Danxia Mountain (Danxiashan)

UNESCO World Heritage Site (China Danxia, 2010); UNESCO Global Geopark; National 5A Tourist Attraction · Shaoguan, Guangdong

A landscape of glowing red sandstone cliffs, domes, pillars and ridges rising from the forests and river valleys of northern Guangdong, near Shaoguan - the mountain that gave its name to an entire landform. Geologists named the Danxia landform after these rose-red cliffs, formed from layers of sediment deposited in an ancient basin, uplifted and carved by water into hundreds of flat-topped peaks. Danxia Mountain became a UNESCO Global Geopark and part of the China Danxia World Heritage site in 2010. Visitors climb to the Changlao Peak viewpoints for sunrise over mist-filled valleys and the red ridges beyond, take the cable car to the summit area, and float along the Jinjiang River beneath the cliffs. The mountain is also famous for two natural curiosities that draw giggling crowds: the Yangyuan Stone, a 28-metre rock column shaped unmistakably like a phallus, and the Yinyuan Stone, a cleft rock resembling female anatomy, both revered in local fertility traditions. Old Buddhist temples cling to the cliffs, and the great Nanhua Temple of the Sixth Patriarch of Chan Buddhism lies nearby.

Danxiashan Scenic Area, Renhua County, Shaoguan, Shaoguan, Guangdong, China

Daily, roughly 7:00-18:00; boats and cable car run in daytime and pause in bad weather. Ticket valid 2 days.

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