You Won’ t Touch the Wonderland Until You Arrive in Enshi

Mo Tingting

A mysterious valley with mesmerizing and transparent green waters lies in somewhere in China. You will find soaring mountains， roaring waterfalls， deep canyons， and meandering subterranean rivers there. Rated as “the most beautiful wonderland in China” by CNN， and listed in the world heritage list by UNESCO， Enshi in Hubei Province boasts many unexplored secrets. It is also an excellent summer resort best suited for travel plans between April and August， as temperatures remain cool in its hottest days of summer. If youre in need of a getaway surrounded by mountains and clear waters to retreat and unwind， Enshi is a perfect place.

A secret wonderland at 30 degrees north latitude

The 30 degrees north latitude passes through countless wonders， such as the Qiantang River famous for its tidal bore in China， the Hanging Garden of Babylon， the Dead Sea bordered by Jordan to the east， Bermuda in the North Atlantic Ocean， the ancient Maya civilization， to name just a few. When this imaginary line passes through Hubei， China， another wonderland emerges. Going deep into Enshi carefully and you will find that it is not like a human world but a green oasis full of undiscovered wonders. A trip to Enshi can be a real eye-opener.

Enshi Grand Canyon proudly displays its peaks and valleys. You will be in awe as you gaze out toward the mystical land. As far as spectacularity is concerned， this one is as marvelous as the Colorado Grand Canyon of America. However， it is matchless in terms of beauty. Nature conveys the mountain into incomparable and breathtaking pictures with its extraordinary creations. The mountaintops are high above the skyline and the waterfalls that tumble to the canyon floor below， feeding the underground rivers that flow through virgin forests and ancient villages. A plank road is built along the face of a cliff at Enshi Grand Canyon. The puffy clouds seem close enough for you to touch and the precipices are like giant stalagmite stone fingers reaching toward the heaven.

Enshi Grand Canyon is famous for Yunlong Ground Fissure， the cliffs on two sides of which are formed in two different periods. Originally， Yunlong Ground Fissure was an underground river flowing under the ground for 20 million to 30 million years. Later， because of the erosion of flowing water underground， the top of Yunlong Underground River collapsed， which finally formed today's Yunlong Ground Fissure.

A lot of people know Enshi for the first time， perhaps because of Pingshan Canyon. A visit to Pingshan is indeed a worthwhile journey. Due to the inconvenience of transportation， this mysterious area is better protected， and its ecological environment is mind-blowing. The water area here is called “Glass Sea” because it is so pure that it looks transparent like a jasper jade or a mirror！ On the river， there will be the illusion of floating， just like coming to a mysterious and quiet paradise！ Thus it is once known as Chinas “Semporna”. Above the canoeing river， the birds are singing on woods and in forests. Visitors can really experience the beautiful scenery of Xanadu， which is a natural oxygen bar for recreation and health preservation. The photos of this place were forwarded on microblog more than 9，000 times. Many netizens commented that this is a place that everyone should visit at least once in their lives.

Landscape that rivals karsts in southern China

Guilins landscape is the best in the world， while Enshis cave and stone forests are the best in the world.

According to the on-site investigation by experts from home and abroad， Tenglong Cave in Enshi was praised as the largest karst cave in China. Tenglong Cave is a cave group， 6 kilometers from downtown Lichuan， Enshi， with the Dry Cave and Water Cave as its main scenes. In October 2005， it was awarded by China National Geographic as “the most beautiful place in China”.

Shuibuya Stone Forest is also worth seeing. Its limestone sediments formed more than 460 million years ago， were corded by water， and gradually developed into different layers with horizontal textures. The scenic areas shape is like a huge gourd， surrounded by green screens and peaks. And this is what distinguishes itself from the other karst formations in southwest China.

There was an interesting legend about how the place got its name. Legend goes that in ancient times， the King of Xiang united five different tribes of Ba people and became their captain. One day he came across a place with three strategically significant mountain passing in a row. So the captain named this place “Suobuya”， because in Ba language， “suobu” means “three” and “ya” means “mountain pass”.

There are no harsh freezes in winter or intense heat in summer， making it a fine retreat. Suobuya stone forest is vastly dotted with flora and is rich in fauna. Since fossils were often found in those attractions， it is hailed as an amazing natural ancient geological landscape museum.

The enchanting natural scenery boasts over a hundred unique attractions， both large and small. You can also enjoy the natural spectacle of fireflies here. At present， there are four main scenic spots open to the public： Qinglong Temple， Lotus Village， Mozi Gully and Jiulong Bottom Land. Qinglong Temple was once destroyed by fire and it was rebuilt over a thousand years. Now Qinglong Temple is popularly worshiped by visitors. The stone forest in Lotus Village is densely distributed. The whole scenic area takes stone lotus as the theme. Mozi Gully is often described as the original place of Tujia people in China. The scene you cant miss in Jiulong Bottom Land is Jiulong Waterfall. If it rains， you are lucky！ You will be able to see the Jiulong Waterfall pouring down from the sky， just like a glass of champagne poured by heaven.

Of course， these are just the masterpieces of Enshi， and the beauty hidden in the secret wonderland is not limited to these spots. This requires you to explore one by one.