Two peaks stand opposite each other, one wide and the other narrow, one large and the other small, forming the shape of a gate — hence the name Guanmen Mountain, meaning "Gate Mountain". There are three mountain passes here. The North Gate faces Xiaoshi Town. The twin peaks face one another, connected by an arch bridge in the middle. The South Gate sits on the mountain ridge leading to Tanggou. The highway cuts right through the pass, creating a precipitous passage. The Middle Gate is located along the river in the deep valley. Two steep cliffs clamp the river, leaving a channel merely more than 20 metres wide. The natural rock walls serve as perfect gateposts for building a reservoir.

The scenic spot is praised as "Little Jiangnan" and "Better than Huangshan". It is widely known across the country as the "Little Huangshan of Northeast China". It boasts five distinctive beauties. First, the mountain scenery: steep, graceful and jagged peaks rise abruptly from the ground. Pine trees grow elegantly on the summits, surrounded by grotesque rocks laid out like giant natural bonsai landscapes crafted by nature itself.

0414-6358059; 0414-6358085; 0414-6358066

3–4 hours

Self-driving route: Starting from Shenyang, take the Shenyang-Benxi Expressway → Benxi → Xiaoshi → Shifu → Jianchang → Huanren. The round trip covers approximately 640 kilometres.

90 yuan per person

06:00 – 17:00

Benxi Manchu Autonomous County, Benxi City