Danxiashan: guide for foreign visitors
This is Danxiashan.
(Dan Xia Mountains)
Shaoguan, Guangdong.
It's a beautiful place.
I was there with my girlfriend for Easter 2009 and had a wonderful time but, for some reason, there's virtually no tourist information about the area on the internet (at least in English)...
We hope this helps you with your travels.
Bon voyage!
'Danxiashan World Geopark is located in the northeastern sub of Shaoguan city of Guangdong province and has a total area of 319 square kilometres. Since 1988, it has been designated as one of the key national scenic sites, and on February 13th 2004, Danxiashan was approved as one of the first World Geoparks.
Encompassing 319 square kilometers, Danxiashan looks like a red sandstone peak forest consisting of more than 380 peaks of various forms, with the tallest standing 409 meters high. About 65 million years ago, this area suffered tectonic movement and many faults and joints were formed, such that the whole area was turned into an erosion zone. More recently, about 23 million years ago, rapid elevation took place giving the region the unique geomorphology we can marvel at today. Covered by a subtropical evergreen forest with the Jinjiang river meandering through it, the geopark (with more than 600 stone walls / columns / peaks / castles and natural bridges) has all the ingredients to become a bustling tourist attraction.
Among more than 1,200 places in the world (650 in China alone) found to have the Danxia landform, Danxiashan is the one with the largest area, the most typical characteristics, the richest landform and the most beautiful scenerey. Danxiashan is called the "Red Stone Park of China". Throughout the world, the landform of red terrestrial sandstone, characterizing by red rock walls and cliffs, are all known as Danxia (literally "rosy sun beams" in Chinese) landform, but Danxiashan is the origin of this special landform.'