Guizhou Red Stone Forest: A fairy tale hidden in the mountains

This is another place that looks like an alien planet, and it is incredibly beautiful. This is the Guizhou Red Stone Forest, located on the border of Songtao Laer Mountain in Tongren, Guizhou and the main peak of Hunan, only a stone's throw away from Hunan. The Hunan Red Stone Forest, more than 100 kilometers away, has been built into a 4A-level scenic spot and a national geological park, and is claimed to be the only Cambrian red stone forest in the world. The Guizhou Red Stone Forest, which is also located in the ancient Yangtze Sea and was also formed 500 million years ago, is still kept in seclusion. Almost two years ago, the Guizhou Natural Resources Department’s official account announced that this red stone forest was being developed and constructed according to the 5A scenic spot standards. Two years later, when we walked through the rugged “bullet craters” and “washboard” mountain roads and arrived in front of the scenic spot, we still saw the villagers’ simple houses and railings. “20 yuan per person, forget about the kids, and the 10 yuan parking fee is waived for you,” the toll collector said cheerfully. When asked about the road conditions, there was a hint of helplessness in his words, “No boss is here to invest!” Yes, without investment there will be no development, what a simple truth. Just look at the Red Stone Forest next door in Hunan, which was awarded the title of "National Geopark" in 2005. In 2013, it won the first place in the selection of "China's Most Beautiful Geopark" and was rated as a 4A scenic spot, leading by one step and every step. But the red stone forest in Songtao is in no way inferior to its sister red stone forest in Hunan, in fact it is even better. Only 40% of the 10,000-acre red stone forest has been developed, but it is already majestic, and the breath of primitive desolation is overwhelming. These red stones are stacked layer upon layer, rugged, shaped like pavilions, or pagodas. They have various forms and strange shapes. If an eminent monk had discovered this place in the past, he would have been ecstatic. With this perfect place created by nature, if he could have carefully carved and managed it, maybe he could have built another "Borobudur" or recreated the pure land of the Western Paradise. ​Climbing to a high place, the surrounding scenery is breathtaking, with wetlands, lakes, terraces and all the elements of a scenic spot. There are endless green hills and dense red rocks. The beauty and ruggedness have been a sight that people have never tired of gazing at for thousands of years.