Red cliffs
Above the water.
江上清风1961 — CC BY 3.0 · Yumeto — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Liedward390 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · 江上清风1961 — CC BY 3.0 · Yumeto — CC BY-SA 4.0 · 江上清风1961 — CC BY 3.0 · 江上清风1961 — CC BY 3.0 · 江上清风1961 — CC BY 3.0
A long, winding, crescent-shaped lake in north-western Fujian, formed behind a dam built between 1976 and 1980 on the Jinxi River, which flooded a valley of red danxia rock and created the largest area of danxia landforms on water in China; it has been part of the China Danxia World Heritage site since 2010 and is the heart of the Taining global geopark. Boats glide between towering red cliffs, flat-topped peaks, pillars and rock walls shaped over millions of years, slipping into narrow inlets and deep gorges, so the Chinese describe it as «mountains in the lake and a lake in the mountains», with waterfalls spilling from the rocks into the water. The boats stop at three landings where visitors go ashore to walk among the rocks. Tickets with the boat cost about CNY 165, the trip takes some four hours, it opens at 8 am and the last boat leaves at 3 pm, per visitor guides. Near the lake, the Shangqing stream offers rafting for about 95.
Above the water.
Through the inlets.
From the rocks.
Taining County, Sanming, north-western Fujian
Halal choices are few in Taining, so bring food, and order fish and vegetable dishes while asking about ingredients, as local cooking uses pork.