Wutong Mountain Shenzhen: A Complete Guide to Ecology, Scenery & Culture

Wutong Mountain in Shenzhen, a national scenic area spanning Luohu, Yantian and Longgang districts, is a bright emerald in the city’s layout and a spiritual haven for urbanites to escape hustle and bustle and get close to nature. Covering a total area of 42.04 square kilometers, the mountain takes the 943.7-meter-high Great Wutong Peak as Shenzhen’s highest point. Climbing to the top, you can overlook the prosperous urban area and face the mountains of Hong Kong’s New Territories across the sea, enjoying the magnificent scenery of mountains and sea embracing each other.

Known as “Shenzhen’s Green Lung”, Wutong Mountain has an 88.6% forest coverage rate, building a solid ecological barrier. It is a natural gene pool for flora and fauna, nurturing 1,419 species of wild vascular plants and 231 species of terrestrial vertebrates. Rare species such as Alsophila spinulosa and Aquilaria sinensis inhabit here. Every March to April, the Rhododendron moulmainense at Wanhua Screen on Little Wutong Mountain blooms vigorously, forming a rare alpine flower sea landscape in Shenzhen. Streams crisscross the mountains; 14 streams in Taishan Stream converge into pools and cascading springs, with the charming scenery of “a stream flowing with clouds”.

Wutong Mountain’s charm goes beyond nature. The “Wutong Ridge Tianchi” in the Ming Dynasty was selected as one of the Eight Scenic Spots of Xin’an, and now “Wutong Clouds” is among the Eight New Scenic Spots of Shenzhen. The Lingnan-style stone archway at the north gate is carved with “Hundred Birds Worshipping the Phoenix” patterns, interpreting the cultural implication of “planting paulownia to attract phoenixes”. The annual Azalea Festival and Double Ninth Festival Mountain-climbing Festival have become important cultural events for citizens. The Nature School carries out more than 50 public welfare activities every year, popularizing the “Leave No Trace” concept and realizing the symbiosis of ecological protection and cultural communication.