Enshi Grand Canyon: Karst Landforms and Natural Wonders

Enshi Grand Canyon, like a bright pearl inlaid in Southwest Hubei, attracts tourists from all over the world with its unique geological landscape and charming humanistic customs. It is located in Tunbao Township and Banqiao Town, Enshi City, Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Hubei Province. It is located at the junction of Hunan, Chongqing and Hubei provinces. Its geographical coordinates are 30 degrees north latitude and 109 degrees east longitude. This mysterious location allows Enshi Grand Canyon to have unique natural conditions, creating a breathtaking beauty. ​

1. Ticket information​

The ticket policy of Enshi Grand Canyon fully takes into account the needs of different tourists.

The opening hours of the scenic area are 08:00-16:00 from March 1st to October 31st.；

November 1st to February 28th of the following year 08:30-15:00.

Ticket prices are divided into high season (March 1st-November 30th) and low season (December 1st-February 28th of the following year).

Tickets for Yunlongdi Seam are 50 yuan (25 yuan for discount tickets), the same price in light and high season. Tickets for Qixingzhai are 105 yuan (52 yuan for discount tickets) in the peak season and 80 yuan (40 yuan for discount tickets)in the low season.

The upstream fare of the cableway is 105 yuan (the same price for full tickets and free tickets). In addition, the scenic area transfer bus ticket + ground cable car is 50 yuan/person-time, the outdoor escalator in Qiqingzhai is 30 yuan / person・time (one・way),and the vertical viewing elevator in Yunlongdi Seam is 30 yuan / person-time(one-way). ​

Preferential policy

Certain tourism consumer groups can also enjoy ticket discounts and discounts. For example, minors between the ages of 7 and 18, full-time students with undergraduate degrees and below, and seniors between the ages of 60 and 69 can enjoy a half-price discount on tickets with valid documents. Active-duty soldiers, fire and rescue personnel, veterans’ preferential treatment certificates, military survivors’ preferential treatment certificates, elderly people over 70 years old, disabled persons and one escort of severely disabled persons, etc., are exempt from tickets with valid documents.

Holders of the Press Card of the General Administration of Press and Publication of China and the membership card of the China National Photography Association can also enjoy free tickets. Children under 6 years old and under 6 years old or 1.2 meters tall (including 1.2 meters) are free of tickets and second sales with valid documents. Residents of Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan who enter the country with valid identification will enjoy the same discount on ticket prices as mainland residents. ​

2. Natural landscape​

Yunlong Seam​

The Yunlongdi Seam can be called a great spectacle of Enshi Grand Canyon. It is located on the west side of the scenic visitor center, with an area of about 11.3 square kilometers and an altitude of between 600-800 meters. The total length of the seam is 3,600 meters, with an average depth of 75 meters. The plane is in the shape of a “Z”, spreading in a north-south direction, perpendicular to the top and bottom, the cross-section is U-shaped, and the cliffs are steep and straight. It has the reputation of “ten miles and a hundred feet of cliffs”. This was once the fluvial section of the Yunlong River. After a long period of geological changes, the uplift of the mountains, the erosion of the flowing water on the surface and the erosion and transportation of the underground caused the top of the dark River to collapse, and the cracks in the ground were able to be displayed in front of the world. ​

Walking into the crevices of Yunlong Earth, it seemed to have entered a mysterious underground world. The banks of the river are steep and the waterfalls are torrential, with a total of 7 semi-waterfalls hanging from the cliffs. Crescent Lake is like a turquoise gemstone inlaid in the crevices of the ground; Yunlong Waterfall has a drop of more than 70 meters, and the water source comes from the surface stream of Mufu. The top water flow hits the protruding rock on the rock wall of the crevice and turns to torrents. Long-term dissolution and precipitation have caused a giant calcium to form on the surface of the protruding rock.Huati, visually forming a phenomenon of secondary falling water; rainbow waterfall is the first waterfall in the crevice to be exposed to sunlight. Whenever the sun shines, it is generally accompanied by two or three rainbows. The waterfall water directly hits the protruding heart-shaped calcified body on the rock wall of the crevice. On the cliff wall, the water from the waterfall directly hits the heart-shaped calcified body protruding on the rock wall of the crevice.The three huge gray-black stones hanging are karst stalactites or calcites; the colorful Huanglong Waterfall has a drop of more than 60 meters and flows down the copper-colored calcite that resembles a church bell. It is also called ‘Golden Bell Waterfall“. Looking at the bottom of the waterfall from the covered bridge, the calcite is like aThe “golden beetle” with its head held high is enjoying the bathing in the clear waterfall. Under the sunlight, the rocks at the bottom of the valley are orange-red and beautiful. There is also the stone curtain, which is a landscape formed by the accumulation of calcite on the surface of the ground on the cliffs of the cracks. It hangs vertically and resembles a curtain. It took tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of years to form, witnessing the vicissitudes of time. ​

