Enshi Grand Canyon () is a natural scenic spot in Enshi,

Hubei Hubei (; ; alternately Hupeh) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, and is part of the Central China region. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Dongting Lake. The prov ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

. It is located in the Qing River Basin, adjacent to the world's deepest sinkhole

Xiaozhai Tiankeng The Xiaozhai Tiankeng (), also known as the Xiaozhai Heavenly Pit, is the world's deepest sinkhole and also the largest in the Shaanxi cluster. It is located in Fengjie County of Chongqing Municipality in China. Dimensions The Xiaozhai Tianken ...

. The total length of the canyon is about 35 kilometers, and almost all kinds of forms of

karst Karst is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, dolomite, and gypsum. It is characterized by underground drainage systems with sinkholes and caves. It has also been documented for more weathering-resistant ro ...

landforms can be found, including cliffs, peak pillars,

sinkholes A sinkhole is a depression or hole in the ground caused by some form of collapse of the surface layer. The term is sometimes used to refer to doline, enclosed depressions that are locally also known as ''vrtače'' and shakeholes, and to openi ...

, solutional caves,

natural arches Nature, in the broadest sense, is the physical world or universe. "Nature" can refer to the phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general. The study of nature is a large, if not the only, part of science. Although humans are ...

subterranean rivers A subterranean river is a river that runs wholly or partly beneath the ground surface – one where the riverbed does not represent the surface of the Earth. It is distinct from an aquifer, which may flow like a river but is contained within a per ...

hanging valleys A valley is an elongated low area often running between hills or mountains, which will typically contain a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers or streams over ...

, etc., constituting a rare three-dimensional karst landform. The Enshi Grand Canyon is under the management of the Enshi Grand Canyon Scenic Area Management Office, Enshi Mufu Office.

History

In order to promote the rapid development of tourism in the region, the State Municipal Committee and the State Municipal Government decided to establish the Mufu Office, and on December 10, 2008, the Enshi Mufu Office was formally established and used two names, the Enshi Grand Canyon Scenic Area Management Office and the Enshi Mufu Office, ushering in a new development opportunity for the Enshi Grand Canyon.恩施市沐抚办事处正式挂牌成立（图） http://www.hbenshi.gov.cn/news/sw_gzdt/2008/1212/DIKA.shtml

Legend

It is said that the single tower of rock was bestowed by a deity to the people as a stick of incense, which could be lighted when help was needed from the gods.

Gallery

References

Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture {{Hubei-geo-stub