National Forest Parks of China

Badaling National Forest Park — Situated northwest of Beijing, the Badaling Great Wall is on the hilltop of the northern part of GuanGou. Because this location is so close to the historical Great Wall, it is a significant area. This area was the first Great Wall entrance that opened for tourists and visitors. He who visits the Great Wall is “all acclaimed as the peak of perfection.” For more information, click here.

Yungmeng Mountain National Forest Park — Established west of Miyun County, Yunmeng Mountain National Forest Park is a prominent vacation spot in the suburb of Beijing. According to the Web site, visitors have a gorgeous view of Xiao Huangshan (one of the five holy mountains in China). Yunmeng is known for its waterfalls, aesthetic trees, pools and beauty. People choose this place to explore, camp, and getaway. For more information, click here.

Jiufeng National Forest Park — Located near the Summer Palace, Jiufeng National Forest Park is in Bei’anhe, Haidian District in Beijing. It is known for its historical, twisty paths and for its rich, natural landscapes. Also, it is the best place to climb for a scenic view of the Xiaoxishan area. Because 90 percent of the area is covered with forests, its an excellent area to hike and relax. For more information, click here.

Mang Mountain National Forest Park — In terms of forest space area in Beijing, Mang Mountain National Park wins. This scenic spot is full of mountains, pretty flowers, and a variety of trees. Not only do tourists visit this area because its historical spot, they visit because of the events that take place at this Park annually. In March and April, there are trips to plant new vegetation. In the months of April and May, hiking and scenic viewing is popular. In June to October, people collect fruits from the mountain. During the winter time, people participate in mountain-climbing. 

Xiaolongmen National Forest Park — In the center of a large valley, this park has a softwood and hardwood forest with a variety of color-leaved trees, flowers and rocks. Apparently there are over 700 types of animals that wander here, including the prionailurus bengalensis, Beijing’s protection animal. For more information, click here.

Ying Mountain National Forest Park — Located in the Fengtai District, this is the nearest park from Beijing and the first orienteering place in Beijing. Orienterring is a sport in which the person is given a compass and a map. Whoever completes the assignment first is the winner. Known for its mountain area, valleys, peaks and slopes, Ying Mountain is very popular among visitors. During the summer this park attracts most of its visitors because it turns into a summer resort.

Zhangjiajie Scenic Spot — Zhangjiajie was the China’s first authorized national forest park. It is home to many scenic areas, including Baofeng Lake and the Huanglong Cave (Asia’s biggest cave). Established in northwestern Hunan province in Central China in 1982, this park is known as a botanic showcase. In 2004, the park was labeled as one of the world’s geological parks. Click here for more information.

Jiuzhai Valley National Park — What sets this park apart from others is that it is located right next to Tibetan villages. Jiuzhai (means “Nine Village Valley”) has several endangered plant and animals. This area is home to rare animals such as the Sichuan golden monkey and giant pandas.

Hegang National Forest Park — In the city of Hegang lies this national forest park in a churchyard. Some say this is an ideal tourist resort because it has the Xilinhe National Flavor Garden, Shilihe Forest Tourist Zone and the Tongzigou Original Forest Scenic Spot. Its scenery, rivers, culture, flowers, birds and animals are said to help relax people. There are red deer, black bears, swans, mandarin ducks, water birds, and many more rare animals. With over 300 types of wild animals, this is definitely an interesting forest to check out.

Dong Ping National Forest Park — This forest park is within Shanghai’s limits. Only a 50-minute boat ride away from downtown Shanghai, Chongming is where the Dong Ping National Forest Park is located. The forest park offers activities such as rock climbing, hiking, go-carting and horseback riding. Some say it is similar to an amusement park. Take a stroll through the park and you will see orchards, bamboo groves and more.

Mt. Lushan Park National Park — A famous tourist attraction in Jiujiang City, Lushan National Park is in the Jiangxi Province. Due to national sceneries and cultural heritages, this park has attracted many tourists. Its location is excellent because it is south of the Yangtze River, China’s longest and most prominent river.

Mount Song — In Chinese, this mountain is called “Song Shan.” It is also known as “Zhong Yue,” meaning “middle mountain.” One of the five sacred mountains of Taoism, Mount Song is in the Henan province in the south side of the Yellow River. This area is near Shaolin Temple, where Zen Buddhism arose.

Tianzhushan National Park — North of Yangtze River and located in Qianshan County, Tianzhushan has a very long history and is known as the “South Mountain of China”. It is said that Emperor Hanwudi would hold ceremonies to give worship to this mountain. The mountain has 42 peaks, caves, waterfalls, pine trees, bamboos and more.

Mount Emei — Located in Chengdu, capital of Sichuan Province, Mount Emei attracts visitors year round and takes up an area of 115 square kilometers. It is one of the four main shrine mountains of Buddhism in China.

Qingchui Peak National Forest Park — In this scenic national forest park, there is a 59.42 meter high stone pillar pointing upwards. Like most national parks, this area has a significant historical background. Because of it looked similar to a wooden club used to wash clothes, Emperor Kangxi had decided to name it Qingchui Peak.

Wutaishan National Park — Meaning “Five Plateau Mountain,” Wutaishan is one of China’s four sacred Buddhist mountains. This is a popular area for Buddhist to visit because it is the home to Bodhisattva Manjusri, representing wisdom. The park is known for its architecture and historical artifacts. Be sure to take a look at the Web site to see an interactive travel map of this site.

Mt. Gu — Meaning “drum hill” in Chinese, Mt. Gu is a famous Buddhist mountain that is east of Fuzhou City. About 10 miles from downtown Fuzhou, this area has rare animals, waterfalls and stone carvings. It is “drum hill” because there is a mountain is in the shape of a drum. Since the Song Dynasty (960-1279), this mountain has had over 500 engravings which is interesting.

Qinghai Lake National Park — This park is located in the middle of two towns called Haibei and Hainan. The lake is China’s biggest inland saltwater lake and it passes over deserts. This area is ideal for bird-watching because during May and October, over 100,000 geese, swans, ducks, and bird flood this place.

Qianshan National Park — Known as “the Northeast Pearl,” Qianshan is located in Liaoning Province which is southeast of the city Anshan. Meaning “thousand mountains,” Qianshan has a long religious history. In the legend, a goddess named Nuwa filled the sky with stones because the corners of the sky fell. Qianshan was created when a stone had dropped onto the earth created.

Danxiashan National Park — In the northern part of Guangdong, close to the city Shaoguan, lies the Danxia Mountain. This prominent scenic mountain was developed by sandstone that had eroded over time. As a result, bizarre rock was formed. Many visitors go on boat trips around the river here. Also, there are many temples on the mountain itself.