What to See & Do in Yesanpo?

Yesanpo consists of seven functional scenic zones: Baili Gorge Natural Scenic Area, Juma River Summer Resort & Recreation Zone, Baicaopan Primeval Forest Reserve, Yugu Cave Strange Springs & Grottos Zone, Longmen Heavenly Pass Great Wall Cultural Relics Reserve, Jinhua Mountain Spiritual Hunting & Leisure Zone, and Yesanpo Lost Paradise Lavender Theme Manor. More than a hundred scenic spots scatter across the seven zones.

Known as "The No.1 Gorge Under Heaven", its cliffs look as if chiseled by axes and knives, dotted with jagged exotic rocks. Chinese crabapple flowers line the gullies, and wild blossoms carpet the mountains. Wandering through the valley, visitors feel immersed in an elaborate, vivid hundred-li landscape scroll.

The Juma River winds over seventy li through Yesanpo. Towering peaks and grotesque rocks rise on both banks, and the clear rippling water mirrors the surrounding scenery. Tourists can take boats to soak in mountain-and-river vistas or swim in the refreshing current to embrace nature’s charm. The soft white sandbanks serve as ideal spots for sand baths and sunbathing. Holiday resorts and Hmong villages blend seamlessly with surrounding attractions, making this zone perfect for leisure, entertainment and summer escape.

It features the Ming-dynasty Great Dragonmen Castle, the Caicun Nunnery Section of the Great Wall, and North China’s largest cluster of cliff stone carvings spanning the Jin, Ming and Qing dynasties. Two monumental inscriptions — "Heavenly Gate of Ten Thousand Ren Cliffs" and "Thousand Peaks Bowing in Homage" — stand 2.15 meters tall each, with powerful, bold calligraphy presenting a spectacular sight.

Standing at an altitude of 1,983 meters, the area boasts steep mountain ridges, countless exotic peaks and rocks, blooming wild flowers and flocks of wild animals. Dense foliage blankets the mountains, earning it the title of the "Green Pearl of the Taihang Mountains". Visitors may climb Shicheng Ridge to watch sunrise and sea of clouds, explore red ant nests on Ant Ridge, listen to pine waves beside the Wind-Shifting Rock, admire thousand-mu azalea groves and wander ten-thousand-mu forest seas, reluctant to leave.

Highlights include lush dark green forest seas, the plunging Lala Lake Waterfall, thousand-year-old ginkgo trees reaching toward the clouds, and Qingtan Temple, an ancient building with unique architectural style. While touring here, visitors can appreciate exclusive traditional ethnic costumes of Yesanpo and experience simple folk customs, as if stepping into a bygone era.

Nestled beside the Juma River in Yesanpo, the lavender manor exudes exceptional elegance and romance against the backdrop of rivers and lofty mountains. Inside the manor sit landmarks such as the Gate of Love and a French-style windmill.

First built in 1991 under the initiative of the Ministry of Culture, it is the largest northern cultural complex dedicated to ethnic minorities. Built against the mountains and encircled by the Juma River on three sides, the park features staggered bamboo and wooden stilt houses of the Bai, Dai, Hmong, Dong and other ethnic groups spread across the hillside. The stockade gate, gong-and-drum square and sacrificial altar are all constructed in authentic original ethnic styles.