Yibin hides a "Jurassic Forest," where the dinosaur plants from the movie come alive
Hongyanshan Cyathea Sea: Deep in Yibin’s mountains, collide with 100,000 Jurassic plants
A 30-minute drive from downtown Yibin, the car turns onto the mountain road of Shengtian Town, and the air suddenly becomes damp. A roadside sign reads "Cyathea Sea 1km." Further ahead, clusters of pinnate leaves stretch out from the cliff walls like thousands of green hands waving in the wind—this is Hongyanshan, home to 100,000 cyatheas in a "Jurassic secret realm."
When the crew of "Cosmic Exploration Editorial Department" came here last year to film, the director reportedly shouted "Stop" as soon as he stepped into the forest: "No need to build sets, this is exactly where Sun Yitong should be." Walking through the woods now, you can still see shadows from the movie: in the mist of the Yellow River Mouth waterfall, it seems like a person wearing a straw hat is reciting poetry; beside the old wooden sign of Hongyan Radio Station, cyathea leaves hang down as if eavesdropping on cosmic signals.
🌿 Dive into the Cyathea Sea: Every step treads on the winds of the dinosaur era
The entrance to the easy hiking trail is hidden around the corner of Liumi Temple. As soon as you step onto the wooden boardwalk, you are enveloped by the "green" of the cyatheas—the trunks look as if coated with varnish, shooting straight up to the sky, with umbrella-shaped leaves filtering sunlight into golden fragments. In the hollow of one cyathea, decayed leaves and rainwater have collected. A young man wearing hiking boots squats down and says, "These leaves are exactly like the ones Sun Yitong held in the movie—pinnate compound leaves with serrated edges. No wonder they’re called 'living fossils of plants.' Maybe dinosaurs even munched on these."
The stones in the stream have been polished by water to look like dinosaur eggs. The boardwalk winds along the stream, and one rock is covered with round pits. The guide says these are "glacial potholes," traces left by glacial movement. Water overflows from the pits, wetting the cyathea’s aerial roots, which hang like an old man’s beard, soft to the touch. A girl in a white dress sits on a rock taking photos; her skirt is sprinkled with grass seeds, and behind her, layers of cyatheas look like a scene straight out of Jurassic Park.
Deep in the dense forest hides the "King of Cyatheas." It takes 40 minutes to reach this cyathea, whose trunk requires two people to embrace. It is said to be over a thousand years old, with leaves that can cover half a ping-pong table. From the decayed leaf pile at the base of the trunk, several small cyatheas sprout like newly hatched dinosaur babies. "Locals used to call it the 'Seven-Leaf Tree,'" the guide gestures with his hands, "The elders say touching it brings good luck. Actually, it’s because this forest has been well protected—no logging here—so the cyatheas grow so vigorously."
🎬 Follow the movie: Find the "signals from the universe" at Hongyanshan
In the mist of the Yellow River Mouth waterfall, you can see a rainbow. This is where Sun Yitong "encounters the alien spaceship" in the movie. Water crashes down from the Danxia cliff, and the mist bends into a small rainbow in the sunlight. Fans in windbreakers hold up their phones to record, aiming at the rock wall behind the waterfall: "The movie says there’s a meteor crater here. Look at the color of these rocks—red like burnt iron. Maybe there really is a secret."
The wooden sign of Hongyan Radio Station has lost most of its paint. The old site is in a bamboo grove halfway up the mountain, with only a crooked wooden frame left, hanging rusty speakers. A bespectacled young man holds up a movie poster for comparison: "Sun Yitong broadcasted here. Listen—" He clears his throat and recites lines, his voice fragmented by the bamboo wind, while the cyathea leaves rustle as if responding.
The stone steps of the ancient artillery fort tell stories of battles. A 20-minute climb from the radio station leads to the Ming Dynasty fort ruins, with cannonball dents still visible on the bluestone slabs. Standing on the fort looking down, the cyathea sea looks like a green wave, the red cliffs of Danxia Mountain are the wave crests, and the golden peak of Liumi Temple is the sparkling foam. "This used to be a strategic military site," says the old man guarding the mountain, smoking a cigarette. "Who would have thought it’s now a place to see cyatheas? The times have become more magical than any movie."
🍵 Farmhouse at the foot of the mountain: Taste the "dinosaur era" dishes
The landlady’s pickled long beans are soaked in a jar covered with cyathea leaves. "These leaves are clean and prevent mold." She serves stir-fried pickled beans with cured meat, oil splattering on the table, the aroma making you salivate. The cured meat is from local black pigs, with a smoky flavor that pairs perfectly with the crunchy pickled beans, enough to eat three bowls of rice.
Liumi Temple’s vegetarian noodles float with tender cyathea shoots in the soup. The monks say the shoots lose their bitterness after blanching and are very cooling. The noodles are handmade, thick like bamboo joints, topped with mushroom broth and sprinkled with scallions. Sitting on a stone bench at the temple entrance, the breeze from the cyathea sea cools the bowl’s rim with tiny droplets.
📍 "Time travel" guide for visiting here
· Route options: There are 5 hiking trails of varying difficulty. Beginners can choose the "Liumi Temple - Cyathea Sea" easy hike (1 hour), while experienced hikers can take the "Artillery Fort - Yellow River Mouth" loop (3 hours). Signposts are along the way, so no worries about getting lost.
· Tickets: Free of charge! Even parking is free. The scenic area is newly developed and not commercialized. Farmhouse meals cost about 30 yuan per person and are filling.
· What to wear: Wear non-slip shoes! The boardwalk can be slippery when wet. Long sleeves and pants are a must because cyathea leaf edges can be a bit prickly. To get the movie look, bring a straw hat and an old shirt, stand by the waterfall, and you’ll have the vibe.
· Hidden tip: Arrive at Liumi Temple before 7 a.m. to see mist rising from the cyathea sea like the morning fog of the dinosaur era. Photos come with a natural filter.
When leaving, the sunset stretches the shadows of the cyatheas long. Outside the car window, the last cyathea leaf sways in the wind as if saying "Goodbye." Suddenly, it feels like this forest is truly magical—180 million-year-old cyatheas have seen dinosaurs, wars, and now movies and us. It stands silently, turning time into stories, waiting for everyone to listen.
Are you ready to come to the Cyathea Sea and find which story? The cosmic signals from the movie or the footprints left by dinosaurs? Tell me in the comments~
Practical Guide
· Transportation: 30-minute drive from downtown Yibin (navigate to "Hongyanshan Cyathea Sea," last 5 km is paved, accessible by regular cars); from downtown, take the rural bus to Shengtian Town, then a 10 yuan taxi to the scenic area.
· Accommodation: Staying in downtown Yibin is convenient (near Sanjiangkou, with river views at night). If you want to stay in the mountains, farmhouses cost 80 yuan/night and you can fall asleep listening to the stream.
· Must-bring: Mosquito repellent! It’s humid and mosquitoes are many; power bank, taking photos of cyatheas and waterfalls drains battery fast; water bottle, Liumi Temple offers free mountain spring water, very sweet.
· Note: Cyathea is a nationally protected plant, do not touch or cut randomly. Report anyone damaging it. Take your trash with you; this pure land must be well protected.