Latest news with #XinyiWu
South China Morning Post
06-04-2025
- South China Morning Post
Geopark in Guangdong, southern China rewards hikers with panoramic views, a phallic rock
It has long been common for Hong Kong residents to escape to the hills at weekends, but now a similar passion for mountain trails is sweeping across China's Greater Bay Area. Advertisement Around 50km (30 miles) north of the city of Shaoguan, in northern Guangdong province, towering crimson cliffs rise above lush forests and winding streams, drawing young and old alike. In the Danxia Shan national geopark tens of millions of years of erosion and tectonic activity have sculpted red sedimentary rock into dramatic peaks and valleys. The area is one of the Danxia landforms – landscapes with spectacular red-rock cliffs, natural pillars, ravines and valleys – dotted around the country. Danxia Shan was listed as a Unesco Global Geopark site in 2004 and a Unesco World Heritage site in 2010, and features three main scenic areas connected by free shuttle buses from the park's main entrance. Yangyuanshi, or 'Male Stone' (above left), and the mountain peak. topped by a pavilion, from which it was separated by tectonic forces over thousands of years. Photo: Xinyi Wu The first stop on our visit is the 'Male Stone', a striking rock formation that sparks curiosity and amusement. Advertisement At 28 metres (90ft) tall, Yangyuanshi, as it is called in Mandarin, is a phallic formation separated from an adjoining mountain by tectonic forces and sculpted by the elements over thousands of years – as many as 300,000 years, a sign at the site informs visitors.
South China Morning Post
15-02-2025
- South China Morning Post
What to do in Nagano, Japan's winter wonderland, if you don't ski
Published: 1:15pm, 15 Feb 2025 The air is crisp, the snow deep and undisturbed. The Japanese Alps tower around us, beckoning us to their slopes. In central Japan, just under two hours from Tokyo by bullet train, Nagano is known for its world-class ski resorts. But while the area's mountains are undeniably magnetic – they were the stage for the 1998 Winter Olympics – we are not here to carve through powder. Instead, we tread a narrow trail that winds through a forest of ancient cedar trees, their massive trunks cloaked in frost. The silence is broken only by the soft crunch of our footsteps. Our destination? A hidden shrine tucked deep in the woods where time feels as though it has stood still for centuries. The path at Togakushi Shrine is lined with 400-year-old cedar trees. Photo: Xinyi Wu Togakushi Shrine dates back more than 1,000 years. According to Japanese legend, the sun goddess Amaterasu hid in a cave after becoming upset with her younger brother, plunging the world into darkness.
