Big Bamboo Sea (Da Zhu Hai)

Description:

• A ¥30 ($3.90/£1.95) ticket gains you access to plenty of anachronistic reinforced concrete structures including a teahouse and a five-story lookout tower, but that all rather pales in comparison to the magnificent culms of the giant bamboo that grows in the area. While the Big Bamboo Sea tourist attraction is probably only worth an hour of your time, it is a good starting point for exploring the rest of this green ocean. In summer, the groves are cool and shaded. In winter, the mountain breezes bring forth a mysterious chanting as the huge plants move rhythmically back and forth. For those short on time, take a walk back to the nearby village of Gangkou, and see the bamboo being harvested and processed in fields along the side of the road. The more serious hikers can take their bearings from the lookout tower and strike out to find a path that leads southwest, to Tianhuangping.

• © Frommer's 2012

Awards:

Frommer's

•  Highly Recommended 2010