Xiushuiyu Forest Park
Deep in the Taihang Mountains, there is a beautiful scenic area in Tang County, Baoding City. Its exquisite landscape is like a noble lady hidden away in a boudoir, unknown to the world. It has a lovely name—Xiushuiyu, a national 3A-level scenic spot and a national forest park.
The Xiushuiyu Scenic Area covers over 10 square kilometers, with an average elevation of 600 meters. It is 90 kilometers from Baoding, 200 kilometers from Beijing, and only 12 kilometers from the Qugang Expressway exit, offering convenient access.
The area consists of more than a dozen valleys forming a vast pine forest landscape of over 10,000 acres. It is lush and green, with dense foliage blocking out the sky, and a vegetation coverage rate of over 95%, earning it the names "Best Ecological Valley" and "Natural Oxygen Bar."
Among the pines, pink, yellow, and purple mountain flowers vie in beauty. In summer and autumn, the hills are ablaze with blossoms.
In the lush pine forest, summer brings fragrant pine mushrooms. Relaxing under the cool pine shade, picking mushrooms and wild vegetables is a delightful pleasure.
The forest is also home to wild animals like hares and badgers, truly earning its name as an ecological valley.
Thanks to the dense forests, water resources are abundant. Every valley echoes with the tinkling of springs and the murmur of streams.
Hiking up the mountain, accompanied by babbling water, you'll often see large rocks that have been worn smooth into gentle slopes by years of flowing water.
Waterfalls large and small dot the pine-filled gorges like bright pearls. Feihong Falls, Shunv Falls, Qingyun Falls, Yiyi Falls, and others cascade down. The most famous, Feipu Gorge, has a drop of dozens of meters, plunging from a high cliff like a white ribbon into a green pool. Together with the colorful pebbles around, it creates a natural ink-wash painting, adding a lively charm to the whole canyon.
Apart from mountains, waters, and waterfalls, there are stone formations like General Rock, Lion Ridge, glacial relic stone kettles (also known as Bajie's Basin), Saddle Stone, and Ice Dove, shaped by years of weathering and erosion.
Among them, the Xuelang Stone, hailed as the finest ornamental stone in Hebei, is impressively large. Its natural, unadorned beauty constantly reminds visitors of nature's incredible craftsmanship.
Despite being such a rare natural gem, the area has remained little-known. Seizing the opportunity of the 3rd Baoding Tourism Development Conference, significant investment was made to upgrade facilities. A national 4-star RV camp and border-themed guesthouses were added, and 5,000 meters of hiking trails were renovated. These not only cater to sightseeing but also allow for various aerobic fitness activities and sports events.
After renovation, Xiushuiyu is not only scenic but also a comprehensive tourist resort combining eco-sightseeing, forest aerobic exercise, wellness and recuperation, Taihang folk culture experiences, food tasting, outdoor sports and leisure, and family-friendly fun.
It is believed that with the strong promotion from the tourism development conference, Xiushuiyu will no longer be a hidden gem unknown to the world.
The local people are simple, honest, and hospitable, and visitors are drawn to all this.
Why not take advantage of this Mid-Autumn Festival to savor authentic farmhouse cuisine and enjoy the leisurely pleasures of mountain life? As the saying goes: ‘Steal half a day of leisure from a fleeting life, and wish to stay in Xiushui like a carefree immortal.’
