The Zhiqing Forest features the fir and pine trees planted by Zhiqing (the educated urban youth) who moved into the Herb Ranch of Mount Qiyao in 1966. It is not only a place with good vegetation, fresh air and beautiful environment, but also a place reflects the original aspiration, self-confidence, spirit and elegance of these urban youth back then, and evokes our thoughts on that part of the history and life, as well as our reverence and gratitude to nature.
This relatively well-preserved two-story brick house was the dormitory for girls at the Herb Ranch of Mount Qiyao back then, and is still called the Old House of Zhiqing (educated urban youth). The three rooms at the first floor have been used as the showroom, presenting the works and life of Zhiqing across China during that special era, which is still valuable for us to remember and reflect.
The Path was originally blazed by Zhiqing (the educated urban youth) back in those times and served as the only way to reach and leave the Herb Ranch every day. On this trail we can often see small animals and rare birds looking for food, wild herbs growing in all seasons, various mushrooms and rare species of orchids and cuckoos. There is no reason not to enjoy such a rare natural treasure.
This is the only spring which originates from the top of the mountain with Karst landscape and flows uninterruptedly for years, making it a wonder. The spring incorporates two different outflows coming out of clint and then merging into one stream. It is said to be the tears of the two dragons that were trapped in the Mount Qiyao after being pinned down by the Mount Twin Dragon, and is commonly known as the Double Dragon Spring.
It is the best place to watch the sea of clouds at the Grassland, which is thus commonly called Sea Watching Gate. Here we can watch a thousand different cloud scenes during the morning and evening hours, making it a rare spot to enjoy the climate landscape.
This vibrant fir forest is the iconic landscape of the Qishan Grassland. It was planted by Zhiqing (the educated urban youth) themselves half a century ago to express their original aspiration and passion of “always embracing the Party with a red heart”, so people call it the Red Heart Forest. In this Forest, there are joyful birdsong, cool breeze, green shade, tranquil environment and fresh air.
This large clints was formed about 230 to 270 million years ago and is an iconic geological relic of the Qishan Grassland, which forms the geological relics group of the Grassland with its surrounding small clints, funnels, shafts, water caves and fracture ditches etc. These clints resemble a pack of wild boars running wild, gathering here and jumping around, so people have given this landscape a very imaginative name of Restless Golden Boars Clints.
The Qishan (Mount Qishan) is originally named as Double Dragon. According to legend, the two buns in the front is the head of the two dragons, which raise their heads and overlook the sea in the distance and extend their bodies along the both sides of highway to the front of the Longgang. A beautiful legend gives these two hills a magical color, which is also a good place to watch the clouds.
This hill in front of you is shaped like a turtle’s head. According to legend, it was a dragon turtle that followed the twin dragons around in the early years. It just stretched out its head and then was pinned down by the mountain, and thus it could only, like the twin dragons, look at the sea in a distance and sigh for its powerlessness. At the top of the hill, we can see the Human Head Stone from afar, watch the clouds roll in and out and see the green hills up close; or join hands and whisper with our loved ones.
On the top of this mountain, there are three pillars built with rock piles, which represent the heaven, the earth and the human and serve as a particular place for the local Tujia people to worship the heaven, the earth, the nature and their ancestors during the new year’s days and other festivals and thus are called the Mountain of Sacrifice. Although the three pillars collapsed few years ago, people still hold rituals here.
It is the best place on the Grassland to oversee the scenery, thus people call it the Viewing Platform. With the Human Head Stone clearly visible from afar, majestic windmills on the left, the Mount Twin Dragon on the right and the grassland, the campground, the Red Heart Forest, the Twin Dragon Head and the Probing Dragon Turtle Hill, this is indeed such a wonderful place full of eye-catching views.
In early 1966, the People’s Committee of Yunyang County built the Youth Herb Ranch in Mount Qiyao, which was the first of its kind built by Zhiqing (the educated urban youth).