Scenic Spots and Historic Sites of Yuanyangxi

( chinadaily.com.cn )

Updated: 2011-04-18

The mandarin duck is the national second-rated protected bird, a popular ornamental water bird. Yuanyangxi is 14km long, surrounded by mountains and forests, quiet and clean, an ideal place for mandarin ducks to inhabit.

Every autumn, hundreds of thousands of mandarin ducks fly to Yuanyangxi from the north to live through winter, in which mandarin ducks were found more than 100 years ago, so Pingnan is famous for "the home for mandarin ducks".

The Baishuiyang Tourism Area is located in the upstream of Yuanyangxi, one of the four mountain ranges of Yuanyangxi. Along with the waterfalls and grottos on the sides of the stream, the most startling feature of the area is called “the Ten Mile Water Street,” which is paved with three smooth megaliths under the water. The biggest one is about 40,000 square meters.

When walking on the stones, water comes just up to the back of one’s feet, waves and light give off brilliant white light, which is why it is called “Baishuiyang,” which means “white water ocean.” Baishuiyang is smooth and spacious, suitable for riding bicycles and driving cars. The stream has a natural chute more than 50 meters long, which one can slide down naked without injuring one’s skin, which is why it is called “nature’s swimming pool.”