There is much more for tourists to enjoy in Huangguoshu than just its famous series of stunning waterfalls. Sites such the Tianxing Bridge, Shitouzhai, Longgong, Dishuitan and Baling River are also definitely worth a visit.

Huangguoshu waterfall group

The scenic area covers 8.5 square kilometers, and the Huangguoshu Waterfall is the largest waterfall in Asia. Behind it is a 134-meter-long karst cave, which enables tourists to go inside and even touch the waterfall.

As well as other waterfalls, there are also temples, ancient villages, karst caves and other cultural and natural attractions.

In Huashishao village on the lower stream of the Huangguoshu Waterfall, there are 13 ancient banyans tree, the biggest of which takes three pairs of outstretched arms to encircle it.

Tianxing Bridge scenic area

This area, which is 6 km from the Huangguoshu Waterfall, features a karst landscape that combines mountains, water systems, forests and caves.

There is an area of stone pillars with heights between 5 and 20 meters and in many shapes. On top of the pillars grow cactuses, agaves and vines.

Every two or three minutes, water from the underground Baishui River surges from a pond, forming a column 2-m high.

Shitouzhai scenic area

Covering 6.2 sq km, Shitouzhai scenic area centers on a village of the Buyi ethnic group and highlights ethnic culture and the natural beauty of farmland.

The village features many stone houses built along a slope, decorated with fruit trees among the houses and bamboo forests behind them. There are also many family-based workshops making and selling handmade batiks.

Tourism started in the village in 2002, and it has built sightseeing areas, restaurants and batik markets.

Longgong scenic area

This area, 12 km from the Huangguoshu Waterfalls, was once part of the Yelang Kingdom, a regime recorded only slightly in history that was presumably founded by a local ethnic group more than 2,000 years ago and existed for about 200 years.

Today, the people living in the area are mostly from the Buyi and Miao ethnic groups. There are museums, theme parks and streets highlighting the ancient Yelang culture, as well as modern entertainment facilities and golf courses.

Dishuitan scenic area

Located 4 km north of Guanling county, the area's main features are two groups of waterfalls.

The bigger one, called Dishuitan waterfall group, has three levels of waterfalls, with a total height of 410 m, six times the height of the Huangguoshu Waterfall.

The area also includes Jiwotian village, a Buyi ethnic village hidden in a karst basin with terraced fields, woods and bamboo forests. Another Buyi ethnic village, Weixi village, sits beside Baling River and has flourishing forests and traditional architecture.

Baling River scenic area

Located in the Baling River valley, the only link to this area in the past was a postal road. The area boasts a rich cultural heritage.

The most renowned discovery in the area was the "Book from Heaven on the Red Cliff". This was a series of dozens of symbols carved into the northern side of a mountain, the largest of which are the size of a grown man. The symbols are believed to be the script of an ancient civilization, but so far no one has been able to decipher them.

There are also relics of ancient post roads, bridges and walls.

zhangzhao@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 07/06/2016 page18)