Taining Global Geopark

Taining Global Geopark lies in Taining County at the foot of the southeast side of the Wuyi Mountains. Found with large areas of red coarse-grained terrestrial elastic sedimentary rock formed in the late Cretaceous period around 65 million years ago, the park is a large geo-park of Danxia landform distinguishing itself among over 650 such landforms in the world for its full development and diversities, as well as its unique landscape and various historic and cultural sights. Here in the geo-park, rivers, valleys, caves, mountains, as well as granite rocks are set in perfect harmony with lakes, forests, temples and ancient relics, making it an ideal place for geological research, sightseeing, and vacationing. It covers an area of 492 sq km, including a 215.2-square-kilometer basin of elastic sedimentary rock formed in the Cretaceous period, the largest one along China’s southeast coast. The park consists of five parts, the Shiwang Valley, the Golden Lake, the Eight-fairy Cliff, the Jin'rao Mountain and Taining Ancient Town. Professor Zhao Xun with the Ministry of Land and Resources, who shows a keen interest in the park, once proclaimed by writing a rhyming couplet that Taining geopark is his favorite among all the 650 such landforms worldwide. 

The Danxia landform is part of the geological fault zone along Fujian's Shaowu to Guangdong's Heyuan. The Jinlong Valley is a highlight in this zone. It was formed as an early stage of the Danxia landform in the late Cretaceous period. Influenced by the rock nature around the basin, most of the gravel here belongs to metamorphic rock, and is easy to deposit as a result of river alleviation to form alluvial fans. 

Over millions of years, nature has endowed the park with unique Danxia landform, featuring the Danxia caves, gorges, rivers and mountains. As an old saying goes, "Man is conditioned by the natural environment he lives in." The Danxia landform here has integrated with the Chinese culture such as Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism, folk housing and funeral customs to form a unique Danxia Cave Culture, Scholar Culture, Cave Dwelling Culture, and Cave Funeral Culture. So, while enjoying the scenery of Danxia landform, you can also experience the unique Cave Culture here. 

 

Wanshouyan, a Site of the Paleolithic Age 

Wanshouyan, a small and isolated hill, is located in Yanqian basin, about 30 km. northwest to downtown Sanming City. It is inside this limestone hill that more than 20 caves were developed and at least two(Chuanfan Cave and Lingfeng Cave) of them have been identified as archeological remains of the Paleolithic Age. 

The Chuanfan Cave sits at the foot of the western slope of Wanshouyan. Facing the west, the entrance is about 14 m wide and 4-5 m high. Two different cultural development periods were identified on the ground and underground. There used to be stalactites hanging upside down at the entrance, with stalagmite lining up closely, resembling Chuanfan, sails of a ship. Hence, the name Chuanfan Cave. Now, the stalactites have collapsed into a pile of huge rocks blocking the entrance of the cave, which is like a large hall with roughly 30 m long and wide. On the cliff wall near the entrance, stone carvings are almost visible. Further inside, the stalactites are buried half under the sand. A pebble floor was discovered underground with currently 120 sq m excavated. Also unearthed are more than 300 stone artifacts, including pebbles of blue-and-white porcelain bowls and plates, and the blue bricks in the Ming and Qing dynasties(1368-1911), and pieces of blue and white vitreous enamel in the Song and Yuan dynasties(960-1368). The ruins of Chunhua Temple in the Song Dynasty(960-1279), the blue brick floor and drainage ditches were also discovered, with over 100 pieces of fossils of animals like deer, brown bear, rhesus monkey, boar and Chinese rhinoceros． 

Lingfeng Cave is to the south of Chuanfan Cave, connected by dozens of stone steps. It is located on the southwestern cliff of Wanshouyan. Its entrance is 37 m hign above the ground. On the left of the entrance stands the Sumeru throne, a relic of the Song Dynasty; on the right is the deposition layer of calcium glued boards containing abundant cultural relics. About 300 stone tools were dug out from the 13-square-meter calcium glued layer and the land reclaimed during the Song Dynasty. Like those in the Chuanfan Cave, the stone for these tools came from the Yutang Stream in the front of the caves downhill. They are mainly choppers, scrapers and stone hammers and anvils, identified to date back to 180,000 to 200,000 years ago. Two west-east cracks on the ground run through the cave in parallel, forming smaller caves by its two sides, through which you can reach Longjin Cave nearby and then Chuanfan Cave. 

 

Taoyuan Cave, a State Geo-Park 

Taoyuan Cave, a tourist destination, is located by National Highway 205, 9 km. away from the north of downtown Yong'an City. This scenic district is famous for its karst landform, covering an area of 28.75 sq. km. It mainly consists of Taoyuan Cave, Baizhang Cliff, Slender Bamboo Bay, Ge-li Valley and Peach Blossoms Pool.  

The Cave was developed in the Song Dynasty, popular in the Ming Dynasty, but badly damaged in the early Qing Dynasty. In 1979, Sanming Municipal Government began to renovate it. The most distinguished spot is "the Skyline", which is a crack 120 m long and 90 m high, rated as “No. 1 in China”. Mr. Xu Xiake, a famous traveler in the Ming Dynasty, once visited this place, and characterized it as being “large, towering, long and complete." 

Ge-li Valley, opposite to Taoyuan Cave, is a newly developed tourist spot. It is divided into two sections. The front section is Slender Bamboo Bay, where a bamboo forest creates such a tranquil and picturesque environment that it has urged numerous scholars and artists to express their feelings with peoms and paintings, leaving many stone inscriptions on the cliff. The rear section is the Valley where you can enjoy marvellous hill-scape, broad-leaved evergreen trees, shrubs, herbs, coniferous trees, and primitive biologial chains. The most stunning views in this scenic district are the 400-odd-meter-long Danxia Rock Wall, or Walking Horse Rock, the 320-meter-long Valley and the Horse Back Peak which is over 450 m above sea level.  

