The City of Rams — The Dafushan Forest Park in Panyu
In early December, the beautiful bald cypress at the Dafushan Forest Park had not yet turned red. There was a whole afternoon of free time, so I decided to take my family for a stroll at the Dafushan Forest Park anyway. In the wintertime, when the bald cypress has turned red, the area turns into exceptionally beautiful scenery.
The Dafushan Forest Park in Panyu
Unlike most other modern urban parks in China, the Dafushan Forest Park comes with some interesting legends. It is said that, during Panyu’s time as the capital of the Nanyue Kingdom, the state minister of Han dynasty, Lujia, came to Panyu to persuade Zhao Tuo, the King of Wu, to agree to subsume the Nanyue Kingdom under the Han dynasty’s rule. It was here in Dafushan Forest Park that the messenger became very thirsty. Legend has it that, when his horse stomped the ground, a fresh water source appeared right away to quench his thirst. Therefore, the “Horse Drinking Spring” stands in the western part of Dafushan Forest Park to this day.
It is said that Lujia, as a state minister of Han dynasty, “dafu,” was buried here as well. Thus the name Dafushan (Dafu Mountain) for this park.
Besides this legend that originated from the very ancient times, there is also the grave of a certain Li Juchuan, dated to the more recent Song dynasty. This burial site has significance, in that the prominent figures of the Li family throughout its history are engraved onto flagpole of the burial site. This is considered an unusual practice. The ancient tomb is located in the mid hill range on Dawugang, which is the highest mountain in Dafushan Forest Park.
A Short Walk in Dafushan Forest Park
Its name bearing the word “forest” does suggest the scale of Dafushan Forest Park. The park area is enormous with 580 hectares. In the park are 9 mounts of varying heights, the highest mountain is the Dawugang at 226.6 meters high. The park was open to the public in 1999 after the first phase of construction was completed.
Needless to say, such a large area of natural environ would be perfect for a whole lot of natural species. Before being turned into the park, the area featured relatively few species of trees, such as Pinus massoniana and Acacia Mangium. Thereafter, more species were introduced into its ecosphere, mostly consisting of bauhinia and other ornamental trees.
On this early winter day I had my family with me. We have some old folks and so the walk had to be kept at the minimum. We entered the park via the North Gate, and spent about an hour in that area.
Suffice to say, that there are a whole lot of waterfront areas, although some are manmade lakes. The park is very shaded with large grounds as sitting areas, very suitable for picnic. It will take a full day to walk through some of the significant spots in the park.
One can only imagine how beautiful the scenery would be during the red foliage season. That is planned for next year’s wintertime.
Sources
The Wikipedia on Dafushan Forest Park (Chin).
Baidu.com on Dafushan Forest Park (Chin).