Longtan Park, Liuzhou, Guangxi

Longtan Park in Liuzhou, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, brings together the region's distinctive karst landscape and the ethnic cultures of southern China. Twenty-four verdant, forest-covered peaks, including Crouching Tiger Hill and Beauty Peak, encircle a lake and two pools. The Leitan and Longtan pools are connected by an underground river, with their water temperatures remaining between 18 C and 22 C throughout the year. In winter, rising vapor creates a picturesque scene known as "Mist and rain over the twin pools".

Liu Zongyuan (773-819), a renowned Tang Dynasty (618-907) writer who served as the regional chief of Liuzhou, once prayed here for rain on behalf of the people. His Prayer for Rain at Leitang has been carved on a stele, and the dedicated pavilion that preserves it still stands. Inside the park, traditional-style villages represent the Zhuang, Yao, Miao and Dong ethnic groups, each reflecting its own customs. Spanning Jinghu Lake, a covered wind-and-rain bridge is modeled on Chengyang Bridge in Sanjiang, a celebrated example of Dong architecture, distinguished by its elaborate pavilions and upturned eaves.

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