And More

Traveling through Suiyang County, I felt like I was a passenger on a ship. Trees formed the ocean around me; the tops of peaks were the islands. The feeling was especially strong when we hiked up to the top of the highest mountain in Suiyang’s Kuankuoshui Nature Reserve.

The reserve, located slightly to the north of the center of Suiyang County, boasts large areas of primordial forests. It covers a total area of 26,231 hectares, 80 percent of which is forest. The highest mountain in Kuankuoshui, which we climbed, is called Sun Mountain, presumably because it rises so high above the surrounding area it seems to disappear into the sun.

Water from the Furong River nourishes the forests, which are home to many endangered animals, such as the clouded leopard, the white side-burned black langur, the forest musk deer, the tufted deer and over 148 species of birds. The nature reserve is one of the top three sites to observe rare bird species in China.

The nature reserve has caves, forests, mountains, lakes and rivers. To move between sites, many quiet paths wind their way through forests, hidden under the dense foliage. It was autumn when I visited, and walking along a secluded pathway covered by fallen leaves to the accompaniment of birds’ singing, I couldn’t help humming the tune of one of Joseph Hyden’s string quartet opuses. Surely, I thought, Hayden received much inspiration from birdsong.

The Kuankuoshui Nature Reserve, as part of the Dalou Mountain range area, rises in the northwest and falls in the southeast. The reserve is dominated by a U-shaped valley, peaks around which reach 1,300 meters above sea level and 600 meters above the valley floor. The scenery is stunning. Standing on the top of Sun Mountain at sunset, I was intoxicated by the view. The green of the valley merged at higher elevations with the yellows of the deepening fall season. Soon, it all disappeared as the crimson glow of the sun kissed the land goodbye.

The reserve, like the landscape around it, is dotted with caves. We stopped by one, called the Lotus Cave, next to which is a massive cliff over 60 meters high and 70 meters wide. A red Buddhist temple stood nearby, looking tiny against the massive rock face.

Kuankuoshui is a nice place not only to avoid the summer heat, but also to appreciate winter snow. The climate is not too hot in summer and not too cold in winter. Snow usually falls quite late, in March or April. The subtropical forest, green all year round, is home to many species of insects, birds, mammals and rare plants such as the Fagus lucia.

A Natural Museum

The Hongguoshu Scenic Area of Suiyang is similarly impressive. It is one big geological museum, and its caves reflect a variety of natural rock formation processes at work over the eons. The area is composed of a string of more than 10 scenic spots, including caves, waterfalls and a natural rock bridge.

Tianyuan is arguably the best known of the caves. It was in Tianyuan that Ran Jin and Ran Pu lived and practiced martial arts before leaving to fight invading Mongol forces in the late Southern Song Dynasty. Today the cave still stands, while the Rans are long gone. It was exciting to visit the cave just as it would have been when the two great warriors called it home.

Nearby sees the joining of the Jialing, Fujiang and Qujiang rivers, a site which also has historical significance. At their confluence sits Diaoyu Island, on which a military fortress called Diaoyu City was built.

Over 700 years ago the united Mongols under Genghis Khan conquered lands as far west as modern-day Poland and Hungary. Conquering China was a greater prize than Europe for the Mongols, but as they pushed south toward the power base of the Southern Song Dynasty, they met with fierce resistance at Diaoyu City and suffered great losses. Their leader Mongke Khan and his troops were besieged on the island, and the Khan was killed.