Exploring Jiangshan in E China

Three peaks of Mount Jianglang loom over a pond in Jiangshan city, Zhejiang province. Photo provided to China Daily

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Jiangshan city in Zhejiang province is an ideal weekend excursion for those who adore towns rich in history. Xu Lin reports.

Jiangshan city in Zhejiang province is the perfect place to be on weekends if you like ancient towns soaked in history, with a bit of mountain trekking thrown in. You can start your journey in the morning by climbing Mount Jianglang, which overlooks the city on it, with three of its peaks higher than 300 meters.

Jianglang is part of China Danxia that was declared a world heritage site by UNESCO in 2010. Chishui, Taining, Mount Langshan, Mount Danxia and Mount Longhu are other parts of the Danxia that spread across six neighboring provinces in southern China.

The Danxia landform was developed on red sedimentary beds since the Neogene Period, and witnessed much wear and tear through movements of rocks, erosion and weather conditions. The landform comprises magnificent red cliffs, natural pillars, towers, valleys and waterfalls.

Between Mount Jianglang's two peaks is a "crack" that is around 298 meters long and tapers down to a pathway with a width of about 3.5 meters. Tourists can walk through the crack on stone steps and peep into the sky for a stunning view.

Last autumn, Jeb Corliss, a professional sky diver from the United States, jumped out of a helicopter in a wingsuit at an altitude of 500 meters and flew through the crack successfully. Among Corliss' earlier successes include plunging from the Eiffel Tower in Paris and the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur.

"To attract more tourists we are speeding up infrastructure building at Mount Jianglang. There's a huge investment in expansion of parking lots (for example)," says Jiang Li, deputy head of Jiangshan's publicity department.