Bajiaozhai Scenic Area 八角寨

About Bajiaozhai Scenic Area

The county's culture and tourism bureau lists the site as a World Natural Heritage property, a national forest park, a national geopark and a national 4A-grade scenic area, and records its selection by Chinese National Geography magazine as one of the seven most beautiful Danxia landscapes in China. The massif is spread over more than 40 square kilometres; its eight angles were formed by running water and by weathering and collapse, and the ground at the summit is comparatively flat. The bureau distinguishes four categories of Danxia landform here — peak forest, isolated peaks, hummocks and micro-landforms — and counts more than 130 natural and cultural sites, among them Longjiling, Leiyanshi, Shengsigu, Renzitian, Qunluoguantian, Longtouxiang and Tiangongsi. The regional Radio and Television Administration, which gives the address as Datuo village in Meixi town, describes the scenic area as made up of a Bajiaozhai sightseeing zone and a Gumuchong sports zone.

Two of the named places are designated first-grade nationally protected geological relics. Shengsigu is a large honeycomb-form cavern with a plank walkway above it, and Qunluoguantian takes its name from four Danxia rock towers, flat at the base, rounded at the middle and pointed on top, which the bureau likens to four great conches. Longtouxiang, which the bureau calls the most imposing of the eight angles, is a ridge about 100 metres long that narrows to less than 10 centimetres at one point. Tiangong Temple, also known as Tianxin Temple, was first built at the end of the Northern Song, extended in the Ming Jiajing period and rebuilt in 2013.

What to look for

• Longtouxiang (龙头香), the ridge the county bureau measures at about 100 metres long and less than 10 centimetres across at its narrowest.
• Qunluoguantian (群螺观天), four conch-like Danxia towers designated a first-grade nationally protected geological relic.
• Shengsigu (生死谷), a large honeycomb-form cavern, also a first-grade protected geological relic, with a plank walkway above it.
• Longji Tianti (龙脊天梯), stone steps cut by hand into the spine of a dragon-shaped Danxia ridge.
• Tiangong Temple (天宫寺), rebuilt in 2013 on a site first built at the end of the Northern Song and extended under the Ming.

Location & getting there

Getting to Bajiaozhai Scenic Area

Use an authorised visitor route. Cave sections, geological sites and access roads can close independently, so confirm the area that your ticket covers.

• Search for 八角寨 with 桂林市 and 资源县.