Marble Gate Scenic Area, a paradise on earth~

The Marble Gate Scenic Area is located in Yangbi County on the west slope of Cangshan Mountain in Dali. It is an important part of the Cang'er Scenic Area, the Cangshan National Geopark, the National Nature Reserve, and the National Scenic Area. It is about 399 kilometers away from Kunming City, 24 kilometers away from Dali City, and 8 kilometers away from Yangbi County. The planned area of ​​the scenic area is 28.2 square kilometers. The scenic area was approved by the provincial government in 1993 and announced as a provincial scenic spot; in 2001, it was rated as a national AA-level tourist attraction. The famous scenic spots include the Mist-locked Stone Gate, the Evening Bell of Fuguo, the Clear and Clear Valley, the Secluded Orchid in the Cliff Stream, the Xiake Forgetting to Return, the Splashing Jade in the Green Lake, the Ten Thousand Volumes of Heavenly Books, the Lingyun Plank Road, the Jade Emperor's Emerald Green, and the Sunset on Cangshan Mountain. [Gateway to Cangshan Mountain] - Shimen Pass of Cangshan Mountain in Dali is located on the west foot of Longquan Peak and Yuju Peak of Cangshan Mountain and on the east bank of Yangjiang River. It is one of the famous tourist attractions in Dali Prefecture. The famous geographer Xu Xiake once visited this place. Yang Sheng'an, the top scholar in the Ming Dynasty, also left a famous poem: "For I love Shimen Pass, the sun is setting on my way home; I hear dogs barking across the river and lights in two or three houses." Shimen Pass on Cangshan Mountain in Dali is a key pass that is famous in history as the Ancient Tea-Horse Road, Bonan Ancient Road, Salt and Rice Ancient Road and the Yunnan-Burma Highway. The two steep peaks at the pass rise from the ground, with cliffs facing each other, like a huge door that is pushed open. Shimen Pass got its name from this. Shimen Pass means "Stone Gate Opened by Heaven". "Stone Gate Opened by Heaven" is also one of the sixteen ancient scenic spots in Yangbi. It is a typical canyon landform with a V-shaped valley. Shimen Pass was an important strategic pass during the Nanzhao and Dali Kingdom periods. Kublai Khan, the commander of the Yuan army, crossed the Cangshan Mountain from Shimen Pass to attack and destroy the Dali Kingdom. March every year is the peak tourist season for Yangbi Shimenguan, with a constant stream of Chinese and foreign tourists visiting. In front of the stone gate there is a pool of water about ten feet deep, with clear water that allows you to see the bottom. Standing at the entrance of the stone gate and looking up, the Shimen Pass with its sloping peaks reaching into the clouds is just a narrow crack. The two green mountains separated by the crack are like a pair of first love lovers, close yet distant, and the two walls on the left and right are like a pair of honeymoon couple facing each other, as if they are being pulled apart alive. Looking up at the top of the pass at the entrance, the blue sky seems like a thin and long ribbon, the white clouds are like fleeting cranes, the rocks move with the clouds, and the two walls seem to be about to close. Walking in from the gate, there are thousand-foot cliffs, green vines hanging down, flying springs hanging upside down, and clusters of water banana trees. Going further in, there are three-tier waterfalls, rows of undulating weeds, and several ancient pines standing obliquely, yellow, elegant and beautiful. In midsummer, the Shimen Pass, the stone cliffs, and the clear springs are full of orchids, rhododendrons, and azaleas in all colors, and the whole mountain is filled with fragrance.