8 Most Beautiful Natural Places in China
Country China encompasses a great diversity of landscapes and cultures. In the north, south, east, or west of China, mountains, rivers, trees, deserts, stones, and sands are marvelous creations of Nature. china has some of the world’s most scenic natural destinations and paradise. One can see abundant and beautiful new looks in China in every season. The country has lofty mountains, meandering rivers, lush, green forests, magnificent gorges, roaring waterfalls, and many other unique and mesmerizing geographical features that make china precious treasures and natural gifts. Here are the 8 Most Beautiful Natural Places in China.
The Three Natural Bridges
The Three Natural Bridges are a series of natural limestone bridges located in Xiannushan Town, Wulong District, and the Most Beautiful Natural Places in China. They lie within the Wulong Karst National Geology Park and are part of the South China Karst Karst UNESCO World Heritage Site. In Chinese, the bridges are all named after dragons, namely Tianlong Qinglong and Heilong. They number not just one or two, but a total of three, and are in the near vicinity of each other.
Origin of the three bridges
The origin of these amazing natural rock bridges is interesting. The structure was caves after that the ground underneath collapsed, giving rise to sinkholes, and forming spectacular limestone arches. You can still see the calcite formations on some of the walls of these bridges. These three natural bridges in Wulong also contain waterfalls that drop to the floor below from high up. China has done much to promote tourism in the area. You can take a glass elevator down into the gorge. From here a flight down the stairs brings you to the entrance of the first natural rock bridge, the Sky Dragon bridge.
Sky Dragon bridge
This is the largest of the three bridges and is double-arched. The first arch has a span of 48 meters and a height of 94 meters. The span of the second arch is 30 meters and the height is 64 meters.
Green Dragon bridge
The second bridge is the Green Dragon which lies in between the two other bridges. It is a short walk downstream from Sky Dragon bridge. It spans 24 meters and is almost 100 meters high. Its walking path connects the other two bridges.
Black Dragon bridge
This third bridge is again a short walk away from the second bridge. It spans 18 meters and is about 115 meters high. From the roof of its cavernous opening, a waterfall drops directly to the floor and almost turns into mist before hitting the ground. The Sky Dragon Bridge has been made famous by the Chinese film ‘Curse of the golden flower’, starring Chow-Yun Fat and Gong Li. It was shot in this location in 2006.
Tiansheng Bridge
Tiansheng Bridge in Yunnan province is located in southwestern Maming Town. The bridge is as high as 20 meters with a length of 10 meters and a width of 6 meters, Tiansheng Bridge stretches over the Zika River. The main body of the bridge is thick and solid limestone. There are many sightseeing areas located in eastern Yunnan, it is only 113 kilometers away from Kunming city and 22 kilometers away from Qujing city.
Tianmen Mountain
Tianmen Mountain is known as “one of the most beautiful mountains in the world”. The stunning views include ‘Heaven’s Door’ and the 99 Bends, vertical cliffs, the thrilling cliff-hanging walkway and glass skywalk, and the world’s longest cable car ride. The cable car makes it unquestionably one of the Most Beautiful Natural Places in China.
A cable car was constructed by the French company Poma from the nearby Zhangjiajie railway station to the top of the mountain. Tianmen Mountain Cableway is claimed in tourist publications as the “longest passenger cableway of high mountains in the world”, with 98 cars and a total length of 7,455 m and an ascent of 1,279 m. The highest gradient is 37 degrees.
The Tianmenshan Temple is located on the summit, with chairlift or footpath access. The original temple there was built during the Tang dynasty and destroyed during the first part of the 20th century. In 1949, as the Chinese Communist Revolution neared its end, construction of a new temple, with Tang dynasty architecture, began; the temple now sits on landscaped grounds covering 2 hectares. Walkway and glass skywalk perched on the summit of Tianmen Mountain and worth seeing.
To reach the fantastic landmark, visitors can walk up 999 steps on the “stairway to heaven.” Nine is a lucky number in Chinese numerology, representing good fortune and eternity. Those who wish to avoid the long cable car can opt to take a bus up a narrow roadway that bends back on itself 99 times.
Fairy Bridge
Fairy Bridge (Xian Ren Qiao) is a meander natural bridge carved through limestone karst by the Buliu River. It is located about 40 km northwest of Fengshan in northwestern Guangxi Province, China. From the upstream side, Fairy Bridge can be reached via a rubber-raft boat trip down the Buliu River from the village of Buliu. This trip takes about three hours and goes through several minor rapids and a couple of larger rapids sufficient to get the passengers wet.
Xianren Bridge
Xianren Bridge is a natural arch created by flowing water that has the world’s longest recorded span. Carved of limestone karst, the formation bridges the Buliu River in the northern Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China. Because of its remote location, accessible only by a 3-hour rafting trip, it was not discovered until recently and remains relatively obscure.
Mengli natural bridge
Mengli natural bridge is a waterfall natural bridge eroded through upper Permian limestone and Most Beautiful Natural Places in China. It is located about 24 km northwest of fengshan, Guangxi province, China. An overlook that provides an excellent view of the arch is part of the Leye-Fengshaan Geopark.
Mengli natural bridge is located in the central part of the Geopark. it has a deck thickness of 17m, an arch height of 60m, a width of 90m, and a span of 60m. it was the result of a cave roof collapse in the early passage of the Geng Xin underground river. northeast of the natural bridge, there is a collapsed doline.
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Moon Hill
Moon Hill is located to the south of Yangshuo across the Jingbao river along China National Highway 321. It is a part of Guilin mountain, 230 m in relative height. The arch is about 50 meters in height. It is so named for a wide, semicircular hole through the hill, all that remains of what was once a limestone cave formed in the phreatic zone. Like most formations in the region, it is karst. It is also a popular tourist attraction. it takes roughly 20 minutes to climb up to the arch (about 800 steps). Moon Hill offers broad panoramic views of the surrounding countryside which is characterized by the knobby karst hills found throughout the region.
Elephant Trunk Hill
Elephant Trunk Hill (Xiangbishan) is a famous attraction of Guilin. Located in Elephant Hill Scenic Area at the confluence of the Taohua River and Li River, it has been a famous tourism destination. The hill looks like a giant elephant drinking water from the river. There are not only many spectacular natural scenes around the hill, but also some ancient constructions, such as Puxian Pagoda, Yunfeng Temple, and Sarira Dagoba. Since ancient times, there have been numerous poets praising the beauty of Elephant Trunk Hill.
Sources- Klook.com, Wikipedia.org, chinadiscovery.com, naturalarches.org, atlasobscura.com
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