Hongshiya National Earthquake Ruins

The Hongshiya Gorge lies about 2 kilometres northwest of Yongsheng County seat along the Lijiang-Yongsheng Highway. Stretching roughly 9 kilometres from east to west and 3 kilometres from north to south, it rises 500 metres from the valley floor to the mountain peaks, covering a total area of 54 square kilometres. Research confirms that this landform was created by a powerful ancient earthquake.

According to Yunnan Provincial Records of the Wanli Period of the Ming Dynasty, the earthquake struck on the sixth day of the fifth lunar month in the sixth year of the Zhengde reign of the Ming Dynasty (1515 AD). This magnitude 8.1 earthquake had an epicentral intensity of Grade X and was a tectonic earthquake. Owing to its massive magnitude, high intensity, concentrated epicentre and huge energy release, mountain ridges in the quake zone were ripped apart into numerous blocks, creating fissures of varying widths. The longest crack stretches 2 kilometres across the northern cliff with unfathomable depth. The earthquake split and collapsed the mountain range west of the ancient county seat, forming the present-day great rift valley: 9 kilometres long, 50 to 300 metres wide and 500 metres deep. A huge sinkhole emerged on the eastern side of the rift.

The catastrophic quake destroyed the ancient city of Beisheng Prefecture and countless dwellings in the Sanchuan Basin. It diverted the Lingyuanqing River, which originally ran north to south through the county, turning it into the Wulang River flowing eastward through Hongshiya into the Sanchuan Basin. The Cuihu Dragon Pool and Xishan Grass Lake also came into being at the same time. Massive rock collapses during the earthquake pushed vast amounts of limestone karst to the surface, forming terraced ledges and platforms. The rift valley turned into a profound abyss flanked by steep precipices and jagged rock formations. Even after centuries of wind and rain erosion, the landscape remains breathtakingly magnificent.

Many renowned Chinese scholars have conducted field studies here and published a host of academic papers. Professor Blom, a geologist from the University of California, USA, made two investigative trips to Hongshiya in 1982. He commented: "This is the world’s best-preserved and most spectacular ancient earthquake site."

In April 2005, the site was officially approved by the China Earthquake Administration as the Yongsheng Hongshiya National Earthquake Ruins.

After sightseeing at the spectacular ancient earthquake site, visitors may continue heading north. One kilometre from the sinkhole lies Daguanping, covered in dense forests where hares and pheasants roam freely. A one-hour hike up the terraced northern slope leads to Guanshan Summit. From the top, you can overlook the entire Yongsheng County and catch a distant view of the mystical Jade Dragon Snow Mountain in Lijiang. The mountaintop is scattered with oddly shaped rocks, with peonies growing amid the crevices. Every spring, wildflowers bloom all over the hills, bursting with vitality. Two hundred metres down the eastern slope sits Linxian Pool, a 10-mu pond where mountain forests cast beautiful reflections on the water. The scenery is absolutely enchanting.

Boasting great potential for scientific research, adventure tourism and leisure development, Hongshiya Earthquake Ruins are a precious natural heritage endowed to the people of Yongsheng, awaiting proper development and protection