Huizhou West Lake

Huizhou West Lake Scenic Area consists of the West Lake, Red Flower Lake, and Golden Peak Lake, extending for 19.6 km2 and with a conservation range of 52.5 km2. Featuring spectacular mountains, picturesque landscapes, and gorgeous lake scenery, it is the landmark of Huizhou, a blessing of Mother Nature, and a perfect combination of natural beauty and cultural heritage.

The city of Huizhou developed around the beautiful West Lake for a history of over 1,600 years. The lake itself is composed of five lakes, namely, Pinghu, Fenghu, Nanhu, Ehu, and Linghu. Over the lakes, there are 6 bridges of Xixin, Gongbei, Yanxia, Yingxian, Mingsheng, and Yuantong. The area has 14 proud scenes to picture the landscapes, islets in the lakes, and the surrounding mountains, many with cultural content. A saying goes "Beauty of Huizhou holds your puff, to rate the scenes is rather rough, hills and lakes are half and half, Dongjiang and Xizhi contribute the same." Another saying goes "There are a total of 36 west lakes in China, only Huizhou West Lake is comparable to that of Hangzhou." The loveliness of the lakes is enhanced by the green hills alongside the lake which are just like lotus blossoming out of water. Natural beauty inspired literary achievements. A number of historical figures, with Su Dongpo, famous poet and writer in Song Dynasty, as their outstanding representative, left valuable literary heritage to Huizhou. In modern times, famous figures like Dr. Sun Yatsen, Liao Zhongkai, Deng Yanda, and Zhou Enlai all left their footprints here. In recent years, Jiang Zemin, Li Peng, Yang Shangkun and other national leaders visited Huizhou and spoke highly of West Lake.

Red Flower Lake is a mountain lake on southwest of the city. Apart from its openness and scenery, the lake also serves as a reservoir with the functions of flood control and water supply.

Mt Luofu Tourist Attraction

Rated among Top Four Mountains in Guangdong, Mt Luofu is the tallest mountain in Lingnan area. With a planned area of some 260 km2, Mt Luofu Tourist Attraction has 432 mountains and hills, 980 waterfalls and springs, 18 caves, and 72 cavities. Mt Luofu is known as a Taoist sacred mountain with tradition inherited from Taoist sage Ge Hong in Dongjin Dynasty, who built Chongxu Temple and conducted Taoist practice here. In Tang Dynasty, Buddhist temples joined the mountain and Mt Luofu became a center of both Taoism and Buddhism in this region, known as the 7th Cave Paradise and 34th Blessed Spot among Taoists. During Anti-Japanese War, Dongjiang Guerilla set their headquarters beside Chongxu Temple.

With an elevation of 1,296 m, Flying Clouds Peak, the summit of Mt Luofu, has a flat top with pretty grass and flowers. Every year at Double Ninth Festival (in October), hundreds of thousands of people climb on Mt Luofu to watch sunrise.

Mt Luofu is of subtropical monsoon climate and the Tropic of Cancer runs through it. With sufficient sunshine and abundant rainfall, Mt Luofu is extolled as a natural arboretum with some 3,000 varieties of plants, including some 1,240 kinds of herbs, thus enjoying the fame of natural herbal pool. Mt Luofu is also famous for its large variety of fruit trees, as sung by Su Dongpo, "Spring is with Mt. Luofu all year round, Waxberries and tangerines consecutively can be found. With three hundred Lychee a day, I'd rather choose permanent stay."

Mt Luofu is demonstrating its charming beauty of magnificent mountains, mysterious caves, attractive waterfalls, and refreshing springs to tourists and is waiting for your visit. In particular, its nice coolness makes it an ideal resort to go in summer times.  

Mt Nankun Ecological Attraction

Covering an area of 129 km2, Mt Nankun is on the southwest of Longmen County and 129 km southeast of Huizhou. With the Tropic of Cancer running by it, Mt Nankun is an ideal summer resort.

With sufficient sunshine and abundant rainfall all year round, Mt. Nankun has become a wonderful ecological attraction, enjoying the fame of "oasis on the Tropic of Cancer" and "Natural Oxygen Pool". Forest coverage is as high as 96.6% with over 40 rare varieties including Suihua fir, pine, fern, safflower, and cypress. Bamboos alone extend for 2,269 hectares. In the middle of trees, rocks, springs, and waterfalls, animals find Mt Nankun a paradise. Many rare animals live here, for examples, antelope, civet cat, white bear, and pangolin. Some 74 kinds of birds are also home to Mt Nankun including white vulture and golden pheasant. Mt Nankun was named Provincial Natural Reserve in 1984 and State Forest Park in 1993.

