Northern exposure

With a history of more than 3 million years, Wannian Ice Cave is one of the largest of its kind in China. Wei Xiaohao / China Daily

Mount Luya, with more than 200 rock peaks, is the prime attraction in the national forest park in Ningwu county, Shanxi province.

Many county-level scenic spots in the country, especially those in North China, share a similar problem - poor exploitation of tourism. Symptoms include exaggerated names, overpriced admissions and accommodations, limited but expensive services, ugly buildings and few considerations for individual visitors.

They diminish the travelers' experience and have spoiled many genuine excellent natural attractions.

So when a friend invited me to his hometown, a remote county in Shanxi province, to visit Wannian ("Ten Thousand Years") Ice Cave and an alpine meadow on a locally famous mountain, I hesitated.

I don't like the name; it sounds like a gimmick. But my friend, who was born and grew up there, says these are true natural wonders and worth a visit.

His hometown, Ningwu, is only three hours' drive from Taiyuan, the capital of Shanxi, where I was on business recently. So I went with him for a two-day excursion, without much expectation.

We have our dinner at arestaurantoverlooking a lake, which is one of the Ningwu Tianchi ("Heavenly Lake"). The lake is clean and peaceful. At about 2,000 meters above sea level, the breeze from the lake is cool even at the height of summer.

To be honest, the scenery is mediocre - nothing to compare with the other two famous "heavenly lakes", in Xinjiang autonomous region and Jilin province. But the fish caught here is fresh and delicious.

The lakes are about 20 km from the county town. After dinner, we drive about half an hour to Dongzhai township and check into a hotel near the entrance of Mount Luya National Forest Park.

The next morning, I find our hotel to be partof a recreational area that is still under construction. At this moment, it is a little noisy and dirty.

The gate of the forest park is newly completed and quite big. The good thing: There is no admission fee yet.

The road winding into the forest park is in excellent condition.

And it is certainly a surprise to find mature secondary coniferous forests, with tall spruce and pine trees, in an area near the Loess Plateau and in the province known for its rich resources of coal.

With the forests, everything becomes pleasant. The river is clear, flowers are blossoming, birds are chirping and the air is refreshing.

Cave men

Beijing's mountainous suburbs have made this city an ideal place for outdoor sports, but along with great heights, there are great depths to be explored as well.

Scenery of Karst caves in Jiuxiang, SW China

Tourists visit the Jiuxiang scenic spot in Yiliang County, some 90 kilometers away from Kunming, capital of southwest China's Yunnan Province, Aug. 12, 2013. Jiuxiang is famous for its Karst cave landscape.