Songshan Global Geopark, China

Songshan Geopark is located in Dengfeng City, Henan Province, and covers an area of 464 km². It became a global geopark in 2004. It includes ten scenic districts stretching from west to east, including Anposhan Mountain, Wufo Mountain, Danyang Mountain, Shaolin Mountain, Taishi Mountain and Wuzhi Ridge. These mountains have steep slopes and cliffs and rise above each other, providing magnificent views. Located at the southern margin of the North China craton, it is geologically significant because of its clear representative structure that covers five geological periods over 3.6 billion years of Earth’s history. It has been named ‘five generations living together’ by geologists. Songshan is the ‘Central Mountain’ and is one of the China’s famous ‘Five Mountains’. It has numerous cultural features, including ten temples and monasteries, five shrines, five palaces, three Taoist temples, four Buddhist convents, four caves, three forums and more than 270 pagodas. It is one of the hubs of...