Guifeng (Turtle) Peak, Jiangxi province

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Guifeng (Turtle) Peak, Shangrao

(江西上饶龟峰景区 jiāng xī shàng ráo guī fēng jǐng qū)

Beautiful scene of Guifeng (Turtle) Peak Scenic Area [Photo/WeChat: jxgf-weixin]

Guifeng Peak (Turtle Peak) is a national 5A-level scenic area, world geological park, and a national forest park. It is located in Yiyang county, with an area of 39.3 square kilometers. The Peak looks like a giant turtle with its raised head, hence its name.

Guifeng Peak is a typical example of Danxia geomorphology. It is not only a "natural botanical garden," but also a "natural zoo." It is called a "natural oxygen bar," due to its fresh air and high levels of negative ions. It boasts many relics from Shang and Zhou dynasties, castle ruins of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, and ruins of the Ruixiang Temple. It is also the birthplace of Yiyang Opera, one of the four major operas from the Ming Dynasty.

There are four attractions in Guifeng Peak scenic area: Four-echo Valley, Splashing Rock, a Thin Strip of Sky, and the Stone that is able to predict rain or shine.

Four-echo Valley is a deep valley surrounded by towering cliffs. The cliffs change the direction of sound transmission and generate reflections. Thus continuous and clear echoes are produced after several reflections. Tourists may hear four echoes if singing in the valley. Splashing Rock is under the Huabi Peak of Guifeng. Huabi Peak is as steep as if cut by a sword. There are beautiful patterns on the peak from over millions of years of erosion. It looks like a giant splash-ink landscape painting from afar. There are drops of water on top of the peak all year round, which look like colorful petals when refracted by the sunlight, providing a spectacular sight.

There is a slab of enormous rock under the Jinping Peak of Guifeng. From the side, the gap between the rocks is very narrow. The average distance is only 30 centimeters and the narrowest part is only 20 centimeters. However its total length is 30 meters. The Stone that predicts rain or shine is one of the wonders of Guifeng Peak. It looks like a toad opening its mouth towards the sky. Often in early summer, mists surround the toad before it rains, followed by halos and raindrops.