Red Stone Gorge
Green pools between cliffs.
Nyx Ning — CC BY-SA 3.0 · 江上清风1961 — CC BY 3.0 · 襄樊一夜 — CC BY 3.0 · 襄樊一夜 — CC BY 3.0 · caoyuan — CC BY-SA 3.0 · 江上清风1961 — CC BY 3.0 · 襄樊一夜 — CC BY 3.0 · 空之境界 — CC BY 3.0
A mountain of the Taihang range in Xiuwu County, named Yuntai, «cloud terrace», because mist wraps its high ridges most of the year; its scenic area covers 190 square kilometres, and in 2004 it was among the first places UNESCO chose as Global Geoparks, for karst scenery known as the «Yuntai landform»: long tiers of cliffs, enclosed gorges, waterfalls and springs. Its best-known sight is the Red Stone Gorge, a narrow canyon of red rock where waterfalls spill into clear green pools and visitors walk its depths on paths cut into the cliffs; then come the Tanpu Gorge with its stepped pools and falls, the four-kilometre Zifang Lake, where rare freshwater jellyfish were found in 2002, and the lake of Fenglin Gorge behind a 100.5-metre masonry arch dam built in 1971, the tallest of its kind in China. Wild Taihang macaques live on the mountain, the northernmost group of rhesus macaques. Tickets cost CNY 180, of which 120 is entry and 60 the area bus, valid three days with unlimited entries, and it is open from 7 am to 5.30 pm, per visitor guides. Allow at least two days.
Green pools between cliffs.
Between the mountains.
In the wild.
Xiuwu County, north of Jiaozuo city, Henan
Summer after the rains is best for the waterfalls and autumn for colour and mild weather; the area gets very crowded on national holidays, so avoid them if you can.
Henan has a large Hui Muslim community, and Jiaozuo and the area around it have restaurants under the halal sign serving noodles and lamb, while other restaurants may serve pork, so ask before ordering.