8:00 – 18:00

Sanming → Shaxian → Jiangle → Taining via Fuzhou-Yinchuan Expressway; the whole journey takes only 2 hours.

Fuzhou → Taining via Fuzhou-Yinchuan Expressway, covering roughly 270 kilometers with a 4-hour drive.

Nanchang → Fuzhou → Nancheng → Lichuan → Taining (Fujian) via Fuzhou-Yinchuan Expressway, around 270 kilometers in total, with an approximate 3-hour drive.

Take a train from Shanghai to Sanming, then transfer to a coach bound for Taining at Sanming Bus Station. The 130-kilometer highway ride takes about 1.5 hours.

Taining Global Geopark of Fujian is located in Taining County, Sanming City, northwest Fujian Province, covering an area of 492.5 square kilometers, 252.7 square kilometers of which are Danxia landform. Centered on typical young-stage Danxia landforms, the geopark also boasts various geological relics including volcanic rock, granite and structural landforms. It is a comprehensive geopark integrating scientific research, popular science education, sightseeing and leisure vacation. Taining has successively been awarded titles such as National Key Scenic Area, National AAAA-level Tourist Zone, National Forest Park, National Geopark and Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level.

On February 11, 2005, UNESCO approved Taining Geopark as one of the second batch of Global Geoparks.

The park has undergone a long and complex geological evolution. Since the Late Triassic Epoch, it has been under the mutual collision of the Pacific Plate and the Eurasian Plate. Large-scale volcanic eruptions and magmatic intrusions took place here from the Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous Epoch. Starting from the Late Cretaceous Epoch, controlled by the northeast-trending Chong’an-Shicheng Fault Zone and the north-south Taining-Longyan Fault Zone, faulted basins formed, where red rock layers dominated by sandstone and conglomerate were deposited. After the Late Cretaceous, the crust uplifted entirely. Reactivated faults cut through rock strata, creating fractures and differential uplift and subsidence. Long-term water erosion, rain wash, weathering and collapse transformed the ancient rocks into the stunning natural landscapes seen today.

Extensively developed canyons are the most prominent feature of young-stage Danxia landforms. Complex fault systems formed by multi-stage tectonic movements, coupled with fluvial erosion, sculpted the crisscross ravines and gullies across the geopark. The canyon cluster consists of more than 80 fissure valleys (One-Line-Sky), over 150 alley valleys and over 240 canyons, featuring deep gorges, towering red cliffs, abundant caves and primitive ecology. Some canyons crisscross, some run parallel, and others twist and turn like winding intestines. Visitors wandering through the park can view canyons of varying inclinations, widths and shapes, and gain an intuitive understanding of their formation process.

Boasting an enormous number of Danxia caves, large-scale cave clusters, fantastic cave shapes and unique combinations with rare ornamental value, Taining Geopark is hailed as a "Museum of Danxia Caves". The caves vary drastically in size: the largest can hold a thousand people, while the smallest are barely an inch wide. Their shapes resemble humans, daily utensils, wild beasts and birds in vivid, extraordinary forms. Countless marvelous caves are embedded in red cliff faces, either nested layer upon layer or clustered together, presenting a magnificent spectacle.

Water landscapes of varying widths and flow states blend harmoniously with Danxia landforms and intact ecological surroundings, forming the breathtaking wonder of "Danxia on Water". Broad lake surfaces shimmer with blue waves; mountains rise out of lakes, and lakes nestle within mountains. Streams meander through canyons, making rafting feel like drifting inside an ink painting. Tranquil pools are surrounded by towering Danxia cliffs, creating an idyllic paradise.