A Classic Danxia Landform: Zhàngshíyán is renowned for its Danxia landform within the Taihang Mountains. Red cliffs and caves create a magnificent landscape. The sheer sandstone cliffs are carved like knives and axes, with vines winding around the cliffs, fissures between the layers resembling veins, and after rain, the mist-shrouded cliffs are incredibly striking. The cave groups within the area are a geological wonder. Stalactites and stalagmites are abundant, and in “Xiānrén Dòng” (Immortal Cave), you can find a thousand-year-old bell. The stalactites hanging from the cave ceiling refract into rainbow colors in the sunlight. The core area, “Shílǐ Juébì” (Ten Miles of Cliffs), is known for its vertical cliffs. From the viewing platform, you can overlook the peaks like bamboo shoots. At “Lóngmén Tiānyàn” (Dragon Gate Peril), two mountains face each other, and waterfalls cascade down from hundreds of meters of sheer cliffs. In the mist, it feels like a fairyland. “Zhàngshíyán Gǔ Zhú Dào” (Zhàngshíyán Ancient Trail) preserves the remnants of a Ming Dynasty ancient road. You can see inscribed on the blue stone steps the words “Zhàngshíyán” (Zhàngshíyán) carved in stone. Legend has it that they were inscribed by a Ming Dynasty calligrapher, Dong Qichang. The area is dotted with ancient temple ruins, of which “Shèlǐ Tǎ” (Relic Tower) dates back to the Tang Dynasty. The inscription on the base of the tower records that the eminent monk Huiguang (a high-ranking monk of the Eastern Jin Dynasty) once practiced here. This red rock wall is engraved with a geological epic, and it carries a thousand-year cultural heritage. During the Ming Dynasty, calligrapher Dong Qichang inscribed “Zhàngshíyán Chíquí” (Zhàngshíyán Eternal) here, and the local legend says that the colorful stones left behind when Nvwa (the goddess who repaired the sky) became the unique peaks of this area, giving this Danxia landform eternal mythological color.