 

Yuhua Cave 

Yuhua Cave, a national scenic spot, is located to the south of Jiangle County, with a land area of 43 sq. km. Well-known since the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty about 1,700 years ago, it is the largest, longest and most magnificent limestone cave in Fujian Province, renowned as "the No. 1 Cave in Fujian" and "One of the Top Four Caves in China". In 1986, the local government made renovation on the cave and, since then, has been trying to improve its facilities and infrastructure. 

The tourist area is expanded as new scenic spots, such as Yanzai Cave Museum, Animal Specimen Museum, Baohua Cave and Tianjie Mountain, are developed and open to tourists. The whole scenic district features wonders of limestone caves, integrating natural beauty with cultural interests, and serves for science education as well. It consists of six sections: Yuhua Cave, Guishan Spot, Caoxi Spot, the Lake Area, Yinhua Cave and Moyuan Folk Charm Area. Yuhua Cave is five km. long, divided into six branch caves, with three streams and 169 scenic spots. A breathtaking view of stalactites and stalagmites in various shapes in the cave will surely give you an unforgettable experience. 

 

Yong'an Forestry （Group） Joint-Stock Co., Ltd. 

Founded in January 1994 and listed in Shenzhen Stock Exchange in December 1996, Yong'an Forestry （Group）Joint-Stock Co., Ltd. is the first listed forest-based products supplier in China. It boasts 2,938 employees, of which 563 are experts or technicians, accounting for 19.2% of the total. Its assets aggregate to RMB 949 million, with 93,800 hectares of commercial timberland and a reserve of 8.7 million cubic meters.  

Since its incorporation, the company has been trying to improve its innovation system based on a technology center, build an efficient operation mechanism, give priority to sharpen its core competitiveness in artificial board production and further processing. It has adopted a business model that combines forest growing with industrial and commercial operation, and that integrates production with learning and research, enhancing profitability and adaptability. Through assets restructuring moves like acquisitions, mergers, re-investment and shares expansion, the business scale of the company has been growing continuously, and the economic returns on the rise. It has been ranked No. 1 for several years in a row among all its Chinese counterparts in terms of economic returns, and become one of the 36 key enterprises in Fujian Province.  

 

Jinsha Industrial Park 

Located on the north of downtown Shaxian County, Jinsha Industrial Park---the Sanming Hi-tech Development Zone, is one of the five provincial hi-tech parks in Fujian, and a key project jointly undertaken by Sanming City and Shaxian County. The park enjoys very convenient transport with easy access to Yingtan-Xiamen Railway, National Highway 205, Beijing-Fuzhou Expressway, Sanming-Quanzhou Expressway, Sanming-Longyan Expressway and Nanping-Quanzhou Expressway. 

With a total investment of 2 billion RMB, the planned area of the Park is 18 sq. km., and will be built in phases. Divided into two sections by Beijing-Fuzhou Expressway, the northern section of 12 sq. km. will be the hi-tech zone for businesses in electro optical/electro mechanical products and new materials making, biological engineering and food processing. The southern section of 6 sq. km., connected to the downtown Shaxian County, will be for administrative and residential purposes. 

At present, about 70 industrial enterprises have made presence here, including Sanming Heavy Machinery Co., Ltd. of Xiagong Group, Sanming Manufacturing Co., Ltd. of Qiqiha’er Second Machine Tool Group, Daya Timber (Fujian) Co., Ltd., Sanhe Food (Sanming) Co., Ltd., and Sanming Yilisenda Electric Co., Ltd.  The park adopts a market-based operational model and provides adequate infrastructure, including roads, water and power supplies, postal and telecommunication services, water and sewage drainage systems, etc. Above all, tax incentives and other preferential treatments are available. Quality service is also provided. Investors have access to one-stop service and all-included service to set up a business. But premium will be placed on attracting electronics, telecommunication, biological engineering and other hi-tech industries. 

 

Sanming Jiansheng Food Co., Ltd. 

Founded in July 2000, with a registered capital of RMB 10.6 million, Sanming Jiansheng Food Co., Ltd. has 13 stockholding enterprises or business entities and is moving ahead to become a group corporation. It occupies an area of about seven hectares and has over 20,000 sq. m of standardized factories. Among its staff, 7 are technicians with qualifications of middle and above levels, and there are 35 managerial personnel, 26 marketing personnel and over 300 well-educated employees. 

The company specializes in the further processing of bamboo shoots, and the cultivating, processing and sales of edible mushrooms. Its product range includes water boiled bamboo shoots, deep processed edible mushrooms, instant vegetables and preserved vegetables. Eighty percent of its boiled bamboo shoots are exported to Europe, USA and Japan, and an excellent sales network has also been set up domestically. 

 

Sanhe (Sanming) Food Co., Ltd. 

Sanhe (Sanming) Food Co., Ltd., located in Jinsha Industrial Park---Sanming Hi-tech Industrial Development Zone, was founded in July 2002 with a registered capital of RMB 50 million. It occupies an area of nine hectares, owns a total asset of RMB 190 million, and has over 500 employees. In 2004, it became a national leading enterprise in China’s agricultural industrialization drive. 

As the largest water boiled bamboo shoots exporter in China, it dedicates itself to R&D and production of boiled bamboo shoots, vaccum soft packaged or frozen. It possesses a bamboo shoots base of about 133,000 hectares, with an annual output of 100,000 tons. More than 95% of the products are exported to Japan. It has passed ISO9001 and the HACCP food health and safety control accreditation. Other titles it has earned include “Sanming Model Forestry-based Enterprise”, “Key and Rising Enterprise of Sanming” and “Leading Agricultural Enterprise of Fujian Province”.