Ecological tourism is becoming a flourishing industry in this area and there are many small family inns together with larger hotels. Some 15 scenic spots are open to tourists and many more are under exploration. Mt Nankun is growing to be a popular vacation spot for city dwellers to escape the hectic city life on weekends. 

Xunliao Beach

Shunliao Beach is on the eastern part of Daya Bay, stretching for 27 km along the coast and covering an area of 105 km2.

On the sea, there are nearly 100 islands surrounded by reefs of different shape. The islands were named after their shape, for example, Lotus Island. Among them, Delta Island is praised as a "natural park of stone sights" inspiring great imagination, such as "eagle stretching wings" and "sheep playing with water".

Along the coast of this section of Daya Bay extend 8 bays including Songyuan and Shunliao. With silver beaches stretching for several kilometers and refreshing seawater at a depth of 1.5 m within 100 meters towards the sea, Shunliao is really a paradise for amateur swimmers.

The beauty of Shunliao has inspired literary relics along the coast. Take a walk in the morning and appreciate the calligraphy on rocks witnessing the past and today, you will be having a dialogue with the history and the nature.

Tangquan Hot Spring Resort

Tangquan Hot Spring Resort is 17 km northwest of urban Huizhou and covers a 1.5 km2 picturesque landscape. On the east of the resort, Nine Dragon Waterfall sings the music of the mountains and let you feel the rhythm of the scenery. On the west flows the "Lingnan Treasure" hot spring, rich in sodium carbonate and potassium. Su Dongpo, a well-known poet and writer in Song Dynasty, visited here three times and wrote on the beauty of Tangquan. Ever since Su's visits, Tangquan became famous across the country.

Today Tangquan has grown to be an attractive hot spring resort offering excellent service for vacation stay and business meetings. With its natural beauty, hot spring baths, and convenient access, Tangquan Resort wins great favor of the local community and is a must for visitors to Huizhou.
 
Longmen Hot Spring Vacation Village

Longmen Hot Spring Vacation Village is situated at east of Wanlu Lake of Heyuan and west of Mt Nankun. Covering a total area of 580,000 m2, the village provides visitors with hot spring baths, local food, independent houses, massage and other health care service, and recreational facilities in the midst of the natural surroundings.

The temperature of the hot spring here can get as high as 760C and contains 48 minerals including sulfur, niton, calcium, and magnesium. The rich mineral content is highly effective to neurotic body pains, rheumatic and rheumatoid pains, and strain of lumbar muscles. There are a total of 48 hot spring bath pools in this garden village.

The vacation village is equipped with facilities of dining hall, conference rooms, and a ballroom. Chinese style houses with independent yards present you with a romantic home in the midst of greenness.
 
Daya Bay Huahai Resort

Huahai Resort is located at Xiayong Town, eastern corner of Daya Bay, not far from CNOOC and Shell petrochemicals Complex. The resort features numerous small islands in the sea, enjoying the name of "Mini Guilin on the Sea".

Boats are available for you to access the islands you like. And you can dive into the sea to play with fish and experience the undersea world of colorful corals.

The resort hotel offers standard rooms, independent houses, conference rooms, business service, and a total relaxation.

The resort has a 120,000 m2 beach, meadows, lotus pond, and jacuzzi. You can play volleyball or football on beach, take a motorboat to the sea, go cliff-climbing, go fishing, barbecues, and more.

Huahai Resort offers to any vacationer much more than the silver beach, fresh air, and refreshing sea wind: smiles brighter than the sunshine are waiting for you!
 
State Turtle Reservation

Along the 18,000 km-long coastline of mainland China, Huidong Gangkou is the home of the only state sea turtle reservation. The town of Gangkou, with an area of 18 km2, is between Daya Bay and Red Sea Bay. It has been included in state biosphere preservation in 1993 and listed under Important Wet Lands in China in 2002.

In this romantic region, visitors can enjoy, together with turtles, real tranquility, silver sand, blue sky, and the cliffs with their bizarre rock formations sculpted by weather and sea. Every year during May through October, sea turtles swim back to their home here to lay eggs.

