National Parks of ChinaOverview
| Designation | National Park of China (first batch) |
| Province | Guangdong |
| Location | Zhaoqing, Guangdong |
| Latitude, longitude | 23.1, 112.5 Google Maps |
| Highlights | An oasis on the Tropic of Cancer |
| Top sights | Seven Star Crags |
| Wildlife | Silver pheasant |
| Highest point | 1,000 m |
| Nearby cities | Guangdong, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Macau & Taiwan, Shenzhen, Macao |
| Nearby sites | Mount Xiqiao, Mount Luofu, Mount Baiyun, Guangzhou, Kaiping Diaolou and Villages, The Historic Centre of Macao, Mount Wutong |
| Themes | Mountains, Lakes, Plants, Birds, Forests, Karst, Caves, Temples, Inscriptions, Stamps |
About
The Star Lake scenic area at Zhaoqing, Guangdong, comprises the Seven Star Crags and Mount Dinghu, a rare oasis on the Tropic of Cancer, “the emerald on the belt of returning deserts”.
Seven Star Crags
The Seven Star Crags north of the city are seven limestone peaks standing by the water like the Plough: from east to west Langfeng, Yuping, Shishi, Tianzhu, Chanchu, Xianzhang and Apo, Shishi the most remarkable. The lakes cover over 7,000 mu with more than 20 km of willow dykes.
Shishi Crag has four caves, Nuanyan, Longyan, Lianhua and Bixia, with stalactites, columns, curtains and an underground river; over a thousand years scholars have carved more than 300 inscriptions on its walls.
The Shuiyue Palace at the southern foot of Shishi, built in the Ming, covers 6,000 m² with 2,500 m² of buildings: main hall, east and west wings and rear hall.
Mount Dinghu
Mount Dinghu, about 15 km north-east of Zhaoqing and about 1,000 m high, heads the four famous mountains of Lingnan. 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 Feishuitan, about 40 m, lies halfway up the south slope north-east of and below the temple.
The Lesser Three Gorges of Zhaoqing
The Lesser Three Gorges of the West River near Zhaoqing are the Lingyang, Sanrong and Dading gorges; Lingyang is 13 li long between peaks of over 800 m, with the Longhua and Xiashan temples facing each other across its mouth, the Hanbi Garden and the Guiyuan hermitage. See also Lesser Three Gorges and Antelope Canyon, Utah.
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.
The 14th stamp of the 1981 definitive set R21 “Scenery of the Motherland” shows the Seven Star Crags.
