Dabieshan park seeks UNESCO status

A bird's-eye view of Guishan Mountian, known for an array of tourist destinations. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Geological significance

Dabieshan Geopark's UNESCO application is based on its world-class geological heritage, according to Liu. Some of the well exposed rocks within the park date back as far as 2.8 billion years. The rich evidence this provides demonstrates the historical orogenic activity between the North China and Yangtze tectonic plates, meaning these geological relics are of major global scientific value, Liu said.

Li Xiaochi, a geology professor who has worked with other geological parks in China to successfully apply for UNESCO recognition, joined the Dabie Mountain application project in February this year. He said Huanggang Dabieshan Geopark's heritage and scenic spots are as rich as the other sites with which he has worked.

"I'm quite confident and I hope we will be successful," he said of the application.

He said that Dabie Mountain offers rare geological specimens of a unique condition rarely seen in the world, fitting UNESCO's requirements for "distinct and outstanding geoheritage".

"This geotechnical setting is quite important, including the geohistory that has left a lot of rock evidence, and this rock evidence has great significance to the global correlation. This is a UNESCO basic requirement. So, we have got these as a base, then we have our good organization, our good management and good infrastructure, so I think we have got everything we should have for the application".