A guide to Jinfo Mountain, a lesser-known tourist destination in Chongqing. Get the perfect photo tips as alpine rhododendrons are about to bloom!
Preface
Enjoying spring flowers has gradually become the most important way to welcome spring each year. With the upcoming May Day holiday, the alpine azaleas at Chongqing's Jinfo Mountain are expected to be in full bloom. The vibrant pinks dotting the mountains create a breathtaking natural beauty.
At this time, if you combine flowers with portraits, it will become an internet celebrity photo that will go viral on WeChat Moments!
Jinfo Mountain
Located in Nanchuan District, Chongqing, it is a typical karst plateau with an altitude of 2,238 meters. Due to its unique topography, it has spectacular steep cliffs with a huge drop in height.
Jinfo Mountaincheck the details
Jinfo Mountain is a World Natural Heritage Site, a National 5A Tourist Attraction, a National Scenic Area, and a National Forest Park. Its biodiversity and unique karst landforms have earned it a place on the World Natural Heritage List. "The towering golden Buddha, floating amidst the misty clouds" perfectly captures the mountain's beauty. On clear summer and autumn evenings, the setting sun casts a dazzling golden glow on the cliffs, resembling a giant golden Buddha radiating rays of light. This breathtaking spectacle evokes the name "Jinfo Mountain." It is also a National Natural Heritage Site. Known as the "Alps of the East," Jinfo Mountain is a green gem embedded in southwest China, known as a "Natural Botanical Exhibition Hall." With its unique natural landscape, diverse variety of rare and endangered flora and fauna, majestic and bizarre rock formations, mysterious caves and underworlds, ever-changing meteorological landscapes, and the remains of renowned ancient temples, the scenic area is ranked alongside Mount Emei, Mount Qingcheng, and Mount Jinyun as one of the Four Famous Mountains of Sichuan and Chongqing.
Recommended month: All seasons
3319 recommendations, 2793 visits
This kind of terrain creates a perfect blooming time difference for rhododendrons. From early April, you can see the beautiful sight of rhododendrons in full bloom on the lower slopes. Around May 1st, the rhododendrons on the top of the mountain will also bloom one after another. By then, Jinfo Mountain will become a sea of flowers, like a fairyland.
Are you excited? Jinfo Mountain not only boasts stunning natural beauty, but also boasts numerous photo-friendly spots. Let me recommend this guide to taking photos of Jinfo Mountain portraits!
azalea
The first thing we must talk about is the rhododendrons. In addition to being admired all over the mountains, you can also take beautiful photos with the flowers.
Jinfo Mountain boasts over 40 varieties of azaleas, and the ones we were able to see and touch are only a fraction of them. Some trees are taller and can only be admired from a distance, while others are as tall as us, making them perfect for portraits!
There are rhododendron trees of such height on the north slope. The delicate deep pink and light pink flowers are like the feelings of a girl in spring, which makes people deeply intoxicated.
You can bring some props, such as fans and baskets, to make your photos more natural. You can't pick azalea flowers, but you can pick up the fallen flowers that have been blown down by the spring rain and strong winds as accessories (the chance of picking them up is quite high, after all, the wind in Jinfo Mountain is very strong!).
Recommended action: Smell the flowers
Cliff plank road
As mentioned earlier, Jinfo Mountain is a typical karst plateau. Its summit features a sheer cliff with a 50-meter drop. The Cliff Plank Road is carved into the cliff face, creating a sense of soaring through the clouds. While seemingly thrilling, it's actually safe, making this the most fun part of the Cliff Plank Road.
Taking a photo with the plank road is a must to prove your bravery! Even if you are afraid of heights and dare not approach the cliffs, you should try to touch the fence and take a photo.
The people in the photo should not be too large, and the cliff and the length of the plank road should be clearly visible. Such a cool photo of the cliff and plank road will ensure that you will become the most handsome guy in your circle of friends.
There's a popular photo spot on the cliff path, where it feels like you can reach out to the sun and moon, or touch the clouds. This photo takes advantage of a naturally formed cave recess, perfectly capturing the bend of the cliff. Everyone who walks the cliff path must get this photo!
Wild Rhododendron Park
The top of Jinfo Mountain is a sea of blooming flowers. Due to the huge temperature difference, the flowering period of Jinfo Mountain can last as long as a month, and the flowers bloom in turn from bottom to top.
Although the wild azalea park at the highest point had not yet fully bloomed when we arrived, and many were just buds, we could still see many varieties of azaleas and a winding plank road!
The plank roads that lead up and down the hillside are also the best vantage points for taking photos of the mountaintop scenery. The mountains behind are shrouded in mist and clouds, giving it a fairy-like aura. One can imagine that when the alpine rhododendrons here are in full bloom, the beauty of the sea of flowers on the top of the mountain will be even more amazing.
Golden Buddha Temple
The Golden Buddha Temple is the largest temple complex in Chongqing and one of the four major temples on Jinfo Mountain. This easily missed attraction is actually a very photogenic architectural complex.
The overall design of the Golden Buddha Temple is inspired by the Tang Dynasty style. Walking inside the temple, there is always a moment or two that makes us feel like we have traveled back to Chang'an. It is the most suitable place in the entire Golden Buddha Mountain to wear Hanfu for photography.
The corridors, stairs, and temple doors are all in a slightly dark red color, and every detail is designed. Friends who want to take photos of Hanfu can come and learn from them.
Tianxing Town
At the foot of Jinfo Mountain, streams flow and birds sing. Although this Tianxing Town is a later built place for tourists to rest and relax, it is also a building complex full of the old flavor of Chongqing.
Nowadays, the town is mainly focused on food, accommodation and transportation for tourism development, but gradually some modern shops and handicrafts have slowly seeped in. And this ancient town always allows me to find many small scenes for taking photos, which is full of the flavor of Chongqing's ancient town.
Conclusion
The most recommended photo spots are the ones above! Aren’t they both beautiful and charming? Come to Jinfoshan and you too can get the same stunning photos! During the May Day holiday, why not come to Jinfoshan and meet the azaleas?
