Savoring Qilu Culture at the Summit of Mount Tai, Praising the Heroic Sorrow of Yan and Zhao and the Splendor of Mountains and Rivers (Part 3: Baishi Mountain World Geopark) — National

Savoring Qilu Culture at the Summit of Mount Tai, Praising the Heroic Sorrow of Yan and Zhao and the Splendor of Mountains and Rivers (Part 3: Baishi Mountain World Geopark)

— An Eight-Day Self-Driving Tour of Shandong, Hebei, and Jiangsu Provinces During National Day

D4 (04/10): Visited Baishi Mountain World Geopark, continued staying at Jinlong Villa.

At 7:00 AM this morning, I got up and pulled open the curtains. A rising sun was just ascending in the east, its light streaming into the room, filling it with warmth.

At 7:30 AM, we went downstairs for breakfast. As soon as we stepped outside, we instantly felt the biting cold of the northern autumn. We had already put on all our thermal underwear, fleece pants, and thick coats, but still didn't feel warm.

The villa had its own dining hall, charging 10 yuan per person, with a half-price discount for Little Dragon Prince at just 5 yuan—no cheating of old or young, honest business.

The villa was in a prime location, with the scenic area parking lot directly across the road. Walking 30 meters uphill brought us to the ticket checkpoint, making it very convenient. Around 8:10 AM, we entered the checkpoint. Because of strong winds, the cable car from the East Gate to Xiangyun Gate was closed, so we had to refund our tickets and buy combo tickets for the scenic area bus instead. After a 20-minute ride, we arrived at Xiangyun Gate (elevation 1,800 meters) and began our hike.

Today, the temperature on Baishi Mountain was no higher than 7°C; last night when we arrived at the villa it was -2°C. This temperature was close to the limit.

There were many tourists, arriving in waves. After getting off the bus, we walked along the wooden boardwalk for 10 minutes (or took an electric cart for 1 km) to reach Jiucaiyuan (Chives Garden) Square. It got its name because the mountains here are covered with wild chives.

From there, there were two directions for a loop around the mountain. The route we chose was “Kuafu Chasing the Sun”—following the sun’s steps. We went counterclockwise, from east to west and back to east. The specific route was:

East Gate → (by scenic shuttle or cable car to) Xiangyun Gate → (by sightseeing car 1 km to) Jiucaiyuan → Xiaodongtian (Small Cave Heaven) → Dolphin Emerging from Water → Juxian Terrace (Immortal Gathering Terrace) → Camel Peak at Sunset → Baishi Clear Cloud → Huoran Cliff (Suddenly Enlightened Cliff) → Jiang Ziya Fishing (distant view) → Ceshen Cliff (Side Body Cliff) → Momo Stone (Steamed Bun Stone) → Bajie Marrying a Wife (Pigsy Marrying) → Meeting of Winds and Clouds → Twin Heroes Guarding the Mountain (distant view, sightseeing) → Twin Heroes Stone Restaurant (hot water available, lunch) → Sky Has a Seam → Twin Heroes Glass Walkway (closed due to strong wind that day) → Swift Steps First (distant view, sightseeing) → Oath of Eternal Love Platform (Hill of Loving Couple) → Feiyun Pass (Flying Cloud Pass) → (by cable car to) Feiyun Pass Cable Car Lower Station → Yitian Gate (First Heavenly Gate) → Spirit of Taihang Mountain → Sandongtian (Three Caves) → Yuqing Terrace (Jade Pure Terrace) → Kanhai Pavilion (Sea Viewing Pavilion) → Golden Turtle Exploring the Sea → Three Saints Worshipping Buddha → Nature’s Corner Coffee Shop → Lovers' Bridge (Kissing Stone) → Immortal Drying Boots → Feihu Double-Layer Glass Corridor Bridge (not open) → Precipice Corridor → Jiucaiyuan Cable Car Lower Station → (by cable car to) Jiucaiyuan Upper Station → Jiucaiyuan → (by sightseeing car to) Xiangyun Gate → (by shuttle to) East Gate.

This was a large loop of 7.2 km, with elevation differences from 1,600 m to 2,800 m. We climbed along cliffside plank roads carved midway up the mountain, rising and falling, like playing a guzheng piece “High Mountains and Flowing Water.” It was a tough challenge, but we enjoyed the pain and the pleasure.

Baishi Mountain World Geopark is located 15 kilometers south of Laiyuan County Seat, Baoding City, Hebei Province. The entire mountain formed from geological tectonic evolution and prolonged crustal movements 1.4 billion years ago, creating a “double-layer structure” of dolomitic marble. After over a billion years of weathering and erosion, it has become the oldest stromatolite fossils, ancient earthquake relics, and hydrogeological remains, renowned worldwide for its unique “marble tectonic peak forest landform.” It was awarded “World Geopark” status. In February 2017, it was approved as a “National 5A-level Scenic Spot” by the National Tourism Administration.

