Notes on Shilangan
Driving through Huayuan and Jiwei, the scenery along the way was picturesque, but the landscape seemed to have nothing particularly unique. When we reached Paiwu Township, my eyes suddenly lit up—I discovered a stone forest hundreds of mu in size, as if it had fallen from the sky, standing abruptly beside the stream in the valley below the road. The stone forest appeared dark brown, with rather bizarre shapes. In the middle, a stone tower stood tall like a heavenly ladder, while the surrounding strange rocks resembled animals such as camels. A mountain stream flowed past the stone forest, its water clear and…
Driving through Huayuan and Jiwei, the scenery along the way was picturesque, but the landscape seemed to have nothing particularly unique. When we reached Paiwu Township, my eyes suddenly lit up—I discovered a stone forest hundreds of mu in size, as if it had fallen from the sky, standing abruptly beside the stream in the valley below the road.
The stone forest appeared dark brown, with rather bizarre shapes. In the middle, a stone tower stood tall like a heavenly ladder, while the surrounding strange rocks resembled animals such as camels. A mountain stream flowed past the stone forest, its water clear and gurgling. In several terraced fields beside the stream, dozens of stone pillars stood erect, their reflections appearing in the water, looking quite like a Penglai fairyland.
The taxi driver stopped the car, and I, along with photographer Luo Zhaoyong, lingered in this stone forest for over an hour, using up several rolls of film before leaving. The locals said this stone forest is called Shilangan (Stone Railing), named for its railing-like shape. On closer observation, describing its shape as a railing is not quite accurate; it would be more apt to say it resembles a large stone bonsai. If this bonsai were located near a city, I believe visitors would flock to it in an endless stream. Unfortunately, it now stands in the remote Paiwu Township, with few tourists each day, appearing somewhat lonely and desolate. Of course, although this stone forest bonsai is in a remote area, its natural, unadorned, and simple beauty cannot be concealed. Thinking further of the stone pillars in Yunnan and the stone rocks of Mount Wuyi, compared with the strange stone landscapes of those places, this Shilangan is by no means inferior. Perhaps one day, a visionary businessman will come here to invest and develop it into a tourist area, and then Shilangan will become a new highlight attracting visitors.