Qixing Village​

Qixingzhai Scenic Area is one of the core scenic spots of Enshi Grand Canyon, with an open area of 7.2 kilometers. Here, geological landscapes such as sinkholes, crevices, cliffs, peaks, rock pillars, caves, and dark rivers are readily available, like a natural geological museum. The landscape of cliffs and peaks in the scenic area can be called a must. In the karst terrain, those with cliffs usually have no peaks and those with peaks have no cliffs, but the Enshi Grand Canyon has both. It has to be said that it is a miracle of nature. The cliffs are either recessed in the cong peaks, or stand on top of the cong peaks. Looking around, there are dozens of limestone stone peaks and pillars, jagged and upright, with different poses. People can’t help but sigh at the ingenuity of nature. ​

A stick of incense is an iconic landscape of Enshi Grand Canyon. This independent Triassic limestone column has a height of 150 meters, a diameter of 6 meters at the bottom of the column, and a minimum diameter of only 4 meters. It is very rare in similar karst topography. Its lonely peak stands straight into the sky, as if it is a stick of incense dedicated by the earth to the sky, carrying the baptism of the years and the weight of history. On October 17, 2009, the CCTV-10 “Into Science” column reported on the mystery of ‘Qingtian One Pillar’, which made it famous for thousands of years. In addition, attractions such as the Great Building Gate Peak, the small Building Gate Peak, the Jade Pen Peak, the Twin Towers, the Jade Goddess Peak, and the Auspicious Cloud Torch also have their own characteristics, each of which contains the unique charm of nature. The overall shape of the tower gate peak cong is similar to that of the Wulingyuan quartz sandstone peak Forest in Zhangjiajie, but its composition is limestone, and the stone pillars of dozens of peaks and forests are scattered and majestic; the small tower gate peak cong shows a kind of small and exquisite beauty, and the peaks and cong echo each other, forming a beautiful picture scroll.;The jade pen tip is like a huge brush, with the nib straight into the sky, as if writing a magnificent poem of nature; the twin towers are formed by the weathering, erosion and dissolution of Triassic limestone, like Lusheng-like symmetrical two-columnar mountains, not connected to each other, staring at each other, as if tellingAncient legend; Jade Girl Peak is just like a Tujia girl carrying a basket, slim and gentle and moving; Xiangyun Peak was originally integrated with Dashan Mountain, but due to the thin layer of limestone and impure texture, the heavy load cracks developed and some of the rocks naturally fell off, and gradually formed its current unique shape.It seemed to be a burning torch, illuminating this magical land. ​

3. Cultural landscape​

Enshi Grand Canyon not only has magnificent natural landscapes, but also carries a rich humanistic history. This is one of the birthplace of the culture of upper Cuba, and it is also the place where the generals of Enshi Tusi gathered soldiers in the past. Many historical and cultural relics of Tujia activities have been preserved in the scenic area, witnessing the prosperity and changes in this land. ​

