Fangchenggang： An Amazing Peninsula

Zhang Xiaoyan

Located in South Chinas Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region， Fangchenggang is not only well known for its natural harbor that forms the golden seaports of the Beibu Gulf together with Qinzhou and Beihai， but also renowned for its peninsula landscape that offers good tourism experiences to local residents and visitors.

As a coastal city， Fangchenggang is mainly made up of two peninsulas， one being Jiangshan Peninsula， the other Qisha Peninsula， along with several small islands. On these two peninsulas， a number of places of interest like Bailang Beach， Tanpeng Canal， Bizarre Rock Beach， White Dragon Ancient Fortresses， and mangrove wetland present excellent experience of sights and sounds to visitors.

Jiangshan Peninsula：

Chinas most beautiful recreational resort

Jiangshan Peninsula， situated at the core area of the Beibu Gulf， is the largest peninsula in Guangxi that integrates the major characteristics of tourism， such as mountains， sea， ancient cultures， ethnic groups and border areas. Due to its special shape that resembles the head of a dragon， it was also referred to as Bailong （White Dragon） Peninsula in ancient times. The coastline of the peninsula is long and winding with primitive and natural seascapes and thus earns it the honor of “Chinas Most Beautiful Recreational Resort”， with some 20 scenic spots of natural scenery and historical heritages under development. The coast has become one of the areas along the Beibu Gulf with the largest number of tourist attractions available.

Thanks to the agreeable subtropical marine climate， Jiangshan Peninsula has neither severe coldness in winter nor intense heat in summer. Instead， it will give a feeling of living in spring all the year round， with up to 9 months long in a year suitable for outdoor activities and tourism.

The sound ecological environment is the signature of Jiangshan Peninsula， which features green mountains， blue sea， and sunny beach， where sands are yellowish， white and black. Setting sightseeing， sports， leisure and tourism in one and known as the “tourist destination， sports paradise”， the provincial tourism resort， approved by the Peoples Government of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in 1994， has been reputed as “Chinas Top 10 Marine Tourism Destinations”， “Chinas Most Beautiful Destination for Self-driving Travel”， and “Chinas Most Beautiful Destination for Recreational Tourism”.

Bailang Beach： A perfect place for skin whitening

Laying in the southeastern part of Jiangshan Peninsula in Fangchenggang， Bailang （White Wave） Beach is the core scenic spot of Jiangshan Peninsula Tourist Resort， with a length of 5.5 kilometers and 2.8 kilometers in its widest part. The rare titanium beach that stretches as far as eyes can see provides a perfect place where tens of thousands of people can have fun together. The beach derives its name from an overwhelming scene where ocean waves rush one after another in succession to the flat beach， with white waves and black sand in sharp contrast.

The rich titanium in the sands makes the beach take on the colors of black and white， and the beach therefore becomes one of the “Black Gold Beaches” in the world. Titanium can be used for cosmetic purpose after acidolysis and hydrolysis， so many tourists may dig a hole on the beach and have their bodies buried in it. In doing so， the perspiration from human bodies can catalyze the reaction of titanium and oxygen to achieve the simplest and the most direct skin whitening.

Tanpeng Canal：

A masterpiece of ancient China

As the only ancient sea canal in China， the 10-kilometer Tanpeng Canal runs across Jiangshan Peninsula connecting Fangchenggang and the Pearl Bay， and is navigable when the sea tides are rising. The construction of the canal was started during the Eastern Han Dynasty （25-220）， but not completed until Gao Pian， a governor in the Tang Dynasty （618-907） had the project reopened in the year 860. After completed， the canal had “made the traffic free without hindrance by boat” between Fangchenggang and the Pearl Bay since its operation. The engineering work was so giant and formidable that it was believed to be the masterpiece of supernatural beings by local people， therefore the canal is also known as “Celestial Power Distance” or “Ridge of Immortals”.

Running through highlands full of rocks， there are many inscriptions recording the history of the canal that have experienced centuries of erosion. The canal together with the green tress and steep rocks on both banks presents magnificent scenery， which is also a heritage site under the key protection of Guangxi government.

Bizarre Rock Beach — Marine Red Cliffs

Seated at the southern end of Jiangshan Peninsula and at the foot of Dengjia Mountain， the second peak in the peninsula， Bizarre Rock Beach gets its name from the red cliffs in various forms and shapes that have gone through thousands of years of sea abrasion. Chinese tourists also call the scene “Marine Red Cliffs” to compare it with the famous red cliffs along the Yangtze River mentioned in many ancient literature works.

The rocks of the beach are in different forms which look like monsters， trees， battle arrays， or labyrinths and vividly illustrate the scenes in peoples imagination. The spectacular scene of tide rising over the beach is also amazing， which may bring to mind the verses of Su Shi， an ancient great Chinese poet in the Northern Song Dynasty （960-1127）. The Dengjia Mountain serves as the best place for watching sunrise and sunset， attracting numerous shutterbugs to here for photo taking. Due to its natural landscape and seascape， plus the saying “seas run dry and rocks crumble” that implies everlasting love， Bizarre Rock Beach so far has been one of the most popular spots for taking romantic wedding photos in China.

White Dragon Fortress — guardian of the sea

The White Dragon Fortress is one of the oldest military facilities in the southernmost coast of China that witnessed the history of Chinese peoples fight against foreign invasion and defense of the national sovereignty.

Since the Opium Wars between China and the Western powers from 1842 to 1860， the coastal areas of Jiangshan Peninsula and Jiangping Town had been harassed by the French forces. To defend the sea borders， the Chinese government built four fortresses on the four hills with cannons set up in 1887. Named Longzhen Fort， Bailong （White Dragon） Fort， Longxiang Fort， and Genkeng Fort respectively， the four fortresses face each other over the vast Beibu Gulf， which would provide joint firing power against invasion from the sea. The White Dragon Fortress and the Stone Turtle Fortress located on Qisha Peninsula is renowned together as “turtle and dragon guarding the sea”.