Libo Xiaoqikong
UNESCO World Heritage Site (South China Karst, 2007); National 5A Tourist Attraction · Libo, Guizhou
A karst forest of turquoise pools, cascades and walkways in southern Guizhou, named after the Little Seven-Arch Bridge, a slender Qing-dynasty stone bridge built in 1836 across the green Xiangzhang River on an old trade road to Guangxi. The area forms part of the South China Karst World Heritage Site, protected for its cone-shaped limestone hills and forest growing on bare rock, and it has become one of the most photographed landscapes in southwest China. Along a gorge several kilometres long, boardwalks lead past the 68-level cascade of La'ai, where water tumbles over dozens of mossy steps, the thundering Lameng Falls, the Crouching Dragon Pool with its clear jade water, and the enchanting Water Forest, where trees grow straight out of a shallow river - a section closed in 2026 for ecological restoration, although the rest of the area resumed normal operation on July 20, 2026. Further on are the tranquil Mandarin Duck Lakes, explored by small rowing boat, and the Tianzhong cave and primeval forest. Buyi, Shui and Yao villages dot the surrounding valleys, and neighbouring Dachikong, on the same multi-day ticket, offers wilder gorges and a suspension bridge. The water is at its bluest in autumn and after dry spells; heavy summer rain turns it milky.
Xiaoqikong Scenic Area, Libo County, Qiannan Buyi and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Libo, Guizhou, China
Daily, about 8:00-16:00; book ahead, daily cap about 15,000. The Water Forest section is closed for ecological restoration (2026).