Huanghuashan National Forest Park

Huanghuashan Forest Park is situated on the West Peninsula of Nan'ao Island, Shantou City, Guangdong Province. In 1992, the former Huanghuashan Forest Farm was officially designated a "National Island Forest Park" by the Ministry of Forestry of China. It is distinguished by its unspoiled mountain wilderness scenery and home to Dajian Mountain, known as Shantou’s Highest Peak, standing at an altitude of 587.5 metres. It is the only national forest park built on an island across the whole country.

Covering a total area of 20,600 mu, the Tropic of Cancer cuts horizontally through its central zone. Surrounded by sea on three sides, the park features rolling layered mountains, dense forests and grotesque rock formations, boasting abundant natural resources and cultural relics. More than 1,440 tropical and subtropical plant species from 102 families thrive here, including podocarpus macrophyllus, a living fossil of plants, as well as rare wild bonsai varieties such as narrow-leaved grapes and boxwood valued at home and abroad. Over 40 species of nationally protected wild animals inhabit the mountains, including Chinese egrets, pythons and three-striped box turtles. Experts and scholars at home and abroad hail it as "a natural botanical garden on the South China Sea".

Sunrise over Jian Mountain, Sunset Glow at Changshan, Guicheng Scenic Zone, Cliff Stone Carvings, Tunnel Exploration, Fengzhou Wangfu Rock, Qianlai Garden, Memorial Hall of the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, and Former Educated Youth Site.

Huanghuashan Mountain is dotted with jagged, exquisitely shaped rocks sculpted by nature’s craftsmanship. Eagle Beak Rock resembles a giant eagle crouching among the peaks. Pomegranate Rock looks like a ripe split local pomegranate with clearly visible fruit grains. Husband-and-Wife Duet Rock depicts a couple singing to each other. Twin Camel Hump Rock takes the form of a resting Bactrian camel, and Penguin Rock stands like a motionless penguin. These uniquely shaped cliffs formed tens of thousands of years ago are precious gifts from nature.

Several years ago, a young writer skilled in metal calligraphy named Cai Xueshi resolved to realise his long-cherished ambition here. He carved 1,300 calligraphic works by contemporary Chinese masters onto the rock faces of Guicheng Mountain, creating a one-of-a-kind stone carving park.

Thousands of cliff carvings stretch continuously across the Guicheng Mountain area. The inscriptions feature epigrams, couplets, maxims and poems, rendered in running, cursive, clerical and seal scripts. The fluid, vivid brushstrokes present a spectacular array of artistic styles. Endowed with such an extensive collection of cliff carvings, Huanghuashan Forest Park has become an ideal getaway for urban dwellers seeking natural ecological scenery and group excursions.