Guifeng Mountain in Macheng
The scenic area is a national AAAA-level scenic spot, located on the southern foot of the central section of the Dabie Mountains, bordering Guishan Town and Zhangjiafan Town in the eastern part of Macheng, with a planned area of 73.8 square kilometers. The main attractions include the magical Turtle Head, the vast azalea flower sea, the Anti-Japanese War victory site, the stone inscriptions by Dong Biwu, the Azalea Expo Park, Guifeng Lake, Guifeng Mountain International Sports Turtle Valley, the mountain outdoor exploration playground, Guifeng Gorge, the Dabie Mountains Spirit Red Culture Exhibition Hall, etc., among which Guifeng Mountain is the core park of the Huanggang Dabie Mountains World Geopark.
Scenic area guide map (Image 2). The scenic area has two entrances, the north and south gates, with the north gate having direct access to the highway, which is very convenient.
After entering the scenic area through the north gate, take a vehicle from the tourist center stop (Image 3) to reach the entrance of Yunfeng Stone Path, and from there, officially start climbing the mountain.
Xiuxian Terrace (Image 4)
You can see the cableway (Image 5), which indeed has limited capacity
Jiulong Pine (Image 6), one of the strange pines of Guifeng Mountain
After climbing for almost 1 hour, I finally saw the azaleas, which instantly revitalized my spirit (Image 7)
Azalea Flower King (Image 8), with more than 600 years of tree age, a root has grown 56 azalea trees
The distant Turtle Tower (Image 9) and the glass walkway on the dangerous knife edge (Image 10), this is a side path, but I was too tired to walk there after climbing up
Azalea flower sea (Images 11~15), Guifeng Mountain has a contiguous area of more than 100,000 mu of ancient azalea communities. The azalea varieties here are very pure, mainly red, with rich flower shapes, bright colors, and beautiful postures. Experts have determined that the growth cycle of the ancient azalea communities on Guifeng Mountain is nearly a million years, and its area, age, density, beauty of flower color, and preservation are unparalleled in Central China and rare in the whole country.
Tiansuo Rock (Image 16), a huge semi-suspended rock formed by long-term geological action
The iconic landscape of the scenic area, the world's number one turtle (Image 17), is formed by a huge exposed granite rock mountain, which is handsome and upright with a majestic posture, and has an elevation of 1260 meters. Its shape resembles a giant turtle that has been asking the sky for blessings for thousands of years. The turtle head looks up at the sky, seeking blessings for the world, hence the name 'Add Years Top'.
Longevity Stone Path Exit (Image 18), a cute cartoon turtle
South Gate Guanshan'ao bus stop (Image 19), the whole bus ride is quite orderly
PS:
1. April and May each year are the seasons when the azaleas on Guifeng Mountain are in full bloom, and it is also the peak tourist season. However, the management of the scenic area during peak periods still needs to be improved. We were supposed to go to the cableway waiting point by bus, but for some reason, we were taken directly to the Yunfeng Stone Path waiting point. Later, we had to ask around to find out that if we wanted to take the cableway, we had to walk back, and it would take at least 2 hours to queue for the cableway, and there was not a single staff member to guide us through the process.
2. The main attractions of the scenic area are at the top of the mountain, and there are not many attractions during the climb, so it feels very tiring.
3. The scenic area is really large, and to fully enjoy it, you need to have enough time and physical strength.