Lianhuashan Forest Park Scenic Area

Lianhuashan Forest Park Scenic Area is located in Shihugou Village, Yantongshan Town, Panshi City, seven kilometres away from Guanma Karst Cave Scenic Area. The area remained primeval forest until the late Ming Dynasty. In the early Qing Dynasty, it was designated as an imperial hunting ground and closed to the public for more than 200 years. After the liberation of China, it was enclosed as a restricted zone for Factory 324, and its original natural landscape was well preserved.

Lianhuashan belongs to the middle section of the Hadaling Ridge, a branch of the Changbai Mountain Range. The forest park has three peaks above 800 metres above sea level. The highest peak, Jizhuadingzi, stands at 1,049 metres. These peaks are multi-petaled, round or oval in shape. Set against rolling overlapping mountains and dense woods, they look just like lotus flowers blooming above the water surface. At present, more than 2,400 mu of Korean pine forests are still preserved on Jizhuadingzi Mountain. The trees are over 300 years old, and the largest pine trunk requires four adults linking arms to encircle it. There are also nearly ten thousand mu of spruce and fir forests.

Endowed with abundant forest resources and complex stand structures, the park features distinct seasonal forest landscapes, forming a typical low-mountain mixed forest of conifers and broad-leaved trees. The vast woodland provides a habitat for a wide variety of birds and wild animals, including 259 species listed on Jilin Provincial Protected Wildlife List.

Lianhuashan Ski Resort lies within the forest park, covering an area of 25 square kilometres. It was completed and opened to business on December 26, 2002. The region has a continental monsoon climate. Shielded by mountain barriers, wind speeds remain low in winter. The snow cover lasts from November to early May of the following year, with snow depth ranging from 0.5 metres to 1.5 metres. The resort was planned and designed by Ecosign Mountain Resort Planners from Canada, the firm that designed the Vancouver Olympic Ski Resort. The first-phase project includes eight ski runs, one 200-metre snow tubing track and six alpine ski runs stretching more than 10,000 metres in total, with gradients ranging from 5 to 35 degrees. There are four surface lifts and one alpine chairlift. The 2003 National "Mass Cup" Alpine Skiing Competition was successfully held here.

The Diaoshuihu Scenic Spot inside the forest park features naturally formed waterfalls in the rainy season. Tourist facilities here include: China’s largest log-simulated gate spanning over 70 metres wide and 3 metres high, full of primeval forest charm; Songlinge Restaurant covering 2,000 square metres with Korean ethnic architectural style; Lianhuashan Clubhouse of 2,800 square metres integrating bathing, accommodation and leisure services; A property hotel of 4,000 square metres built to three-star standards; Synthetic tennis courts, basketball courts and beach courts constructed in line with international competition standards; A horse racing ground covering 0.5 hectares; A ginseng picking garden spanning 50 hectares; A uniquely shaped lotus pond for angling and enjoying lotus blossoms; And Lianhuashan Theatre for Northeast Errenzhuan folk shows.

On September 29, 2003, the 2nd Guanma Lianhuashan Forest Park Tourism and Culture Festival was grandly staged here. In the same year, the scenic area was honoured as the Top Tourist Attraction by Jilin Municipal Tourism Administration.