Wulingyuan

For other uses, see Wulingyuan District.

Wulingyuan

UNESCO World Heritage Site
The sandstone pillars of Wulingyuan extend hundreds of meters over the valley floor
Official name	Wulingyuan Scenic and Historic Interest Area
Location	Wulingyuan District, Zhangjiajie, Hunan, China
Criteria	Natural: (vii)
Reference	640
Inscription	1992 (16th Session)
Area	26,400 ha (102 sq mi)
Coordinates	29°20′N 110°30′E
Location of Wulingyuan in Hunan Wulingyuan (China)

Wulingyuan
"Wulingyuan" in Chinese characters
Chinese	武陵源
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Wǔlíngyuán IPA [ù.lǐŋ.ɥɛ̌n] Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization Móuh-lìhng-yùhn Jyutping Mou5-ling4-jyun Southern Min Tâi-lô Bú-lîng-guân

Wulingyuan ([ù.lǐŋ.ɥɛ̌n]; Chinese: 武陵源) is a scenic and historical site in the Wulingyuan District of south-central China's Hunan Province. It was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1992. It is noted for more than 3,000 quartzite sandstone pillars and peaks across most of the site, many over 200 metres (660 ft) in height, along with many ravines and gorges with attractive streams, pools, lakes, rivers and waterfalls. It features 40 caves, many with large calcite deposits, and two natural bridges, Xianrenqiao (Bridge of the Immortals) and Tianqiashengkong (Bridge Across the Sky).

The site is situated between 29°16′0″N 110°22′0″E and 29°24′0″N 110°41′0″E in the Zhangjiajie City and lies about 270 kilometres (170 mi) to the northwest of Changsha, the capital of Hunan Province. The park covers an area of 690 square kilometers (266 square miles). Wulingyuan forms part of the Wuling Mountain Range. The scenic area consists of four national parks, which are the Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, Suoxi Valley Nature Reserve, Tianzi Mountain Nature Reserve and the recently added Yangjiajie Scenic Area. Overall there are over 560 attraction sights to view.

Panorama of the Five Fingers Peak of Huangshizhai

Zhangjiajie River

External links

• China’s Ancient Skyline