The theater of the large-scale landscape and landscape musical ‘Dragon Boat Tune’ is located here. This musical based on Enshi Tujia national culture and one of the 25 most beautiful folk songs in the world, ‘Dragon Boat Tune’, which has been rated by UNESCO as one of the most beautiful folk songs in the world, is the first real-life performance of mountains and waters in Hubei and the largest real-life musical of canyons and landscapes in the country. The total investment of the project is more than 260 million yuan, the theater land is 240 acres, the total construction area is 49,000 square meters, and there are more than 500 cast members. With the cliff landscape of the Grand Canyon as the stage background, the performance uses modern high-tech stage special effects technology to perfectly blend brilliant lighting, powerful music and magnificent cliff scenery, and interprets a classic ‘Heaven and Earth Love Song Daughter Meeting, the canyon sings the dragon Boat Tune’, allowing visitors to enjoy the beauty while going deep.Appreciate the cultural charm of the Tujia people. ​

The style town of Daughter Village takes the local “Daughter Club” culture as the theme, and is full of rich Tujia customs. The architecture of the town is designed in combination with the natural landscape of the Grand Canyon and built according to the mountains. It combines the styles of the Tujia, Qiang and Miao tribes with unique characteristics. Here, visitors can feel the hospitality of the Tujia people and taste the delicacies with Tujia characteristics, such as the “Gege” steamed with chili squeezed and mixed with other ingredients, the mini hot pot ‘Heji’, the barbecue, the oily bacon, and the spicy and sour squeezed wide pepper., Tujia slag-dropping pancakes, etc., you can also buy exquisite Tujia handicrafts and experience the folk culture of the Tujia people. ​

4. Play suggestions and precautions​

1. Play time: There are many essence attractions in Enshi Grand Canyon. It is recommended to arrange two days to play, so that you can enjoy the beauty more calmly and avoid being too tired. Visit the Qiqingzhai Scenic Area in one day and the Yunlongdi Seam Scenic Area in one day. At the same time, you can also watch the performance of ‘Dragon Boat Tune’ and feel the local humanistic customs. ​

2. Transportation Guide: Enshi Grand Canyon has more convenient transportation, and visitors can choose from a variety of transportation methods to get there. If you choose an airplane, you can arrive at Enshi Xujiaping Airport first, and then take a special bus to the Grand Canyon at the airport, or take a taxi. If you choose a train, you can get off at Enshi Station and transfer to a shuttle bus to the Grand Canyon (about 1.5 hours, there is a bus opposite the high-speed rail station). Tourists who drive by themselves can pass the Shanghai-Chongqing Expressway, get off the expressway at the Enshi Grand Canyon Exit, and follow the signs to the scenic area. ​

3. Recommended accommodation: There are a variety of accommodation options around the scenic area. Daughter Village Resort Hotel is the first foreign-related tourist resort hotel in the scenic area built according to the four-star standard. With the theme of “Daughter Club” culture, the architectural style combines the characteristics of Tujia hanging foot building, Qiang and Miao, with a beautiful environment and complete facilities. In addition, there are many farm stays near the scenic area, the prices are relatively close to the people, and tourists can choose according to their own needs and budget. ​

4. Equipment preparation: Due to the large number of mountain roads in the scenic area, you need to wear comfortable sports shoes when playing in order to walk. Enshi Grand Canyon has a humid climate and more rain. It is recommended to bring rain gear with you. At the same time, the temperature in the mountains is low, even in summer, it is best to bring a coat to prevent catching cold. If you want to take a beautiful view, don’t forget to bring your camera or mobile phone and make sure the battery is sufficient. ​

5. Safety precautions: During the tour, strictly abide by the regulations of the scenic area, follow the designated route, and do not leave the trail to enter undeveloped areas to avoid danger. Especially when climbing dangerous areas such as cliff corridors, pay attention to safety, hold on to the handrails, and don’t get crowded. When admiring water features such as waterfalls, you should also pay attention to anti-skid and avoid approaching dangerous areas. ​

Enshi Grand Canyon, whether it is its amazing natural landscape or its long-standing humanistic history, makes people intoxicated and linger. This is a precious asset given to mankind by nature, and it is also a paradise for the soul to be baptized and relaxed. If you are eager for a trip in close contact with nature, eager to explore mysterious geological wonders, and feel the rich national culture, then Enshi Grand Canyon is definitely your best choice. It will bring you an unforgettable travel experience with its unique charm.