Picture perfect

(China Daily)
Updated: 2008-08-09 17:18

Famous landscapes and monuments across China have been featured in several recent feature films. This is the first in a series about these star attractions.

Karst pits of Wulong, Chongqing in Curse of the Golden Flower (Mancheng Jindai Huangjin Jia)

In director Zhang Yimou's Curse of the Golden Flower, there is a thrilling scene in which a group of assassins silently descends on a palace in a pit-like valley ringed by high mountains. The valley is located in the town of Houping in Wulong county of the Municipality of Chongqing.

Houping has five natural karst pits that evolved through erosion. All of the five pits are barrel-shaped. The two most spectacular scenic spots in the karst pit area are the Three Natural Bridges and the Furong Karst Grotto. The Three Natural Bridges are two mountains connected on the top, forming the shape of bridges spanning over valleys.

The bridges are 200-m high and about 100-m wide. The Furong Karst Grotto is located beside the Furong River, in a suburb of Wulong County. Its largest chamber, which has enormous karst columns, covers an area of 37,000 sq m.

Directions: It is roughly a five-hour drive from Chongqing to the Three Natural Bridges and the Houping Karst Pits. There are plenty of homestays.

(China Daily 08/09/2008 page16)