Getu River

(Getu is a Miao word meaning "Sacred Land for Flower Jumping Festival".)

Getu River is located in Ziyun Miao and Buyi Autonomous County, Anshun City, Guizhou Province in eastern Asia. Ziyun Miao and Buyi Autonomous County sits in southwestern Guizhou, at the junction of Anshun City, Qiannan Prefecture and Qianxinan Prefecture. Its geographic coordinates are 105°55′–106°29′ East Longitude and 25°21′–26°03′ North Latitude. The county stretches approximately 52 kilometres from east to west and 76 kilometres from north to south, covering a total area of 2,283 square kilometres.

Getu River Through-Cave Scenic Area lies in the southeast of Ziyun County. Stretching along the Getu River, it is divided into four zones: Yaoyan, Dahe, Big Through-Cave and Small Through-Cave. The scenic area covers 56.8 square kilometres between 106°10′–106°22′ East Longitude and 25°39′–26°46′ North Latitude.

Ziyun County lies in the basin and valley area of middle and low mountains on the transitional slope from the Guizhou Plateau to the Guangxi Hilly Region, with mountainous terrain accounting for 77.8 percent of the total land area. The terrain is high in the north and south, flat in the middle, and slopes outward to the east and west. The mountain range in the west belongs to the Wumeng Mountains, and the rest falls under the Miaoling Mountains. The highest point is Mazong Ridge with an altitude of 1,681 metres, while the lowest point at the outlet of the Xiweng River stands at 623 metres. Most areas lie between 1,000 and 1,300 metres above sea level.

The Getu River basin belongs to the low-lying zone of the county, generally ranging from 930 metres to 1,050 metres above sea level. The lowest water level at the Small Through-Cave is 790 metres. The peaks on both sides of the river valley form the high-altitude zone, mostly between 1,200 and 1,400 metres. The highest peak is Shangyan Peak at 1,430 metres.

The county has a relatively low river network density. There are 228 rivers of various sizes with a total length of 1,074 kilometres, among which 17 have catchment areas exceeding 20 square kilometres. All are mountain rain-fed rivers with sharply fluctuating water levels.

Divided by the north-south Anwang Highway, rivers in the eastern half belong to the Getu River water system; those in the northwest belong to the North Panjiang River system; and those in the south belong to the Sanglang River system. The Getu River and Sanglang River flow into the Hongshui River, all part of the Pearl River Basin.

Water resources are distributed unevenly across the county. Deeply incised river valleys receive abundant groundwater recharge and feature large natural drops, resulting in rich hydropower reserves.

The Getu River area enjoys a humid subtropical monsoon climate, forming a transition zone between the mid-subtropical and north-subtropical zones. The climate is mild and pleasant with abundant rainfall, four distinct seasons and clear wet and dry periods. Winters are not bitterly cold, nor are summers scorching hot. The multi-year average temperature is 15.3℃. The annual frost-free period lasts roughly 288 days. The average annual sunshine duration is 1,455 hours, and the average annual precipitation reaches 1,337 millimetres with a mean relative humidity of 79 percent.

Atmospheric pressure varies greatly vertically, and local mountain microclimates are prominent. Natural disasters such as droughts, low temperatures and hailstorms occur occasionally with limited impact.

The zonal vegetation of the scenic area belongs to the subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forest belt: Guizhou Plateau humid evergreen broad-leaved forest region → Qiannan limestone plateau evergreen oak forest and mixed evergreen-deciduous forest subregion → Ziyun-Wangmo limestone plateau evergreen oak forest, mixed evergreen-deciduous forest and karst vegetation subzone.