Dragon Scale Stone Sea 龙鳞石海

About Dragon Scale Stone Sea

The scenic area lies about 20 kilometres from central Wansheng. From its north gate, a path climbs a steep slope to Xianglu Shan ('Incense Burner Mountain'), a peak of stacked boulders shaped like an incense burner, with two pavilions at its summit; from there a field of boulders to the south is likened to a group of running horses, and a nearly 20-metre boulder to the north to an armoured general guarding the gate. The route continues past Lovers' Rock, Peach Blossom Nook and Fossil Corridor to Yixiantian ('One-Line Sky'), a narrow crevice cut by flowing water over a hundred million years, about 300 metres long and less than two metres at its widest; beyond it, Tianmen Dong ('Heaven's Gate Cave') holds more than fifty groups of features including a waterfall, stone lotus formations and hanging stalactites and stalagmites. The scenic area is organised into six themed zones and twelve core sights in all, grouping its rock formations, its cave and water features, its geological displays and its Miao-culture sites.

Large, distinctly outlined fossils are found across the site, most commonly Cambrian-period cephalopods, valued for studying the geological and marine-life evolution of the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau and the mountainous edge of the southeastern Sichuan Basin. A Miao community known as the 'Red-head Miao' has lived here for generations, and their annual Cai Shan Hui (mountain-treading fair), held every May, is well known across the Chongqing-Guizhou border area.

What to look for

• Xianglu Shan (Incense Burner Mountain), a peak of stacked boulders with two pavilions at its summit, overlooking a field of boulders likened to running horses and a nearly 20-metre boulder likened to an armoured general.
• Yixiantian (One-Line Sky), a water-cut crevice about 300 metres long and less than two metres at its widest.
• Tianmen Dong (Heaven's Gate Cave), with more than fifty groups of features including a waterfall, stone lotus formations and hanging stalactites and stalagmites.
• The Cambrian-period cephalopod fossils embedded in and exposed on the rock across the site.
• The annual Cai Shan Hui (mountain-treading fair) of the Red-head Miao community, held every May.

Location & getting there

Getting to Dragon Scale Stone Sea

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 龙鳞石海 with 重庆市 and 綦江区（万盛经开区）.