Panzhihua has many hot
springs. Its Hongge Hot Spring contains radon, which is rare in
other springs in China.
Visitors interested in geology have the luxury to see the world's
largest vanadium-titanium mine. Because of geological movements,
Panzhihua abounds in crystal, opal, agate, jade and ink stone in its
mountain valleys and the alluvium of its river banks.
Cuisine:
Mango, papaya, pomegranate and the fruit with red heart are popular
among tourists, wine and drink of
papaya, wine of mango and so on are distinctive, and worthwhile to
be souvenirs.
Panzhihua Culture:
The Mosuo
The romantic customs of the Mosuo people have turned the lake into a
mysterious wonderland for tourists. The Mosuo, believed to be the
world's last matriarchal tribe, have preserved their centuries-old
matriarchal customs. Mosuo women are the community rulers and family
decision-makers. A Mosuo woman can choose to cohabit with any man
she falls in love with and give birth to their children without
getting married. If she loses interest in her lover, which seldom
happens, she is free to choose a new love.
Read more►
Panzhihua Attractive Points:
The Longtan Karst Cave, which is open to visitors, has a strong
appeal. Marvelling at its caves inside caves, flying waterfalls and
fantastic stalactite, visitors would acclaim it as the acme of
nature's creation. |
Located in a torrid zone,
Panzhihua has an annual average temperature of 20 C. Even in the
coldest winter, a sweater is to stay warm enough. The subtropical
climate has turned the city into a large "hothouse" where many
precious animals and plants co-exist.
In many parts of the city, primitive mountains and forests are kept
intact. There are 264 kinds of animals, including the lesser panda,
as well as 2,300 kinds of plants. The most precious plant is the
cycad, a 270-million-year-old rare species living in the same era as
the dinosaur.
As it survived the destructive glacier of the Quaternary Period, the
cycad, which is hailed a living fossil, is of great significance to
the study of living things, geography and climate of ancient times,
especially the origin of plants, botanists say.
More than 1.7 million years ago, because of the glacier of the
Quaternary Period, at least one-third of the earth's land mass was
covered with snow.
Located in a rift, Panzhihua became a haven to the cycad. A wild
cycad forest covering 1,358 hectares is in Panzhihua's suburbs.
China's only State-level cycad nature reserve, the forest comprises
230,000 wild cycads, believed to be the world's largest and
northernmost wild cycad forest.
In the forest, 136,000 are fully-grown cycads and the rest are
saplings. Cycads seldom blossom. But the ones in Panzhihua blossom
once every May.
As Panzhihua's cycads hold high international prestige, the Fourth
International Seminar on Cycads was held in Panzhihua in May 1996.
With 92 per cent of its land being mountainous, Panzhihua is
referred as a "geological museum." The city boasts many karst
formations. More than 80 karst caves have been discovered.
The Longtan Karst Cave, which is open to visitors, has a strong
appeal. Marvelling at its caves inside caves, flying waterfalls and
fantastic stalactite, visitors would acclaim it as the acme of
nature's creation.
Occupying less than 0.1 per cent of China's land mass, Panzhihua has
73 kinds of minerals. Its deposits of iron, vanadium and titanium
are respectively 20, 67 and 75.5 per cent of China's total. On a
global scale, its deposits of titanium are the largest, and those of
vanadium are the third-largest in the world.
Visitors interested in geology have the luxury to see the world's
largest vanadium-titanium mine. Because of geological movements,
Panzhihua abounds in crystal, opal, agate, jade and ink stone in its
mountain valleys and the alluvium of its river banks.
Located at the juncture of the Jinsha and Yalong rivers, two
tributaries on the upper reaches of the Yangtze, Panzhihua, which
has 90 rivers, abounds in water resources.
The construction of the Ertan Hydropower Station in Panzhihua,
China's largest hydropower station built in the 20th century, has
created a large lake with an area of 101 square kilometres. The lake
has five islands and 11 peninsulas. Sailing in a boat, one cannot
help but feel the clean water in the lake and the surrounding,
majestic-looking mountains with lush, tropical plants like a
marvellous, traditional Chinese landscape painting. The station,
with a 240-metre-tall dam, the tallest in Asia, and the world's
largest underground power house, as well as the lake, are now
important tourist destination in Panzhihua.
 Panzhihua has many hot springs. Its Hongge Hot Spring contains
radon, which is rare in other springs in China. The hot spring has a
temperature of around 57 C year round. With fluorine, carbonic acid,
various minerals and inorganic salts, it has a strong healing effect
and is ideal for the winter's holiday visitors.
People from 34 of China's 55 ethnic groups can be found in
Panzhihua. With a long history and unique folk customs, they give
rise to cultural diversity.
In addition to its own tourist attractions, Panzhihua sits directly
en route to the mysterious
Lugu Lake from Sichuan. Heading northwest
for about 300 kilometres, tourists from Panzhihua arrive at the lake
on the border of Sichuan and Yunnan. Two-thirds of the lake is in
Sichuan.
Lugu Lake video►
The romantic customs of the Mosuo people have turned the lake into a
mysterious wonderland for tourists.
The Mosuo, believed to be the world's last matriarchal tribe, have
preserved their centuries-old matriarchal customs. Mosuo women are
the community rulers and family decision-makers. A Mosuo woman can
choose to cohabit with any man she falls in love with and give birth
to their children without getting married. If she loses interest in
her lover, which seldom happens, she is free to choose a new love. |
