Wangxianda Canyon

Wangxian Grand Canyon Attraction is located in Wangxian Village, Lishan Town, Yuanqu County, Shanxi Province, 28 kilometers away from the Yuanqu West Exit of S88 Wenyuan Expressway. There is a specially built tourist road to reach it, and the transportation is very convenient. The Attraction has the famous Santan Waterfall, the vast Houhe Reservoir, the deep and steep natural stone gorge, and the ancient legend of King Yao visiting the wise. It can be said that it has beautiful natural scenery and rich cultural resources.

The overall positioning of Wangxian Attraction is characterized by natural landscapes, Yao and Shun culture as the theme, and leisure and vacation as the main function. The Taojin River upstream of the Attraction has formed a two-kilometer-long natural stone gorge after tens of millions of years of erosion, with more than ten waterfalls and pools of different sizes, depths and shapes. There is a pool every three steps and a waterfall every five steps. There are waterfalls connected to pools, pools connected to waterfalls, pools within pools, and waterfalls under waterfalls. In particular, the scenery of the Santan Waterfall Group is unique. The Black Dragon Pool Waterfall in the Attraction has a drop of 90 meters. Standing on the viewing platform at the bottom of the valley, the waterfall is accompanied by thunderous water sounds, like a dragon entering the sea and plunging into a deep pool, which is shocking. The Houhe Reservoir Scenic Area is closely connected with the Santan Waterfall. The Houhe Reservoir is a compensation project for the Xiaolangdi Reservoir of the Yellow River. The 70-meter-long dam has formed a lake of more than 600 acres between the mountains. Climbing to the top of the dam, looking north at the rippling reservoir, it is like going to the water town in the south of the Yangtze River; looking south at the Wangxian Mountains, it seems like being in a fairyland.

Wangxian Attraction Area has rich animal and plant resources. According to statistics, there are more than 2,000 species of plants in the forests of Wangxian. The state has determined that Shanxi Province should protect 11 rare plants, and 9 of them are here. There are not only numerous wild plants, such as wild oil plants, wild starch plants, wild rubber plants, etc., but also large areas of lianxiang trees that have been extinct in most parts of North China and Central Plains; there are not only tree species such as red toon, red bean fir, bald mountain white, cow skin acid, and celtis sinensis, but also more than 200 rare plants that experts have not yet systematically studied. There are nearly 400 species of animals in the territory, and more than 200 species of birds such as Zhonggu and Hanhao, as well as a large number of important national protected animals such as Zhongmao.

Wangxian Scenic Attraction also has rich cultural resources. The ancient legend of King Yao visiting the wise took place here. It is said that King Yao, one of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, was of high moral character, diligent in government and loved the people. When he was 70 years old, he felt that he was old, so he asked around for wise and capable people with both moral integrity and talent. The immortals told him: "If you want to visit the wise, go to Lishan. If you want to cure your illness, find Shunjing." King Yao and his entourage entered Genfang (Yuanqu) from Shimen, walked along the rugged mountain road, and arrived at Wangxian Village. When they heard that King Yao was looking for Yu Shun, the locals pointed to the mountains in the northeast and said: "The higher mountaintop Daping, Shun is farming there." King Yao stood on a big stone and looked at the wise man at Lishan Daping. Therefore, the people here later revered the wise man as an immortal. Therefore, this big stone is called Wangxian Stone, and this village is called Wangxian. A Dexiao Cultural Square has been built in the Attraction to promote the Dexiao culture of Emperor Shun and publicize the stories of Yao and Shun, providing rare cultural relics and historical and geographical environment for the study of Yao and Shun culture.