Roaming the World (1541): Zhuanghe Yunpan Valley

In late August 2021, I visited Yunpan Valley in the Bingyu Valley Scenic Area of Zhuanghe, Dalian, Liaoning Province. The photo shows the landmark stone tablet of Yunpan Valley.

Yunpan Valley is located at the north gate of Bingyu Valley Scenic Area, with green mountains and clear waters, offering beautiful scenery. The photo shows the entrance of Yunpan Valley.

Bingyu Valley Scenic Area is situated near Xianrendong Town, 40 kilometers north of Zhuanghe City, Dalian, 220 kilometers from downtown Dalian, and 130 kilometers from downtown Yingkou. This photo was taken in Yunpan Valley.

The area is known for its picturesque mountains and rivers, winding peaks and streams, earning the reputation of "Guilin of the North". In the early 1990s, Bingyu developed a tourist resort, building holiday villas and a central hotel, gradually introducing activities such as hiking, rafting, and fishing. Currently, Bingyu Valley is a national AAAA-level tourist resort. This photo was taken in Yunpan Valley.

Bingyu Valley Scenic Area has a fairyland attraction called Yunpan Valley. Photo taken in Yunpan Valley.

The water surface of Yunpan Valley is calm but unfathomably deep. On misty drizzly days, the water is shrouded in lingering fog that refuses to dissipate. Photo taken in Yunpan Valley.

There is a legend about Yunpan Valley: It is said that in the late Ming Dynasty, there was a loving couple living outside the mountains. The man was Wang Qi, an upright farmer; the woman was Dujuan, a clever girl with a beautiful face. They grew up together as childhood sweethearts, inseparable like siblings. Their parents were delighted and arranged their marriage. However, just before their wedding, the corrupt court forcibly conscripted Dujuan into the palace. Wang Qi took the girl and fled into the wild mountains. The government sent men to search the mountains. Outnumbered, Wang Qi was hit by three arrows and fell into a deep abyss. Dujuan jumped after him. When the soldiers arrived at the foot of the mountain to search, they found only a pool of clear water, mirror-like, with no trace of anyone. The valley was shrouded in clouds and mist that lingered day and night. The locals say that is the incarnation of Dujuan, who refused to leave her beloved. Seeing this sorrowful scene, people named the valley Yunpan Valley (Cloud Coil Valley). Locals say that the two stones in the upper left corner of the photo are the incarnations of Wang Qi and Dujuan.

As part of the national AAAA-level tourist area, Bingyu Valley Scenic Area, Yunpan Valley has complete tourist facilities. The photo shows the service center of Yunpan Valley.

Yunpan Valley has developed many tourism activities. Water recreation includes bamboo rafts, pedal boats, water bicycles, and chedan boating.

Yunpan Valley has developed many tourism activities. Water recreation includes bamboo rafts, pedal boats, water bicycles, and chedan boating.

There are also many land activities in Yunpan Valley, such as horseback riding and mountain climbing.

There are also many land activities in Yunpan Valley, such as horseback riding and mountain climbing.

This is a child riding a horse in Yunpan Valley.

The cloud plank road for mountain climbing in Yunpan Valley is temporarily closed.

To enter Yunpan Valley, you need to walk along the wooden boardwalk by the water.

Yunpan Valley has beautiful mountains and clear waters.

Yunpan Valley has high mountains and dense forests.

Yunpan Valley has peculiar rocks and strange peaks.

To enter Yunpan Valley, you need to walk along the mountain wooden boardwalk.

To enter Yunpan Valley, you need to walk along the streamside wooden boardwalk.

Do not pick wildflowers by the stream.

To enter Yunpan Valley, you need to walk along the mountain and streamside wooden boardwalks.

Yunpan Valley offers rafting. This is the shuttle bus for tourists.

Yunpan Valley's mountains are beautiful, and its waters are even more beautiful!

During our trip to Yunpan Valley, we stayed at Guibinyuan Hotel in Xianrendong Town, Zhuanghe City.

The iron pot stewed Zhuanghe Big Bone Chicken set meal at Guibinyuan Hotel is very distinctive. Iron pot stewed Big Bone Chicken requires selecting roosters or hens with bright feathers and broad chests and backs, cooked with wide vermicelli and mushrooms over fire for at least 2 hours, allowing various seasonings to penetrate. The resulting meat is tender, the soup delicious, with a unique farmhouse flavor.

Big Bone Chicken is a hybrid of Jiujin Chicken, Shouguang Chicken, and local chickens. Its meat is tender, delicate, and nutritious. Especially the free-range Big Bone Chicken is a top delicacy. As a famous food of Zhuanghe, the locals have a rhyme: "Old farm sister-in-law, set up the big iron pot, light up the big firewood, stew the Big Bone Chicken." The photo shows a Zhuanghe rooster taken at the farmers' market the next morning.

After dinner, there was a bonfire party in front of Guibinyuan Hotel.

Some tourists also took horse-drawn carriages for a night tour of Xianrendong Town.

The horse-drawn carriage night tour of Xianrendong Town was quite popular.

The next morning, there was also a farmers' market in front of Guibinyuan Hotel.

Peaches at the farmers' market.

Yellow peaches at the farmers' market.

A local small kiwifruit at the farmers' market.