On this state turtle reservation, there are an exhibit center, a turtle raising and rescue center, and a guesthouse. The reservation has grown to be an attraction for turtle lovers who want to know more about turtles themselves and how to take care of these lovely creatures.

Golden Fruit Country Club

Golden Fruit Country Club is located in Yonghu Town, 28 km south of urban Huizhou and some 40 km east of Shenzhen. The club is growing to be a popular vacation spot featuring natural food, rare vegetables, and closeness to nature.

Covering an area of over 130 hectares, the club is surrounded by hills on three sides and has a 50-hectare reservoir. The slopes have become an orchard with tropical fruit trees of lychee, longan, mango, and pomelo. On the 20-hectare vegetable farm, there grows a great variety of imported vegetables, including Japanese pumpkin and melon, Korean carrot, Indian date, Thai melon, and over a dozen kinds of potherbs. All food served in the club are 100% natural.

The club is built of Continental style and is equipped with recreational facilities of golf course, pondside golf practice yard, rolling ball on grass, tennis, shooting, horse-riding, fishing, swimming, paintings exhibit as well as business services.
 
Mt Xiangtou

Covering a land area of 33 km2, Mount Xiangtou situates in the middle of Boluo County, some 18 km west of Huizhou and 60 km east of Mt Luofu.

Mt Xiangtou is known for its 165 spectacular peaks and cliffs rising one higher than the other. Xieyanding, its summit, stands at an elevation of 1,023 m. The foundation rock body is of granite and presents a unique sight of "stone eggs". On mountain slopes and along river beds, rocks demonstrate themselves in vivid shapes of elephant head, beautiful lady, lovely boy, grandma's hair, peach, diving frog, and climbing turtle.

Mt Xiangtou has a forest coverage of 90% and some 1,500 kinds of trees. River Xiaojin flows zigzag from west to east into River Dongjiang. Fanjiatian, the origin of the river, stands at an elevation of 726 m while Sijiaolou sits at an elevation of 22 m, generating a drop of 704 m. With sufficient rainfall and good vegetation, waterfalls are a common phenomenon. Along the river, 6 mountain ponds, 1 small reservoir, and 7 step hydropower stations have been built.

Mt Xiangtou fascinates its visitors with wonderful sights of mountains, stones, forests, water, and clouds.

Golf Courses in Huizhou

There are four golf courses in Huizhou, namely, Huizhou Golf Course, Huizhou Tangquan Golf Course, Mt Luofu Wonderland Golf Course, and Palm Island Golf Course.
-Situated by Guangzhou-Shantou Highway, Huidong Section, Huizhou Golf Course covers a filed of over 130 hectares, a course of 7,020 yards, and 18 holes.
-Huizhou Tangquan Golf Course sits opposite of the scenic Tangquan Hot Spring Resort. Besides a standard course with 27 holes, Tangquan Golf Course is also equipped with hot spring baths and a hotel with independent houses.
-Mt Luofu Wonderland Golf Course is on Mount Luofu, with a perfect combination of natural beauty and cultural heritage and a star hotel.
-Palm Island Golf Course, located in Huiyang District, has a standard 27-hole course, a hotel, and all necessary recreational facilities.
With four golf courses, golfers will not be lonely in Huizhou.

Pinghai Castle

Built in the 18th year of Emperor Hongwu of Ming Dynasty (1385), Pinghai Castle has long been celebrated as a "living fossil" of Lingnan culture. Some 53 kilometers southeast of Huidong County, Pinghai Castle commands a strategic position against invasion from the sea. In early Ming Dynasty, pirates posed a severe threat to this area. So a castle was built here to defend the local community. As the castle was built in the shape of a bell, Pinghai got the nickname of Bell Castle.

After 600 years, Pinghai Castle still preserves its four gates, a considerable portion of walls, the main street, houses, temples, and other cultural relics as they were. And many rich folk traditions are kept alive.

Residents here speak a unique dialect called "Junsheng" (the tone of the army), which is based on Beijing tone and integrated the dialects of Cantonese, Hakka, and Chaoshan. Junsheng speakers can understand all the above-mentioned dialects. So there goes a saying "If you can speak the dialect of Pinghai, you can go anywhere in China."

(Source: Huizhou OCAO)

Editor: Catherine