: Zhutongwu Village → Xiaoyuanshan → Dagongwu → Guanyintan → Dongkan → Longhuxu Waterfall → Kuzhuwu → Xikan. Then, rescuers could reach them within four hours. But if they crossed Xikan, it would be very hard to find them.
was obtained.
At around 3:50 p.m., over 30 town officials, village cadres, residents, and police split into two groups to head up the mountain—one from Sanxin Village’s Zhutongwu and the other from Dayuan Village. After walking for two hours, the team from Dayuan Village reached Xiaoyuanshan, but they couldn’t get through to the caller—the location had no signal, shouting didn’t carry far, so they had to use a pre-prepared gong to communicate.
At 6:35 p.m., “Yi Jian” called 110 again, saying he heard the gong. But by then, the 110 command center had lost contact with both rescue teams, both of which were in areas without signal.
It wasn’t until 6:55 p.m. that Chuyiqing, deputy director of Fengchuan Police Station and part of the rescue team from Dayuan Village, received a call from the command center.
At around 7:10 p.m., they found the group of hikers in the dense woods of Dongkan.
Three hours later, with the rescuers’ help, the hikers successfully arrived at Gan Bamboo Village.
Rescuers used gongs and drums to transmit sound
3-Hour Successful Rescue
From the photos, it was clear the female hiker’s clothing was casual and not suitable for serious outdoor exploration. Clearly, she hadn’t anticipated such a crisis. Police said that venturing into unfamiliar mountainous areas purely out of impulse or interest is extremely dangerous. To put it bluntly, it’s irresponsible toward one’s own life. If these 15 hikers hadn’t been rescued in time, the consequences could have been dire.
In recent years, the Fengchuan Police Station has received multiple distress calls involving hikers getting trapped. The terrain of Cross Canyon is treacherous, and police advise hikers not to venture into the mountains for exploration at will. Even “experienced veterans” should avoid going there alone. It’s best to communicate with the local police station in advance, hire local villagers as guides, and bring sufficient communication devices and wilderness rescue equipment.