Tiantang Mountain 天堂山

About Tiantang Mountain

The park grew out of the Miquan state forest farm in Changning. In December 2009 the State Forestry Administration approved its upgrade to national forest park status, building on the earlier Hunan Tongzhongling provincial forest park, and a dedicated management office was formally established on 28 January 2016 by the Hengyang municipal forestry bureau and the Changning authorities. The park is not a single block: it is made up of separate Miquan, Yinshan and Zhongtian old-dwellings sections, and its main body is divided into two scenic zones, Nanjiangyuan and Jiulongta.

Vegetation in the Tiantangshan scenic area includes rhododendron, natural evergreen and deciduous broadleaf forest, white oak with beech and Platycarya scrub, and patches of alpine meadow. The Jiulongta zone is the one described for its rock formations, which carry names such as Shizinao, Guanyin Zuolianta, Fuqiyan, Xianrenqiao and Dianjiangtai. The park records 143 wild animal species, two of them under national first-class protection and 18 under second-class protection, and it keeps a register of 34 old and notable trees of 13 species; the oldest, a southern yew and a ginkgo, are put at about 800 years. Historical remains inside the park include Tiantang Temple, Zhongxiao Temple, the Princess Temple and Nantianmen, and the park presents local Yao dress, songs and customs alongside the forest.

What to look for

• The vegetation of the Tiantangshan scenic area, where rhododendron, broadleaf forest and alpine meadow meet
• The named rock formations of the Jiulongta zone, including Guanyin Zuolianta, Fuqiyan and Xianrenqiao
• The registered old trees, among them an 800-year-old southern yew and ginkgo and a stand of 23 old trees in the Nanjiangyuan zone
• The historical remains scattered through the park: Tiantang Temple, Zhongxiao Temple, the Princess Temple and Nantianmen
• The Zhongtian old-dwellings section, one of the three separate components of the park

Location & getting there

Getting to Tiantang Mountain

Check weather, trail access and the last return service. A mountain or forest area is not one entrance, and a map’s central pin may be far from the trailhead.

• Search for 天堂山 with 衡阳市 and 常宁市.