Author: Wang Xinmin
After hundreds of millions of years of water cutting and erosion, the Ganquan Grand Canyon has gradually developed into a typical valley-type Danxia landform wonder. The vegetation outside the canyon is dense and green. The red rocks in the canyon are steep and the green moss is shaggy. The texture on the cliff wall is delicate, bizarre, beautiful, with the characteristics of "secluded, alive, and godly", and is known as "the world's living Danxia, the valley of the Chinese dream".
Ganquan Grand Canyon is located in Yuchagou, Xiasiwan Town, Ganquan County, Yan'an City, Shaanxi Province, which is composed of 120 canyons of all sizes and covers an area of about 37 square kilometers. The stream, sunlight and moss here are intertwined, the light and shadow change, and the colors are colorful, which are rare in China, have uniqueness, and enjoy the reputation of "the natural seam wonder of the Loess Plateau".
In March 2017, the Ganquan Grand Canyon was discovered by a photography enthusiast, and the spring breeze blew off the veil, revealing a wonderful face and graceful body. This place of Yucha awakened overnight and presented the world with endless reverie...... Anyone who has been here has been amazed by the wonder of creation and the mystery of nature.
When the thick soil layer of the Loess Plateau is washed away by hundreds of millions of years of rain, the rocks in the ground are exposed, so it forms a geographical landscape composed of mountain beams, loess faults, cliffs and ravines.
The winding paths in the canyon are like hidden and magical dragon veins.
Crescent Ditch is the first canyon opened in Ganquan Grand Canyon, with a total length of about 400 meters and a height of more than 10 meters. The red stones, green moss, black humus marks, white and yellow mud films, and the sunlight at different times and seasons make the canyon dappled and dreamlike.
Enter the scenic area and follow the stone-paved path that winds through the canyon.
Verdant vegetation stretches through the Grand Canyon, adding to the infinite vitality and mystery of the area.
Because the red sandstone has different water content in different seasons, and the absorption and refractive index of light are also different, therefore, the Ganquan Grand Canyon will show different colors throughout the year.
The huge rock wall stands thousands of feet, like the guardian of the earth, quietly telling the vicissitudes of time. In the deep canyon, the stream is babbling, and the water and stones are stirring each other, as if the strings of nature are gently plucked.
A crustal movement hundreds of millions of years ago formed many cracks and faults on the high slopes of the loess, and after a long period of weathering and erosion, these cracks and faults gradually expanded, forming the current canyon form.
When the sun is shining, the canyon is at its most beautiful and is the best time to see it. On rainy days, the vision will be affected, and even the scenic area will be closed.
The Birch Gully Gorge is 1,100 meters long, 15 to 25 meters high, 1 to 2 meters wide, and only 20 centimeters at the narrowest point of the valley floor. The canyon is winding and long, the perennial stream is murmuring, the cliff wall is green and mossy, the light and shadow in the valley are beautifully intertwined, gorgeous and blurred, the texture is undulating, long and delicate, like a heavenly opening book, which is fascinating.
Walking through the canyon, you can feel the solidity and warmth of the ground under your feet at every step. Looking up, the sky of the canyon seemed to be compressed into a line, but at that moment it seemed incomparably vast. In the distance, the clouds and mist are shrouded, like a fairyland, and people can't help but feel a sense of detachment from the world.
The Ganquan Grand Canyon is basically in a pristine state and is well protected. Although the weathering for a long time has not been able to hide its colorful colors, some of the rocks are still attached to the moss, the sun is shining, sometimes golden like a po, sometimes flowing elegantly, sometimes cinnabar like red, sometimes dazzling and dreamy.
The tunnel-like viewing environment here is sometimes full of peaks and loops, sometimes winding paths, and the delicate textures, round and smooth lines on the cliff wall are undulating like waves and flowing like ribbons.
Here, time becomes slow and quiet, making people forget the hustle and bustle of the world and completely immerse themselves in the embrace of nature.
Sunlight shines through the narrow crevices and reflects the enchanting "angelic light" on the rock face, ranging from bright orange to brilliant red, which is both fantastical and luxurious.
Ganquan Grand Canyon, with its unique charm, attracts countless tourists to come to explore and feel the magic and ingenuity of nature.
Kisses of the wind, traces of rain. The colorful ripples on the sand and gravel are the veins of time, and the emerald green moss on the stone walls is the gentleness of the canyon.
The traces of hundreds of millions of years have been frozen in the canyon, stunning the time and the beauty of the past.
Angel light is the biggest feature of Ganquan Grand Canyon, the sunlight shines through the narrow crevasse and down from the top of the canyon, showing a charming color on the cliff face. At this time, the hard and rough rock unexpectedly deduces all kinds of tenderness with texture, which is made in heaven and earth, and it is vivid.
It's a picturesque place that makes people want to go. Every step you take is like stepping into a gallery of nature, appreciating its endless charm and mystery.
Ganquan Grand Canyon is as beautiful as a picture scroll, and when you are in it, it seems that people are swimming in the painting.
The light and shadow here are intertwined, beautiful, it is a masterpiece of wind and sand, it is the magic of rain washing, it is the gift left to the Loess Plateau by the years, and it is the heritage that future generations should cherish extraordinarily.
Photographed on June 5, 2024 at the Yucha Grand Canyon in Ganquan County, Yan'an City, Shaanxi Province
Editor-in-charge: Huang Sumei "White Waves"