Jiayang. Alsophila Spinulosa Lake

Chinese Name: 嘉阳.桫椤湖景区 (Jiayang . Suo Luo Hu Jing Qu)
Location: Qianwei County, Leshan City, Sichuan Province
Ticket: Jiayang small train CNY160.00, Alsophila Lake Cruise CNY50.00
Estimated tour time: one day
Recommended time to visit: Mar to Oct.
Nearby attractions: Confucian temple, Luocheng Ancient Town, Leshan Giant Buddha, Qingxi Ancient Town, etc.

Jiayang. Alsophila Spinulosa Lake Scenic spot is a national 4-A class tourist scenic spot and a national water conservancy scenic spot. Jiayang Mine Park is located in the territory of Qianwei County, south of Leshan City, Sichuan Province. 

The scenic area covers an area of 38 square kilometers. It forms the tourist loop together with the Alsophila Lake scenic spot. Natural scenery and cultural landscape in the scenic spot complement each other. 

There is the world's only passenger steam narrow-gauge trains still in operation, the Sino-British joint-venture coal mining site Huangcun well, the old industrial town Bajiaogou left over from the honeymoon period between China and the Soviet Union, ancient coal-transporting trail in Bama lined with tens of thousands of the first-class state-protected plant alsophila. 

The scenic spot has many honorary titles, such as national 3-A Scenic Spot, National Green Mining Park, China Wetland Park, China land of Alsophila, and so on.

● Highlights of Jiayang. Alsophila Spinulosa Lake Scenic spot

The rare Jiayang small train in railway history

In the 47 years since its opening in 1959, Jiayang small train has transported more than 20 million tons of coal and carried 12 million passengers. Jiayang small train is located in Shixi Town and Bagou Town, Qianwei County. The line is totally 19.84 km long, has 6 tunnels, arc 109 sections, 46% of the journey. The minimum turning radius is 70 meters, the maximum slope is 36.14‰ , and the maximum relative height difference is 238 meters.
Its maximum slope and camber index is rare in the history of railway. At present, there are 8 stops and 4 scenic spots. Jiayang locomotive is the No. 3 locomotive of China's self-improvement production with foreign technology, with a maximum speed of 35 km/h and a current speed limit of 20 km/h.

Jiayang small train is the pride of Jiayang people. Everyone who lives in this land and every story that happens has a lot to do with the small train that has been through a lot. It was she who brought Jiayang people into contact with the outside world, she also witnessed the glory and changes of the Jiayang mining area, the small train has become an important part of Jiayang People's life, full of Jiayang people's love for their hometown and old memories.

Alsophila Lake

Alsophila Lake is located in Tongxing Town, 17 km from Qianwei County. It was not originally a lake,  formed in 1984 when the Tanguanyan power station dam cut off Mabian River and the water level rose. The Alsophila Lake formd with 18 km vertical drainage, 150 hectares water area and 20 square km land area.

water level rose to 18 km in a vertical basin with a water area of 150 hectares and a land area of more than 20 square kilometers. It included the lower reaches of Mabian River, Qinglong Gorge in Tongxing Township, Mengzi Gorge and the primitive alsophila forest in Banbanqiao which covered an area of 20 square kilometers, with more than 200,000 Alsophila trees known as living plant fossil. In November 2010, it was awarded the title of "hometown of China's Alsophila" by China Wild Plant Protection Association. It was jointly rated as a national 3-A scenic spot with the adjoining "living fossil of the industrial revolution" Jiayang small train.