At Jiucaiyuan, Little Dragon Prince followed his mother to see the thriving wild chive field. A voice-controlled electric horn on the square caught our attention. As long as people shouted into it, the fountain opposite would shoot higher and higher. Little Dragon Prince was curious, circling the horn as if wanting to unlock its secrets.

Baishi Mountain Scenic Area sits majestically at the northernmost end of the Taihang Mountains. It gets its name from the abundant white marble. The total area is 54 square kilometers, with an altitude of up to 2,096 meters. The main ridge line is over 7,000 meters long, featuring 3 peaks, 6 terraces, 9 valleys, and 81 summits. Here, peaks tower, valleys are deep, strange rocks and steep cliffs are everywhere, and grotesque stone peaks are abundant, known for being “majestic and precipitous, strange and beautiful, towering and steep, exquisite and graceful.”

“Marble tectonic peak forest landform” is a new type of geological landscape first named by Chinese geologists based on the origin of Baishi Mountain’s peak forest and internationally recognized, showcasing the unique geological wonder of Baishi Mountain’s marble peak forest.

Following the guide map, we passed through the Small Cave Heaven tunnel, and suddenly our view opened up, revealing a new world before us.

In the distance, there was a cluster of white marble peaks—some near, some far, some high, some low—magnificent and varied. Along the plank road, we meandered on the cliffs of the valley, with scenes changing at every step, the mountain moving with us, and peaks shifting as we turned.

Little Dragon Prince was walking ahead when he suddenly stopped, turned around, and asked me, “Daddy, do you want to eat a big steamed bun?” I replied, “Sure, but didn’t your mom eat your morning bun?” It turned out he had spotted some bulging white buns scattered on the slope ahead. Approaching, we saw it was actually the Momo Stone (Steamed Bun Stone).

And so, amidst laughter and humor, we happily moved forward.

Baishi Mountain’s peaks have many novel or even unique characteristics.

First, “Majestic and Precipitous.” The peaks are lofty, imposing, with myriad strange rocks, steep cliffs like clusters, deep valleys, perilous and erect, giving a sense of unfathomable depth.

Second, “Strange and Beautiful.” The peak forest is dense, rising straight from the ground, layered and stacked, spectacular. It features “many peaks, steep walls, varied shapes, and dangerous terrain.” Being in it is marvelously infinite.

Third, “Towering and Steep.” The peaks are lofty, standing firmly like pillars supporting the sky, steep mountains and deep valleys, with dangerous chasms spread out, vigorous and resolute, inspiring awe as if looking up at a high mountain.

Fourth, “Exquisite and Graceful.” The Oath of Eternal Love Platform, Camel Peak at Sunset, Momo Stone, Three Saints Worshipping Buddha Peak, Pigsy Marrying Rock, Twin Heroes Guarding the Mountain Stone, Jiang Ziya Fishing Stone, Immortal Drying Boots Stone, Flying Stone, etc.—all turn cold, hard rocks into vivid images through classic legends, exuding the warmth and color of life with lifelike charm.

The Dolphin Emerging from Water Stone—a dolphin leaping out from among the peaks, sparking imagination. The stromatolite, layer upon layer of marble rock like a thousand-layer cake, hard to let go. While walking, suddenly looking up, there sat Jiang Ziya on the side of a rock, holding a fishing rod, as if fishing leisurely. The Pigsy Marrying Wife Rock is very realistic: a pig with a long snout (Zhu Wuneng) carrying a tall, big-nosed, sunken-eyed foreign wife on his back.

After passing the Pigsy Marrying Wife Rock, we walked along the dragon’s spine of the mountain and arrived at “Meeting of Winds and Clouds.” Here, the north wind on the mountaintop howled, making me shiver with cold. On the other side of the mountain, there was a vast red birch forest covering over 20,000 mu, with red bark covered in the wind and rain of ages.

Little Dragon Prince passed a section of plank road where water seeping from the surrounding rocks had frozen into large icicles overnight, very beautiful. Some curious tourists broke them off and played with them.

Passing a set of wind chimes hanging beside the plank road, Little Dragon Prince and his mother each picked up an iron rod and struck them, producing crisp, melodious music that echoed through the valley. The plank roads of Baishi Mountain are well-constructed, extending and advancing through the mountain gullies like a huge dragon tumbling among the peaks.

