5 of China’s most beautiful natural wonders: floating mountains, colourful scenery, and more

China is rich with beautiful landscapes, from breathtaking mountain ranges to unique stone forests. Here is a glimpse into some of the country’s natural wonders.

1. Zhangjiajie National Forest Park

This park in Hunan province has thousands of tall sandstone pillars that look like floating mountains when they are covered in mist and fog. Wind and rain have shaped the mountains over the years. Their unique look has inspired many ancient Chinese paintings.

2. Tiger Leaping Gorge

One of the world’s deepest and most scenic river canyons is on the Yangtze River in Yunnan province. The Tiger Leaping Gorge has spectacular views of surrounding mountain peaks and riverbeds. Its name comes from the legend of a tiger that escaped a hunter by crossing the river at the gorge’s entrance.

3. Jiuzhaigou Valley

Located in Sichuan province, this long valley stretches across more than 72,000 hectares. Jiuzhaigou Valley has colourful scenery with turquoise lakes, sparkling waterfalls, and a forest of leaves in a variety of hues.

4. Shilin Stone Forest

These huge limestone formations in Yunnan province look like a forest from another world. One of the pillars, called the Ashima Stone, even looks like a girl wearing a kerchief on her head and a bamboo basket on her back.

5. Yuncheng Salt Lake

During the summer, the salt water of this lake in Shanxi province changes into rainbow colours. This happens when the heat and saltiness cause the algae in the lake to produce natural pigments in shades of magenta, green and yellow.

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