Dayao County's Zhaojiadian Town in Chuxiong, Yunnan welcomes hikers

During the May Day holiday, a hiking event that traverses the Qingliuchuan Grand Canyon and explores the Santan Waterfalls kicked off in Zhaojiadian Town, Dayao County. More than 100 hiking enthusiasts participated in this energetic and challenging event. At 9:00 AM, with the bright sunshine, the hiking team set off from the upstream river trail of Santan, passing through the Luangling East Trail, Longtan Trail, Qingliuchuan Trail, and the parallel trail, finally arriving at the village road of Yaowan River. The scenery along the way was beautiful, with undulating mountains. Hiking on the more than 10-kilometer track, everyone encouraged, cared for, and helped each other, fully enjoying the natural beauty, breathing fresh air, and indulging in the joy brought by the healthy hiking activity. The Santan Waterfalls, also known as the Shuanggou Waterfalls, are one of the ancient eight scenic spots of Dayao. Within a river course less than 4 kilometers long, there are 33 cascades. In order from upstream to downstream, the first cascade is 19 meters high, the second is 121 meters, and the third is 81 meters, with a total drop of 221 meters. The three cascades merge into one, with the river water flowing down the cliff face, powerful as a mighty force, forming three deep pools, hence the name Santan, and it is known as the 'highest waterfall in the southwest'. After nearly 5 hours of walking, the hikers successively reached the endpoint, and everyone expressed that the hiking event not only exercised their bodies, brought them closer to nature, but also gained friendships. Hiking enthusiast Yang Zhenhua said, 'I have been to Santan many times, and since last September, I feel that there have been significant changes, not only the waterfall is spectacular, but many of the infrastructure facilities in the scenic area are quite well constructed. It is very suitable for hiking activities.' It is reported that in recent years, Dayao County has deeply excavated the tourism resources of the Santan Waterfalls scenic area, intensified development efforts, and highlighted the natural endowment of the Santan Waterfalls as 'strange, dangerous, and beautiful'. With the themes of extreme experience, cultural appreciation, leisure vacation, and health and wellness travel, they aim to build the brand 'Homeland of the Torch Festival, Beautiful Santan' and turn the Santan Waterfalls scenic area into a health and adventure travel resort, making it an important node in the Chuxiong State's beautiful mountain and water corridor, and the excellent Yi culture corridor. By the May Day holiday, the construction of various facilities was nearing completion and will soon be put into use. The preliminarily completed flower corridors and trails left a deep impression on the tourists participating in this hiking event. During the May Day period, Zhaojiadian Town also held a series of Yangmei Festival activities, including tasting bayberries, catching ducks and fishing, a special trade street, and an exciting basketball competition. By May 2nd, the entire Zhaojiadian Town had received 30,000 visitors.