Hongqi Canal and Taihang Grand Canyon

An aerial drone photo taken on March 25, 2025 shows a view of the main canal of the Hongqi Canal in Linzhou City, central China's Henan province. (Xinhua/Hao Yuan)

Hongqi Canal and Taihang Grand Canyon are situated in Linzhou, Henan, connecting Shanxi, Hebei and Henan provinces. The artificial Hongqi Canal is built on the cliffs of Taihang Mountain and has served as the venue for youth's patriotic education for quite some time.

With 10 years spent on its construction in the 1960s, the 70.6-kilometer-long canal is widely considered to be the turning point in local people's history of overpowering the harsh environment. The well-built canal is affectionately called an "artificial miracle" and boasts a number of fascinating scenic spots nested within the beautiful landscape.

Linzhou's Taihang Grand Canyon stretches 50 km from north to south and 1.5 km from east to west. It towers 800 to 1,739 meters high with a relative height difference of nearly 1,000 meters, leading to different significant landscapes from the foot to the top of the mountain.

Famed as a natural oxygen bar, the grand canyon covers an area of 89 square kilometers with a vegetation coverage rate of 90 percent. Boasting lofty and steep cliffs, rushing waters and lush green trees and flowers, the grand canyon is a holiday resort for relaxation, rafting, landscape painting, and sightseeing.