Zhexi Grand Canyon 浙西大峡谷

About Zhexi Grand Canyon

Zhexi Grand Canyon (浙西大峡谷) is a gorge scenic area in Lin'an District (临安区) of Hangzhou (杭州), lying inside Qingliangfeng National Nature Reserve (清凉峰国家级自然保护区) where Zhejiang meets Anhui. Wikipedia lists it as a national 4A-rated tourist attraction.

"Zhexi" means "west Zhejiang", a name chosen for the canyon's position in the north-west of the province. It is a V-shaped gorge whose mountains are outlying ridges of the Huangshan (黄山) range, and its fast streams are among the sources that feed the Qiantang River (钱塘江). A Jiangnan Times (江南时报) report republished by CCTV put the canyon 107 km from Hangzhou and 118 km from Huangshan.

The scenic area runs as a long, narrow belt of about 80 km (83 km in the Jiangnan Times report) and is divided into three sections. Longjing Gorge (龙井峡) comes first; Shangxi Gorge (上溪峡), 26 km long, is described by Wikipedia as the only area that produces Changhua bloodstone (昌化鸡血石); Zhemen Gorge (浙门峡), close to 30 km long, has waterfall after waterfall. Both Wikipedia and the Jiangnan Times describe Longjing Gorge as the one section developed for visitors. According to the Jiangnan Times, experts from the Zhejiang Provincial Tourism Bureau summed up the canyon as the longest gorge in East China, with the best-protected vegetation, the finest scenery, the fewest residents inside the gorge and the shortest distance from Shanghai and Hangzhou.

In the Jiangnan Times description, Longjing Gorge follows the Changbei stream (昌北溪), with eight sightseeing areas strung out along it. At Cormorant Pool (鸬鹚潭), 300 m inside the entrance gate, visitors can take a raft out on the water. Jianmen Pass (剑门关) is the main area, where steep rock walls stand over a deep pool crossed by a wire suspension bridge. From here the route goes down to the valley floor and continues on foot along Xishui Beach (嬉水滩), a stretch of more than 2 km with five shoals and six pools where visitors ride boats and rafts. The walk ends at Shixiang Bay (狮象湾). The farming villages sit on the slopes, with whitewashed walls and dark tiles, and earned the nickname "homes among the white clouds" (白云人家).

What to look for

• Zhelin Falls (柘林瀑), a pair of waterfalls named Yansheng Falls (炎生瀑) and Longmen Falls (龙门瀑)
• Jianmen Pass (剑门关), sheer cliffs above a deep pool spanned by a wire suspension bridge
• Xishui Beach (嬉水滩), more than 2 km of stream with five shoals and six pools, walked on foot or floated by raft
• Shemen Bay (社门湾), a small gorge within the canyon with a waterfall over 30 m high
• Cormorant Pool (鸬鹚潭), 300 m inside the entrance gate, where rafts go out on the pool
• Baima Cliff (白马崖), a separate scenic area named after its horse-head cliff, later bought by the canyon company
• Traditional dragon-bone waterwheels (龙骨水车), once used to lift water in droughts

Location & getting there

Getting to Zhexi Grand Canyon

• Search for 浙西大峡谷 with 杭州市 and 临安区.