Baipu Gorge Scenic Area

Baipu Gorge Scenic Area is located in Dipoxi Village, Sandaokeng Town, Zhijiang Dong Autonomous County, Huaihua City, Hunan Province. It was praised by General Chennault of the Flying Tigers as "the most beautiful gorge in the world". It is about 50 kilometres from downtown Huaihua and 15 kilometres from Zhijiang County seat.

In February 2016, the county Party committee and county government listed the scenic area as a key construction project for 2016 under the 13th Five-Year Plan. The gorge is made up of nine peaks, ten valleys and over a hundred waterfalls. Boasting a pleasant climate and stunning natural scenery, it is an ideal destination for leisure, vacation, summer retreats, sightseeing, adventure and camping. In June 2016, Baipu Gorge was voted "Huaihua’s Top Summer Resort" by internet users. In September of the same year, it was officially designated a Juvenile Popular Science Education Base by the Association for Science and Technology of Zhijiang Dong Autonomous County.

Covering nearly 10 square kilometres, the scenic area consists of multiple sub-scenic zones including the War of Resistance Valley, Beauty Valley, Tianya Cliff Valley, Victory Valley, Fortune Valley, Longevity Valley and China Victory Mountain. It brings together waterfalls, deep pools, steep cliffs, mountain streams and jagged peaks, featuring beauty, wilderness, seclusion, thrill, wonder and grace.

The place gets its name Baipu Gorge (Gorge of Hundred Waterfalls). On one hand, there are more than one hundred waterfalls of varying sizes. On the other hand, over one hundred Chinese and American Flying Tigers soldiers were once stationed here, and the Chinese character "Bai" also stands for one hundred warriors.

The terrain is magnificent with rolling mountains, forming a unique microclimate that stays warm in winter and cool in summer. Large stretches of subtropical secondary primeval forests grow across the land. Walking deep into the gorge, you will see clusters of waterfalls, towering ancient trees and tangled giant vines brimming with wild charm. Every few steps unfolds a new view, quiet and poetic. Seven crystal-clear streams wind through the mountains. Mountains embrace rivers, rivers plunge into waterfalls, waterfalls rush through rocks, rocks form precipices, cliffs are covered with forests, forests surround pools, and pools mirror mountain peaks — all creating a perfectly harmonious landscape.

Waterfalls, precipices, cascades, emerald pools, brooks, ancient trees and red sandstone formations spread all over the valley. There are 102 waterfalls, more than 300 cascades, over 200 green pools, more than 90 precipices, 70 sheer cliffs, and over 1,800 square metres of red rock outcrops. More than 200 scenic spots can be found here, including Flying Tiger Waterfall, China-US Friendship Waterfall, Buddha Cliff Waterfall, Love Waterfall, God of Wealth Cliff Waterfall, Double Happiness Waterfall, Sanfeng Waterfall, Longevity Cliff Waterfall, Shouting Cliff Waterfall, Love Whirlpool Pool, Courtship Pool, Mandarin Duck Pool, General Pool, Animal Release Pond, Ghost Skin Rock, Ginkgo Couple Tree, Buddha Light over Ancient Trees, Stone God of Wealth, Sea of Clouds over Baipu Gorge, and Sunrise over National Victory Peak.

In addition, the gorge serves as a natural botanical education base. Rare plants such as Chinese yew, southern yew, golden nanmu, ginkgo and metasequoia thrive here, along with exotic flowers including azaleas, camellias, tung blossoms and cherry blossoms. The area teems with beloved birds such as magpies, thrushes, mynas, golden pheasants, larks, parrots, orioles and lovebirds, as well as aquatic life including red fish, variegated fish, crabs and shrimps.

It is worth special mention that lucky visitors may catch sight of a golden eagle with a wingspan exceeding two metres. It perches on the cliffs all year long, soaring and circling high above the valley.

For food lovers, there is an abundance of wild mountain fruits: yacon, raspberries, blackberries, pawpaws, akebia quinata, milk fruit, polygonum perfoliatum and melastoma dodecandrum. Most notably, the fruit of sargentodoxa cuneata, known as "the world’s most magical fruit" and "the immortal longevity fruit", grows in large quantities here.