Name in Chinese: 武隆 Wǔ Lóng [wu: lɔ:ŋ]
Location: Southeastern Chongqing, China, GMT+8
Population: 410,000 as a county, about 110,000 living in the town
Telephone Code: +8623
Keywords: South China Karst and the Fairy-Maiden Mountain
Wulong is a county in Southeastern Chongqing. Its county seat is called Wulong Town. The town is situated in a valley through which the Wujiang River flows. Wulong is famed for the absolutely unique landform which has been named “South China Karst” and added to the list of world natural heritage sites. The topography of Wulong is complex and diverse, featuring Karst caves, sinkholes, natural bridges, ground cracks, gorges, rocky pinnacles and high mountain pastures. The main attractions in Wulong County include the Fairy-Maiden Mountain, Tiansheng Three Bridges, Longshuixia Grand Crack and Furong Cave. The county is mainly inhabited by the Han. It is also the home to some ethnic minorities, such as the Tujia and the Miao. As one of the most popular holiday destinations in Chongqing, Wulong attracts tourists with its spectacular scenery and diverse cultures.
Attractions:
Tiansheng Three-Bridge Geo-park
Tiansheng Three-Bridge Geo-park is one of the world’s spectacular examples of Karst Landscape. The name of the geo-park means three natural bridges in English. The bridges straddle the Grand Wulong Sinkhole. As a unique geological wonder of the world, the grand sinkhole was added to the list of world natural heritage sites by UNESCO in 2007. It was used as one of the locations for the film Transformers 4 in 2013. The whole gorge is hidden by verdant forest. A stream flows through the gorge. Waterfalls cascade down the cliff. There is nothing more blissful than hiking in the lovely park.
Longshuixia Ground Crack
Longshuixia Ground Crack is a Karst landscape formed million years ago due to the orogeny. The crack is 5 kilometers(3 miles) in total length, and its depth ranges from 200 meters(656 feet) to 500 meters(1640 feet). It is highly praised for its large scale, magnificent sight, delicate beauty, unique landscape and quiet atmosphere. It is just like a beautiful Chinese traditional painting of which the contents are cliffs, gorges and streams.
The Fairy-Maiden Mountain
As one of the top ten attractions in Chongqing, the Fairy-maiden Mountain is widely known as the oriental Switzerland for its snow-capped virgin forest. The features of the mountain are the virgin forest and the pasture. The forest covers an area of 220 square kilometers(85 sq.mi) and the high mountain pasture is 67 square kilometers(26 sq.mi) in area.
Furong Cave
Furong Cave is the only Karst cave in China which has been listed as a world natural heritage site by UNESCO. It is known as one of the three largest caves in the world. The cave is about 2,700 meters(8,858 feet) in length. Inside the cave, both the width and the height range from 30 meters(98 feet) to 50 meters(164 feet).
Climate
Wulong has a humid subtropical climate. The four seasons are distinct from one another. The summit of Fairy-Maiden Mountain is 2,033 meters(6,670 feet) above sea level. The mountain is an ideal place for the tourists to escape from heat in summer, as well as a wonderful place for children to play in the snow in winter. The temperature in Wulong ranges from 7℃(44.6°F) to 14℃(57.2°F) in spring, 18℃(64.4°F) to 27℃(80.6°F) in summer, 23℃(73.4°F) to 33℃(91.4°F) in autumn and 11℃(51.8°F) to 17℃(62.6°F) in winter.
How to Get to Wulong
Wulong is located about 180 kilometers(112 miles) to the southeast of downtown Chongqing. It takes about two and a half hours to drive from Chongqing to Wulong.
Author: Tina Luo
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