A thousand years of the Southern Silk Road, and mountains and waters shaped by nature itself. On Oct. 15, heads and reporters of overseas Chinese-language media organizations taking part in the “Journey Through China · 2026 Overseas Chinese-Language Media Trip to Sichuan” visited the Mount Tiantai scenic area in Chengdu, and amid green hills, clear waters and drifting points of firefly light they experienced for themselves the coolness and romance of this famous mountain of the Southern Silk Road.
The Mount Tiantai scenic area in Chengdu is located in Qionglai, the first city the ancient Southern Silk Road reached when it headed west out of Chengdu, and is known as the first mountain on the Southern Silk Road as it leads westward. It is part of the Sichuan Giant Panda Sanctuaries World Natural Heritage, a national 5A-level tourist attraction, and one of the world’s eight great firefly-watching sites and the largest firefly-watching base in Asia.
As a newly listed “Top Ten Cultural and Tourism Destinations in Chengdu” and a national 5A-level scenic area, Mount Tiantai is known for six wonders: extraordinary mountains, strange rocks, beautiful waters, secluded forests, charming clouds and dancing fireflies. Its forest coverage is close to 95 percent, its negative oxygen ion content is extremely high, and its average summer temperature is 4 to 6 degrees Celsius lower than at the foot of the mountain.
At Mount Tiantai, visitors can climb the mountain to breathe in fresh air and explore geological wonders, admiring spectacular peaks and strange rocks such as the Flower Stone Forest, the Divine Bee Cave and the Upside-Down Boot Rock, and feeling the uncanny workmanship of natural landforms. They can also get close to the water and enjoy a cool, secret realm, unlocking the “ceiling of water fun” here and experiencing water swings and single-plank bridges at water-play spots such as the Eighteen-Li Vanilla Valley, Butterfly Beach and Flower Stone Sea, wading in the shallows and roaming through the streams, fully enjoying the cool comfort summed up in the saying: “After Jiuzhaigou, no water seems worth seeing; after Tiantai, no water seems worth playing in.”
After night falls, visitors can step into Asia’s firefly kingdom and experience a fairy tale in the dark. As one of the world’s eight great firefly-watching bases, the valleys of Mount Tiantai in Chengdu turn into a realm of flowing light from April to November each year, where visitors can watch the drifting fireflies and enjoy a romantic night.
