National Parks of ChinaOverview
| Designation | National Park of China (fourth batch) |
| Province | Sichuan |
| Location | Xingwen County, Yibin, Sichuan |
| Latitude, longitude | 28.3, 105.1 Google Maps |
| Area | 121 km² |
| Nearby cities | Sichuan, Chongqing, Guiyang |
| Nearby sites | Shunan Bamboo Sea, Mount Emei and the Leshan Giant Buddha, Chishui, Dazu Rock Carvings, Jiudongtian (Nine Skylights) |
| Themes | Caves, Karst, Rock formations, Culture & history |
About
The Shihai Dongxiang scenic area in Xingwen County, Yibin, Sichuan, covers 121 km² with a 14 km² core, a large karst landscape. Its three wonders are a giant sinkhole, the great Tianquan Cave and the “stone sea” on the surface.
Xingwen is the largest Miao settlement in Sichuan and the place where the ancient Bo people were finally wiped out by imperial troops in the Wanli reign of the Ming; it is rich in Bo and Miao culture.
The three wonders
Tianquan Cave, the main cave, has been explored for 10 km on four levels; the open part of the main cave is about 3 km long and over 80,000 m², seven great halls with stone flowers, stalagmites, columns, curtains, stalactites, waterfalls and terraces. Its first two levels are about 4.5 km long and 68,000 m² with a height difference of 138 m and an underground river.
The stone sea is about 10 km east to west and 4 km north to south, a forest of stone peaks: the Husband and Wife, the Seven Maidens, the White Dragon Horse and the Beauty Stone.
The great sinkhole is 650 m by 490 m and 208 m deep.
Travel information
Admission 90 yuan. The area is 20 km (20 minutes) from the Xingwen county seat, 130 km (about 2 hours) from Yibin and Luzhou and about 5 hours from Chengdu and Chongqing.
Food
Local specialities: black-bone chicken with bitter bamboo shoots or chestnuts, black-bone chicken bean curd, stewed goral, zhu’erba and ya’erba rice cakes and buckwheat cakes.