Taihang Mountain Gorges

Taihang Mountain Gorges are located in the southeast of Huguan County in Shanxi Province. Covering an area of 36 square miles, almost seventy five percent of the land is forest and grassland. It is a striking land dotted by a world of caves, forest of stones, garden of various plants and a fairyland of animals. This unique landscape with abundant biological resources makes it a wonder in northern China. There are over 400 natural landscapes and 44 tourist attractions.

The whole landscape is a magnificent scroll painting mainly composed of Wuzhi Gorge, Wangmang Gorge, Longquan Gorge and Zituan Cave. Upon entering this long picture, you will see the ever-changing rocks, steep cliffs, silvery waterfalls, deep pools, fascinating caves, imposing temples and impressive legends. You will hear the thunderous fall of waterfalls, cheerful babbling of creeks and melodious songs of birds.
 

The name sounds very scary. But there is no need to be afraid as it is just an ancient legend which says a succubus - a demonic female spirit - once lived in the cave. Located in beetling crags, the mysterious Nuyao Cave is a natural limestone cavity whose oval opening is shaped like a fish mouth, underground rivers flow gently inside the cave and when the rainy season comes, the water rises rapidly and discharges from the cave, rushing downward into the deep pool. But frequently, the volume of water is too much that it overflows the pool’s bank and cascades down the mountain side. Gradually, three spectacular waterfalls hanging from higher to lower places have been formed.
 

Shiba Pan, in the eastern mountain of Wangmang Gorge, is the most famous tourist sight of Taihang Mountain Gorges. Actually, it is the winding paths which have been divided into eighteen sections and have 1,300 steps and measuring over 2,187 yards long, two yards wide with a sheer incline of 109 yards. It was first built in the early Tang Dynasty (618-907) and was broadened and laid with stone steps in Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). The main tourist sights are the invisible image of Liu Xiu (the first emperor in Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220)), the stone carving of Confucius, the stele of "the Book of Morality" and hanging ladders.
 

Located in the south of Maolou and at the top of Yingying Peak, Tian Qiao is the most unique sight in Taihang Mountain Gorges. It is the largest natural stone arch bridge yet discovered in northern China. Spanning between two precipitous cliffs, the bridge measures 656 feet above the ground, five yards wide and has a span of 55 yards. From afar, it looks like a huge opening mountain gate. One cannot help but admire nature's great creativity on seeing this.