The Flower and Fruit Mountain National Forest Park [Luoyang]

The Flower and Fruit Mountain National Forest Park (Hua Guo Shan) is situated in the Yiyang County which is 89 kilometers away to the west of Luoyang City. With an acreage of 180 square kilometers (about 69 square miles), it spans over 108 hills, and the main peak is 1831.8 meters (about 6010 feet) above the sea level. 87.4% of the mountain is covered by forests, resulting in abundant attractive sceneries. The Flower and Fruit Mountain was originally named Daughter Mountain or Stone Rooster Mountain. Since early Jin Dynasty (256-420), it has been a popular tourist attraction in China. In ancient times, it has enjoyed the reputation of one of the Seventy-two Blissful Lands (being the residence of Taoist immortals) such as Mt. Lushan and Mt. Wudangshan.

According to the various different themes of the sceneries, this park could be mainly divided into five sections. In the east area of the park, here lies the Summit Yue beauty spot. This area covers about 2163.7 hectares (about 5346.6 acres). With the characteristics of charm and sequester, the area boasts natural views of sunrise, snow scenery on Summit Yue, the tranquil forest scenery and the various remarkable rocks.

The mid part of this park, with an area of 810.6 hectares (about 2003 acres), portrays an image of odd, artful and cunning. Taking the prosperous Huashan Temple (Flower Mountain Temple) as the center, one can find some remarkable rocks that resemble figures of priest Xuanzang and Monkey King, personified in the famous Chinese story Journey to the West.

Covering about 938.1 hectares (about 2318 acres), the west part of this park is an area full of diverse waterfalls and pools. Some are narrow but nevertheless torrential, such as the Jiuqu Waterfall, while some are huge and powerful like Shuangdie Waterfall (Double Waterfall).In the southwest area of the park, there is a rare animal and plants reserve. The dense virgin forests here provide those animals a perfect living environment.

As the name Flower and Fruit Mountain implies, the park is a fascinating place full of beautiful flowers and fruits. In the spring, the gorgeous colorful flowers all over the mountains display a prosperous sight. When the golden autumn comes, the branches of the fruit trees are bended by the countless fruitages. The mountain would then dip in a harvest scene.