Meeting Guiyang with Qingyan and Qianling Park

Guiyang is situated in the central part of Guizhou on the Nanming River, a headstream of the Wu River, which eventually joins the Yangtze River (Chang Jiang) at Fuling in Chongqing municipality. Guiyang is a natural route centre, with comparatively easy access northward to both Chongqing and Sichuan province and northeast to Hunan province. The city is the cultural centre of Guizhou province and has a number of colleges and universities. Guiyang is a marvelous tourist site with beautiful scenery. Contributed by its pleasant climate, Guiyang is reputed to be "the Capital of Summer Resorts in China”. Apart from the world-famous Huangguoshu Waterfall and Qianling Mountain, renowned for being “the First Mountain in Southern Guizhou”, scenic spots such as Jiaxiu Pavilion, Tianhetan and Nanjiang Grand Canyon etc. are also as attractive as a gleaming gem. Hundreds of thousands of tourists are captivated by the climatically comfortable environment, splendid natural scenery and colourful minority cultures here.

Situated on Qianling Hill 1.5 kilometers (0.9 miles) from the center of Guiyang City, Qianling Hill Park covers an area of 426 hectares (1,052.7 acres). First built in 1957, it is a uniquely large park in the city proper and a 4A National Tourist Attraction. The name was derived from the Qianling Mountain that lies in the park, which is the most famous mountain in southern Guizhou. As one of the noted gardens on the Guizhou plateau, it boasts clear waters, green mountains, tranquil forests and old temples. There are eight predominant scenic locations: Sanlingwan, Macaque Garden, Hongfu Temple, Kylin Cave, the Zoo, Qianling Lake, Two-Dam Wind-Rain Bridge, and the Winding Mountain Path.

Qingyan Ancient Town, one of the most famous historical and cultural towns in Guizhou Province, lies in the southern suburb of Guiyang. As an ancient town, covering an area of 300 hectares (740 acres), Qingyan Town was originally built in 1378. Nowadays, because of its long history and strong cultural atmosphere, the town has become an attractive destination for numerous domestic and foreign tourists. Dating back to the beginning of the Ming Dynasty (1368--1644), Qingyan town was built for military reasons. Because of its geographical location, Zhu Yuanzhang, the first emperor of Ming Dynasty, established it as a station for transferring military messages and to house a standing army. Through years of modification and repeated restoration, Qingyan Ancient Town has gradually become a distinctive ancient town with cultural features of Ming and Qing Dynasties (1644 - 1911).