Situated
in the central part of Hunan Province,
Mt.Hengshan is known as the Southern Sacred Mountain, one of the
five great sacred mountains in China,
and has been praised as lithe first for its beauty among the five
famous mountains". It boasts beautiful natural sceneries, with
peaks rising one upon another. Among the 72 towering peaks, Zhurong
Peak is the highest, rising to 1290 metres above sea level.
Mt.
Hengshan has ancient cultural origins. According to historical
records, there were nine emperors of the past dynasties visiting
Mt. Hengshan and many scholars also made their tours of the mountain
having left many inscriptions and poems. The main scenic spots include
Grand Nanyue Temple, Zhusheng Temple, Huangting Taoist Temple, Nantai
Temple, Sutra Hall and Yehou Academy,the earliest academy wellpreserved.
Located
in Zhangjiajie City, Wulingyuan Scenic Area covers an area of 396
km2, consisting of Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, Suoxiyu Scenic
Spot and Tianzishan Nature Reserve. The spectacular quartz-sandstone
landform is noted for its clusters of peaks in wonderful shapes
with clear streams flowing through them.
Wulingyuan
has a forest coverage of 85% and vegetation coverage of 99%,with
abundance of wildlife. Zhangjiajie National Forest Park is the first
one established in China.Famous screnic spots are Jinbian (Gold
Whip)Crag, Huangshi(Yellow Lion)Crag, Fugi(Husband&Wife) Crag
and Shadaogou, etc. Tourists hoth from home and abroad praise Zhangjiajie
as "a pearl in the remote mountains" or "a scenic
area of the first class in the world".
