Twin Top Scholars Pagodas
The Twin Top Scholars Pagodas are located in Shuangta Market Town, 25 kilometres west of Minquan County seat. Standing more than 20 metres high, the pagoda has stone steps leading all the way to the top. On Mid-Autumn Festival, visitors can climb up to enjoy a vast view under clear skies, with golden autumn winds and falling leaves. The scene known as "Autumn Wind over the Twin Pagodas" once topped the Eight Scenic Sights of Qi County. The pagodas were designated a County-level Key Cultural Relic Protection Unit in 1963.
Qiushui Lake
Qiushui Lake, originally named Linqi Reservoir, lies 15 kilometres northeast of Minquan County seat. Its southern bank belongs to Sunliu Town and Chengguan Town, and the northern bank belongs to Linqi Township and Wangqiao Town. Stretching east-west, the lake runs from Renzhuang Highway Bridge in the west to the Linqi Dam in the east, separated from Longze Lake only by a single dyke.
The lake has a pure water surface of 12,000 mu, extending 8.64 kilometres from east to west and 920 metres from north to south. Its annual average water storage capacity reaches 25.4 million cubic metres, with an average water depth of 1.5 metres and a maximum depth of 6 metres. The water level remains stable all year round. The water is crystal clear and pollution-free, meeting Grade II drinking water standards.
With boundless blue waves merging with the sky, the lake boasts beautiful natural scenery ideal for holidays and tourism. It is praised as "West Lake on the Old Yellow River Course".
Longze Lake
Longze Lake is 28 kilometres east of Minquan County seat. Formerly the Wutun Reservoir on the old Yellow River course, it is the largest natural lake on the eastern Henan Plain. Stretching from the Linqi Dam in the west to the Wutun Dam in the east, the lake is 12.5 kilometres long and 1 kilometre wide. It has an average depth of 1.8 metres, a water surface of 18,000 mu and an annual average storage capacity of 28 million cubic metres.
The 18,000 mu of water and wetland attract wild ducks, grey cranes, white swans and other water birds all year round, forming a breathtaking landscape where lake water blends with the sky. In recent years, Wangzhuangzhai Town, where the lake is located, has made full use of the vast water surface to develop aquaculture and tourism. At present, the annual output of fish, shrimps, river crabs and other aquatic products exceeds 100 tons. The tourism featuring the charm of the old river course has taken initial shape, complete with sightseeing piers, floating restaurants, angling grounds and a rose manor.
Shengan Forest Belt
The Shengan Forest Belt is deep in the old Yellow River course in northern Minquan County, 8 kilometres from the county seat. First planted in 1950, it is a core part of the famous shelter forest system in eastern Henan, and one of the four major plain shelter forests in China and top ten artificial forests in Asia.
Stretching from Shenji in Chengzhuang Town in the west to Ganzhuang Village in Chengguan Town in the east, the forest belt runs more than 20 kilometres east-west and 2 to 4 kilometres north-south. It twice hosted national conferences on plain afforestation in the 1970s and 1980s, and received inspections from state leaders, celebrities and forestry experts from home and abroad. Forestry scholars worldwide hail it as the "Green Great Wall" on the old Yellow River course.
At present, the standing timber volume reaches 130,000 cubic metres with an annual growth of 10,000 cubic metres, and the forest coverage rate hits 75%. The forest is home to more than 100 plant species and 180 terrestrial animal species, including over 10 kinds of nationally protected wild animals.
In recent years, relying on the resource advantages of the Shengan Forest Belt, Minquan County has actively applied for the construction of a national forest park and accelerated the development of eco-tourism. The county has fully launched the construction of the Shengan Eco-tourism Base, aiming to build the largest eco-tourism park in eastern Henan with botanical gardens, flower gardens, high-quality fruit orchards and amusement parks.
Liguan Tunnel Warfare Site
As a Provincial Key Cultural Relic Protection Unit, the Liguan Tunnel Warfare Site is located in Liguan Village of Beiguan Town, 34 kilometres northeast of Minquan County seat. Known as the "Gateway to Southwest Shandong", the tunnels were dug during the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression to preserve military strength, strike the enemy and sustain a protracted war.
Centred on the village itself, the tunnel system connects five villages including Renzhuang to the south, runs eastward along the old Yellow River dyke straight to Tangshuikou, and links more than ten villages in Caoxian County to the north. The total length of the tunnels reaches roughly 25 kilometres. Built about 1.5 metres underground, each passage is 1.7 metres high and 1 metre wide, capable of sheltering over 14,000 people.
The tunnels are equipped with entrances, air vents, secret chambers for meetings and arms storage, rotating battle platforms, shooting holes, traps to annihilate invaders, checkpoints to defend against smoke and poison attacks, and exit passages leading to farmlands for assaults and retreats. These underground facilities played an important role in defeating enemies and preserving our own forces.
Most sections of the tunnels remain well-preserved today, attracting numerous Chinese and foreign tourists every year. The site has become an important base for revolutionary tradition and patriotic education for teenagers and local residents
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