Chishui Danxia in northern Guizhou is a landscape of red sandstone plateaus cut by deep gorges, with hundreds of waterfalls and dense subtropical forest that shelters one of the largest surviving populations of the tree fern Alsophila. It was inscribed in 2010 as one of the six components of the China Danxia World Heritage site and is noted as the youngest and most forested of them.
- UNESCO World Heritage (natural), China Danxia · 2010
- National nature reserve (Chishui Alsophila)
- National scenic area
Key facts
Overview
Chishui lies in the far north of Guizhou, on the border with Sichuan, where the Chishui River flows north towards the Yangtze. The land here is built of thick red sandstones that rivers have cut into steep-walled gorges, leaving flat-topped plateaus and cliffs between them. Where streams leave the plateaus they drop over the sandstone in waterfalls, some broad, some high and slender.
Unlike the bare red cliffs of some other Danxia areas, Chishui is almost entirely covered in forest, bamboo and ferns, and the red rock shows mainly in the cliffs and waterfall walls. The combination of warm, humid climate, deep shaded gorges and constant water made it a refuge for plants that were widespread in the age of the dinosaurs.
How the landscape formed
Danxia is the Chinese term for landscapes formed on red continental sandstones and conglomerates, named after Mount Danxia in Guangdong. At Chishui, the red beds were laid down by rivers and lakes in a basin during the Cretaceous and later uplifted and tilted. Rivers cut down along joints and faults into the relatively soft sandstone, forming narrow gorges with vertical walls, alcoves and overhangs. Harder layers form ledges over which streams fall as waterfalls. Chishui represents a young, plateau stage of Danxia development, with high relief and deep gorges, in contrast to the older, more dissected stages at other sites.
Highlights
Shizhangdong Falls
十丈洞瀑布
The largest waterfall of the area, a broad curtain of water over a red sandstone cliff.
Sidonggou
四洞沟
A gorge with four successive waterfalls along a stream, linked by a walking path.
Yanziyan
燕子岩
A forest park with red cliffs and waterfalls, named after the swallows nesting in the rock.
Foguangyan
佛光岩
A huge semicircular red cliff with a waterfall pouring down its face.
Alsophila reserve
桫椤国家级自然保护区
A valley where thousands of tree ferns grow beneath the forest canopy.
Plants and wildlife
The warm, wet gorges of Chishui hold subtropical evergreen broadleaf forest and extensive bamboo, with an unusually rich fern flora. The most famous plant is the spiny tree fern, a relict of a group that flourished in the Mesozoic, which grows here in large numbers. The forest also shelters rare mammals, birds and amphibians.
Plants
Spiny tree fern
桫椤
Alsophila spinulosa, a tree fern several metres tall, protected in the national nature reserve.
Moso bamboo
楠竹
Covers large areas of the hills and gives the region its green colour.
Ferns
蕨类
Many species grow in the spray zones of the waterfalls and on shaded cliffs.
Wildlife
Rhesus macaque
猕猴
Present in the forest of the gorges.
Chinese giant salamander
大鲵
Lives in the clear, cool streams of the region.
Culture and legend
The Chishui River, the “Red Water” named after the red silt it carries in the rainy season, has been a route for salt and trade between Sichuan and Guizhou. It is famous in modern history for the Long March: in early 1935 the Red Army crossed it four times to evade Nationalist forces, a manoeuvre later celebrated as a masterstroke of Mao Zedong's leadership. Upstream, the valley around Maotai is known for baijiu distilling. Bamboo crafts and bamboo-shoot cooking are local traditions.
Four Crossings of the Chishui River
四渡赤水
The Long March campaign of January to March 1935, commemorated at sites along the river.
Chishui River
赤水河
The river that flows along the Sichuan–Guizhou border to the Yangtze, lined with distilleries upstream.
Bamboo weaving
竹编
A local craft using the region's abundant bamboo.
History
January–March 1935
Four Crossings of the Chishui River
The Red Army's manoeuvres along the river became one of the best-known episodes of the Long March.
1992
Alsophila nature reserve raised to national level
The tree-fern valleys were placed under national protection.
2010
UNESCO World Heritage
Inscribed as part of China Danxia with Langshan, Danxiashan, Taining, Longhushan and Jianglangshan.
Through the seasons
Spring
Mild and wet; the forests are fresh and the waterfalls gain strength.
Summer
Hot and humid, with the fullest waterfalls; the shaded gorges are cooler than the town.
Autumn
Settled weather and strong flow in early autumn; the best season for walking.
Winter
Cool and damp with low water; quiet, with the red cliffs clearly visible.
Routes and ways in
Shizhangdong and the Chishui Grand Canyon
Paths lead through a red sandstone gorge to the foot of the great fall.
Sidonggou
A walk along a stream past four waterfalls, close to the town of Chishui.
Alsophila valley
Trails through the tree-fern forest in the nature reserve.
Practical notes
- Paths are often wet and slippery near the waterfalls; wear shoes with good grip.
- Leeches and insects are common in the humid forest in summer.
- Chishui is a county-level city in Zunyi prefecture; it is reached by expressway from Zunyi and from Luzhou in Sichuan.
- Do not pick or damage the tree ferns, which are strictly protected.
Cities to start from
Frequently asked questions
Sources
- China Danxia — UNESCO World Heritage Centre (retrieved 27 September 2026)
- Guizhou Provincial People's Government — Guizhou Provincial People's Government (retrieved 27 September 2026)
- Zunyi Municipal People's Government — Zunyi Municipal People's Government (retrieved 27 September 2026)
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