Yandang National Park A++++

High in the Yandang mountains, as I dipped my feet in the cold, crystal clean waters, I knew that I have found a bit of China that most foreigners ignore. At best we scurry to Guiling, Li Jiang or Tibet, thinking that this is where China’s natural beauty is best explored.

We do so however out of ignorance. Less than seven hours from Shanghai, and seventy kilometers from Wehzhou, the Yandang AAAA Grade National Tourist Area offers natural beauty that compares favourably to national parks in Canada or the United States, and anything that I have seen in China.

When I was told that I would be visiting this area I had no idea what to expect. I had low expectations. With the exception of Guiling, Li Jiang and Tibet most foreign visitors receive a poor impression of natural wonders in lesser known Chinese provinces such as Zhejiang.Descriptions and rating systems such as the “AAAA National Tourist rating” mean nothing to foreigners. They are poorly expalined and promotted as a brand in China.

Visiting the Yandang AAAA Grade National Tourist Area however I was astonished at the beauty of the valleys and sheer mountain cliffs. As ignorant as I now I know I was, I had just assumed that nature did not exist along the developed east cost of China.

Driving into the mountains however I was amazed at the natural beauty Yandang has to offer. After parking my car in a small roadside village, I was soon hiking up a mountain road with lush green hills on each side. The higher I walked the more beautiful the scenery.

North Americans familiar with Bamft, Yosemite or Yellowstone national parks have a right to feel proud of the natural wonders they house. The Chinese should feel no less proud of the Yandang Mountains. There are differences between a Chinese National Park and those in America, but the natural beauty of the area speaks for itself. It is a shame that I had to discover these mountains almost by accident as they rate among the most amazing natural wonders China has to offer.

My guide, a local Wenzhou resident, knowing that few foreigners visit the area, even complained bitterly that places like Yangzhou, received all the attention. The Yandang Mountain National Park (my translation) covers over 186 square kilometers, featuring eight distinct natural area. The area is dotted with soaring cliffs, waterfalls, lakes and valleys. This is not alpine country, the mountains are too old. This in itself reflects the immense history of China. Formed a 120 million years ago from volcanic eruptions, the hard carved peaks of volcanic rock that amazed me are products of centuries of erosion.

Visually, the Yandang Mountains are the closest thing I have seen to all those Chinese paintings with mountain peaks shroud in mist. I have visited Guiling and Yangshuo and the scenes are similar, but the karst sandstone topography around Yangshuo seems immature in comparison with the brooding volcanic rock of the Yandang mountains.

It is probably also correct to assume that places like Yangshuo and Li Jaing are more popular with foreigners, not because they are more beautiful, but because they offer easy access to bars like Mickey Mao’s and banana pancakes, cold beer and hamburgers, that cater to foreign tastes, none of which I found in the Yandang region. Guiling, Yangzhou, Li Jiang and Tibet, I also suspect, have better translators working for them.

Poor English translations describe the Yandang mountains as a “Colcanic History Musem.” Typically, the Chinese translators choice of the word “Colcanic” is the correct scientific term to describe the erosion that created the Yandang Mountains. Yet, while technically correct, this term leaves many native English speakers with the impression that these beautiful mountains have something to do with your colon. Nothing however can be farther from the truth.

Recognized internationally as a UNESCO Geo Park, in English this area is best described as a Volcanic Natural History Museum with a focus on the effects of wind and rain erosion. Indeed, it is the poorly worded translations associated with many of the natural sites in the Yandang mountains that keep foreign tourists away.

The Big Dragon Waterfall Scenic Area is stunning. Imagine a 200 meter waterfall dropping off a sheer mountain cliff. At the bottom is a pool of cold clear mountain water into which, as the water cascades, it becomes more mist than a steady stream of water.

Sadly, I reached the Big Dragon Waterfall at sunset. We started our hike too late. In the dimming light however I could make out paths caved along sheer cliffs cut into the side of mountain. Along these paths, accessible by three small gondolas it was explained to me, there are Buddhists shrines and temples with over a 1000 years of history.

Unfortunately, it was necessary for me to return to Wenzhou that evening, but not before my hosts introduced me to another amazing feature of the Yandang region. Located close to the Pacific ocean, along with stunning mountain scenery, Yandang offers a bewildering selection of seafood. Prepared in a rich seafood broth, I sampled shark, crab, muscles, scallops and barnacles in one of the best seafood dinners I have ever tasted.

The next day, instead of heading back to Big Dragon Falls, this time we followed the Nanxi River Valley up into the mountains. Stopping in a small mountain village our hosts had arranged a simple mountain lunch at a local restaurant.

The simple mountain food was excellent, but I especially recommend the wild vegetables and homemade noodle dishes. I was especially attracted by a dish prepared with small mountain potatoes, prepared with pork and wild chives.

Continuing our trip up the river valley, I was again impressed by the mountain scenery. Lush green hills, give way to even high green covered mountains in the distance. In the valley however I discovered something special - the cleanest, clearest water I have ever seen in China.

High in the hills, there is no factory run off. The water comes directly from the mountains. Again I was unprepared for a scene like this. Had I known, I would have brought along a pair of swimming trunks, an inner tube and a cooler filled with beer. The area look perfect for an afternoon of lazy drifting.

Still, it was enough to dip my feet in the cold, clear mountain waters. Later my hosts arranged for my wife and I to take raft ride down the river. The rafts are identical to those used in Yangzhou. Made from large mature babboo stocks with the prow curved using fire and twine, with comfortable chairs, it took us on a hour and a half ride downstream.

As always in China, foreigners should expect to do a bit of bargaining when purchasing a ticket. Our hosts paid 30 RMB each for the trip, however this was after they agreed to purchase an extra ticket for me as the boatmen complained about my size.

We headed back to Wenzhou for another large seafood dinner. The next day I returned , I left the Yandang Mountains vowing to return.

Getting There and Back

The closest major city to the Yandang National Park is Wenzhou, about seventy kilometers from the entrance to the Yangdng Mountains. Bus trips from Wenzhou to the park enterance in a private van would probably cost 100 RMB one way for each.

Wenzhou itself can be reached by a hour flight from Shanghai (590 RMB, Shenzhen Airlines), four hours by bus from or Hanghzou (260 RMB).

Where to Stay

Accommodations in either Wenzhou or in the park itself are possible. Hotels in Wenzhou are abundant and cover the complete price range.The city of Wenzhou itself is very developed and is famous in China for the wealth of its people. I stayed in standard Chinese hotel for 380 RMB a night. I found rooms online at a three star hotel for 258 RMB on line. (http://www.wenzhouhotels.com/en)

In the mountains there are many guest houses and hotels that cater to Chinese tourists. I was quoted a price of 160 RMB a night for small room in what looked like a clean well run guest house when I asked. The cheapest accommodations in the mountains would probably be to camp.

To the best of my knowledge there is no organized back country routes, like those in the United State or Canada, but there were paths that moved up the valley, probably created by farmers.
The river valley also looked like it offered a promising two or three day hike. It would be easy to hike up the river bed in good weather, then using a inflatable boat drift back down the river. Obviously the river could be dangerous during periods of heavy rain. The scree along the banks shows evidence of flash flooding, but on the day I visited the river was meandering slowly down the valley.