Taiping National Forest Park – Core Scenic Spot of Zhongnanshan World Geopark

Taiping National Forest Park is an ecological scenic area grounded on natural landscape and dominated by forest scenery. 44 kilometers away from Xian city, it is located in the Taiping Valley of Huxian county, which pertains to the north part of the Qinling Mountains.

The Taiping Palace, which was constructed here during the Sui dynasty and served as the summer residence of the Tang king, is the reason Taiping National Forest Park and Taiping Valley got their names. As for the climate feature, the average annual temperature here is 7-10℃, and it keeps cool even at the hottest time in midsummer. Therefore it is a ideal place to visit during summer for your Xian travel.

Taiping Forest Park river

Quick Facts of Taiping National Forest Park

  • In Chinese:太平国家森林公园
  • Location:Taiping Valley, Shuangyi District, Xi’an, China
  • Area: 6,085 hectares
  • Altitude: between 880m and 3000m, with the highest peak at 3015m
  • Best Time to Visit:from March to November
  • Opening Hours:
    • Peak season( March 1 – October 31): 08:00-17:30/ close at 17:00;
    • Off season( November 1 – February 29 of the next year): 08:00-16:30/ close at 16:00.
  • Ticket Price:
    • Peak season (March 1 – November 30) : CNY 60 yuan/person;
    • Off-season (December 1 – the end of February next year) : CNY 40 yuan/person
    • Cable car: CNY 80 yuan for round trip, and CNY 50 yuan for single trip

 

What to See and Do at Taiping National Forest Park

The park is the “ecological boutique tourism area” authorized by Xian tourism bureau. There are five scenic spots in the park, meaning Stone Gate, Moon Palace Pond, Stone Boat, Huangyang Dam and Birch Forest Bay.

Stone Gate

Stone Gate Scenic Spot is located about 3 kilometres from the coal field to Shalingzi, named after the giant stone “Stone Gate” inscribed by Ouyang Xun, a minister and calligrapher of the Tang Dynasty. The scenic area is mainly themed on stone, flower and water features. It is a place of strange and jagged rocks. The main attractions of the scenic area are: Turtle Looking at the Peak, Mother and Child Expecting to Return, Stone Gate, One Line of Sky, Dragon Ridge, General’s Peak, Yishan Buddha, and Mixed Rocks with Stripes.

Moon Palace Pond

Another highlight attraction in Taiping National Forest Park, the Moon Palace Pond is a 1240-hectare natural setting made up of pristine forests, valleys, and crystal-clear streams.

Xian trip to Taiping Forest Park Waterfall

Huangyang Dam

There are 12 waterfalls of all sizes, which are distributed in a concentrated scope of 2.5 kilometers, with the maximum drop reaching 160 meters. Among them, Rainbow Waterfall, Xianhe Bridge waterfall, Yanxia Waterfall and Longkou Waterfall are the most beautiful.

The Plant Resources and Wildlife of Taiping National Forest Park

The park is rich in biological resources, with more than 30 kinds of rare protected animals in national level, including Sumen antelope, green sheep, forest musk deer, hedgehog, golden rooster, long-tailed pheasant, thrush, etc

There are also primitive larches and beautiful red birch forests.

Taiping National Forest Park is praised as “the world of waterfalls and flowers” by tourists for its unique water landscape and natural Bauhinia flower sea of ten thousands acre. Bauhinia flower sea is known for the bright color and delicate fragrance, which is one of the highlights of the park.

How to Get to Taiping National Forest Park

1. Take line 1 of Huanshan Tour at the North Square of Dayan Pagoda and get off at the Taiping Forest Park scenic spot. The bus comes every 30 minutes before 9:00 am and every hour after 9:00 am.

2. Take a non-stop bus to Taiping National Forest Park at Xian South Passenger Terminal. The departure time is 8:00 – 9:00, and return time is 16:00 – 17:00.

Taiping Forest Park in Xian

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