As we climbed along the plank road, we could not only take in the magnificent, grand, and steep view of Baishi Clear Cloud, but also appreciate the beauty of the Meeting of Winds and Clouds amid the layered peaks and misty ink-wash poetry, be moved by the upright, unyielding masculinity of the Twin Heroes Guarding the Mountain, and express the pure, eternal tenderness of the Oath of Eternal Love Platform—experiencing the comfort and wonder of “clouds floating beneath your feet, mountains winding around you,” like being in a fairyland, bathed in sweet dew.

Thousands of miles of Taihang Mountains, majestic and vast; ancient Baishi Mountain, grand and wondrous. Arriving at the Twin Heroes Stone Restaurant, we took a short break, took out the self-heating hot pot we had brought up the mountain, and prepared our own lunch.

After lunch, we continued forward. Little Dragon Prince suddenly seemed to discover something, pointing to the left cliff face. There, a protruding stone stood on a narrow, raised rock ledge. This was a windy spot, with endless mountain winds blowing year-round. How did it manage to stand for a thousand years without falling? Truly amazing.

The Oath of Eternal Love Platform is a natural heart-shaped terrace formed by protruding marble rock, also a windy spot where wild gusts could lift a person off the ground. Those light in weight should be careful not to be blown into the sky, or else they might turn it into an Ascension Terrace. Little Dragon Prince and Grandma walked ahead, while my wife and I followed behind. When we reached the Oath of Eternal Love Platform, we couldn’t find Little Dragon Prince or Grandma anywhere. My wife and I took photos and hurried forward, finally meeting up at the next scenic spot, Feiyun Pass.

Grandma said that they had planned to wait for us at the platform, but Little Dragon Prince said, “Dad will definitely want to take photos on the platform. The wind is so strong; it feels dangerous to go up. Let’s go ahead and wait further on.” Haha, such a decisive kid.

Feiyun Pass is also a windy spot, flanked by two mountain peaks with a deep gorge between. A long, narrow protruding rock stands prominently in the middle of the valley—this is what Little Dragon Prince called “Zhao Zilong’s Hero Stone” (the famous general from the Three Kingdoms period). Descending from Feiyun Pass, although it was downhill, 800 steps were quite tiring. To save Grandma’s energy, we all took the cable car down. Even on the cable car, we could still hear the howling wind. Little Dragon Prince asked, “Is it safe? Any danger?” I said, “Don’t worry, they operate the cable cars every day.”

After exiting the Feiyun Pass cable car lower station, we continued on. A rock called “Spirit of Taihang Mountain” stood erect in the valley.

In front of Sandongtian (Three Caves), two natural rocks had their middle parts eroded away by rain, with the upper parts of the two rocks tightly pressed together, resembling a couple kissing. It’s also called the Kissing Stone. My son, holding a walking stick, approached me and asked, “What attraction is this?” I was momentarily at a loss for words.

Nature’s Corner Coffee Shop is a modern architectural structure standing prominently among the weathered rocky mountains formed over hundreds of millions of years. Sitting inside floor-to-ceiling windows with contemporary style, sipping modern coffee while appreciating the marble peak forest landform from 1.4 billion years ago—such a span of time and intersection of eras is something beyond even any science fiction writer’s imagination.

Little Dragon Prince and his mother ordered coffee and drinks, found a window seat, looked out at the mountain scenery, listened to the north wind’s song, and drank. The sunlight streamed through the glass, making us feel warm and lazy. This was truly a great place for daydreaming.

Three Saints Worshipping Buddha: three peaks formed by three marble rocks, lined up facing east. The Immortal Drying Boots Stone is also a marvel. A boot-shaped rock sits securely on the mountain rock, as if being dried in the sun, hence the name.

Further ahead, a large, intact marble rock stood like a huge screen across the plank road—this was the Precipice Corridor. At Jiucaiyuan lower station, we took the cable car soaring upward to the upper station, then walked up to Jiucaiyuan. Thus, the entire loop around Baishi Mountain was completed, taking 8 hours. From Jiucaiyuan, we took an electric cart back to Xiangyun Gate. Little Dragon Prince always has keen eyes; he had a great time playing on some swings made from old tires, repeatedly urging his mother to push him higher, higher…

Taking the shuttle back to the East Gate, we walked less than 30 meters to return to the villa to rest. In the evening, we ate at the inn’s restaurant. There was a self-guided tour group of three families totaling nine people who asked Grandma for hiking information. Grandma called me over to help them. I shared our experiences and feelings from the day and answered their questions.

After dinner, we returned to our room early to rest. Pushing open the door, the room felt warm as spring. The bedding, having been aired in the sun all day, was still warm.

Since we had to travel far to the Eastern Qing Tombs tomorrow and needed to get up early, we went to bed early.