A Ding

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A RIVER called Yesan River located at Wuling Mountain of Hubei Province was found to be the largest collapsed Karst gorge river in the world recently. The total length of the river reaches over 140 kilometers including its tributaries, namely Shimen River, Zhijin River and Maorong River. Most of the area is sparsely populated and only monkeys can be found there.

“Collapsed Karst gorge” is a term in Karst geology. It refers to underground rivers or large horizontal Karst caves with collapsed roofs. It is also be called “Karst box canyons,” known for allowing human beings to travel by boat from forest to forest via underground waterways in Karst caves.

Bai Jiangang, a former reporter of Guangming Daily and part-time professor at Northwest University, discovered and investigated the river for almost eight years. Bai admired John Muir, American pioneer in investigating natural heritage sites, and devoted himself to being a volunteer at Wuling Mountain. During his investigation, Bai found collapsed Karst gorge in the area and reported his findings to the relevant authorities. He appealed to stop the establishment of some small hydropower stations, which could have caused damage to the natural wonder.

The cradle of the Yesan River is Tiechanghuang Forest Park in Yesanguan Town of Hubei Province, which is located at the highest peak of eastern Wuling Mountain with an altitude of over 1,800 meters. The large scale of the collapsed Karst gorge there is made possible by the surrounding geology featuring mountains and islands. The residential altitude in Yesanguan town is over 1,100 meters.

Besides the scale of the gorge and the abundance of animal and plant species, Yesan River area in Wuling also stands out for its stunning natural scenery on Yesan River and Qingjiang River. The nearby Hudie Valley and Bawang Mountain offer breathtaking mountain views, while the over 200-kilometer-long and 1,000-meter-high cliffs along Yesan River and its branches form a rare landscape. The local officials have already suggested to the government that Yesan River should be recognized as a world natural heritage site and a national park.