Park of China
Overview
| Designation | Part of the first-batch National Park of China Star Lake, Zhaoqing National nature reserve |
| Province | Guangdong |
| Location | Dinghu District, Zhaoqing, Guangdong |
| Latitude, longitude | 23.18, 112.58 Google Maps |
| Highlights | An oasis on the Tropic of Cancer; subtropical evergreen broadleaf forest |
| Top sights | Qingyun Temple, Feishui Pool waterfall |
| Wildlife | Silver pheasant, tree fern |
| Highest point | 1,000 m |
| Nearby cities | Zhaoqing, Guangzhou |
| Nearby sites | Star Lake, Zhaoqing 9km, Seven Star Crags 16km, Mount Xiqiao 48km, Kaiping Diaolou and Villages 111km, The Historic Centre of Macao 147km Search nearby |
| Themes | Mountain, Forest, Plant, Bird, Temple, Buddha, Waterfall, Stamp |
About
Mount Dinghu, about 15 km north-east of Zhaoqing, Guangdong, and about 1,000 m high, heads the four famous mountains of Lingnan. With the Seven Star Crags north of the city it forms the first-batch national scenic area Star Lake, Zhaoqing; a rare oasis on the Tropic of Cancer, it is called “the emerald on the belt of returning deserts”.
Mount Dinghu became China's first nature reserve in 1956, and in 1979 one of the first three Chinese reserves in UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere Programme.
Map
Travel tips
Getting there: high-speed trains from Guangzhou South reach Zhaoqing East in a little over half an hour. Mount Dinghu is north-east of central Zhaoqing, reached by bus or taxi.
Visiting: the path climbs along a stream valley, past Qingyun Temple, the Feishui Pool waterfall and the forest; it is mainly walked, and park shuttles also run.
Time: half a day to a day.
Season: autumn and winter are most comfortable; spring is damp and misty, summer hot and rainy.
Where to stay: in Zhaoqing city; a day trip from Guangzhou is also possible.
Caution: Mount Dinghu is a nature reserve, so keep to the marked routes; there are many mosquitoes.
Main sights
Its wild plants include relict species such as the tree fern and cycad and rare plants such as Gouzhi and holly.
Qingyun Temple halfway up the south slope covers 17,500 m²; its relics include the thousand-man wok, the great bronze bell, Buddhist relics, the Dragon Tripitaka, a stele of plum-blossom poems and a stone carving of plum blossom.
The Dragon Pool waterfall, also called Feishui Pool, about 40 m high, lies halfway up the south slope, below and north-east of the temple.
Stamps
In 1995 China Post issued “Mount Dinghu”, four stamps: oasis on the Tropic of Cancer, ravine rainforest, monsoon evergreen broadleaf forest and the silver pheasant.
More photos
Photo credits: Lake and forest in the Dinghushan Nature Reserve: Zhou Guanhuai (CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons); Feishui Pool: 星星 (CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons); Lake and pavilion bridge on Mount Dinghu: jiang-wen-jie (CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons); Waterfall on Mount Dinghu: jiang-wen-jie (CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons); Pool in the forest: jiang-wen-jie (CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons)
Nearby
| World Heritage | Kaiping Diaolou and Villages 111km, The Historic Centre of Macao 147km, Mount Danxia 235km, Guilin and the Li River 293km |
| National parks | Star Lake, Zhaoqing 9km, Mount Xiqiao 48km, Mount Baiyun, Guangzhou 73km, Mount Luofu 147km |
| Detailed guides | Seven Star Crags 16km |
| AAAAA attractions | Xinghu Lake Tourist Area 16km, Chimelong Tourist Resort 79km, Changlu Leisure Park 79km, Kaiping Diaolou Cultural Tourist Area 102km |
| AAAA attractions | Sihui Strange Stone River Scenic Area 22km, Sanshui Forest Park 29km, Yingxiang Eco Park 32km, Sanshui Lotus World 33km |
| Historic cities | Zhaoqing 18km, Foshan 58km, Guangzhou 72km |
| Cities | Guangzhou 64km |
| Historical sites | Qixingyan Cliff Inscriptions 16km, Former Headquarters of Ye Ting's Independent Regiment 19km, Zhaoqing Ancient City Wall 19km, Mei Convent 20km |
| National geoparks | Fengkai National Geopark 98km, Yangshan National Geopark 144km |
| Nature reserves | Encheng National Nature Reserve 114km |
| Historic towns | Xiqiao Town 49km |
| Historic villages | Songtang Village 39km, Shuidong Village 44km, Daqitou Village 46km |