Guangwu Mountain, China’s Number One Red Leaf Mountain! Technology Empowers a New Autumn Viewing Experience

Early morning at Guangwu Mountain, mist weaves through the colorful forests. Mr. Zhang, a visitor from Chongqing, holds up his phone to capture the exciting moment when dancers and robots perform the national intangible cultural heritage “Fanshan Jiazi” together on stage, unable to help but exclaim. “Absolutely amazing! The robot really can dance ‘Fanshan Jiazi’!” Mr. Zhang’s video shared on social media received over a hundred likes within just an hour. This year at Guangwu Mountain, the perfect blend of technology and nature has become a hot topic among tourists. With the opening of the 23rd Sichuan Guangwu Mountain International Red Leaf Festival, this tourist destination, known as “Asia’s Largest Red Leaf Viewing Area,” welcomes a brand-new experience. This year’s festival, themed “Guests from Afar Come AI to Guangwu Red,” breaks the traditional red leaf viewing model by innovatively introducing artificial intelligence, robots, and other technological elements. --- 01 Technology Empowerment: Innovative Transformation of the Traditional Red Leaf Festival This year’s Guangwu Mountain Red Leaf Festival presents a grand feast blending technology and nature. Robots take center stage. At the Red Leaf Festival Technology Carnival, robots not only hosted parts of the event but also performed the Charleston dance “Guangwu Red.” The highlight was the “Human-Machine Co-Creation” segment, where multiple robots and dancers performed the national intangible cultural heritage “Fanshan Jiazi” together, injecting a sci-fi flair into traditional art. Interactive experiences fully upgraded. The scenic area specially set up an interactive zone offering five major experiences: robot fighting, soccer matches, board games, interactive photo sessions, and kung fu tea performances. Visitors who participate and collect stamps can redeem limited-edition cultural and creative gifts. Smart services enhance the quality of visits. Guangwu Mountain Scenic Area introduced 50 “black technology” exoskeleton assist devices for climbing. Wearing these, visitors can save up to 70% of their physical effort while hiking, making it easier to reach the top of the Swallow Ridge loop to enjoy the stunning red leaves. 02 Natural Wonders: The Charm of Asia’s Largest Red Leaf Viewing Area Guangwu Mountain Tourism Area boasts a 680-square-kilometer red leaf corridor, acclaimed as “Asia’s Largest Red Leaf Viewing Area.” The red leaf scenery here is uniquely captivating. Vast scale of red leaves. Guangwu Mountain’s red leaves cover a wide area with a viewing period lasting over a month, giving visitors ample time to plan their trips. The variety of red leaves is also exceptionally rich, with more than 40 species presenting layered and diverse color changes. Three major scenic areas each with unique features. Guangwu Mountain Tourism Area includes Guangwu Mountain Scenic Area, Micang Mountain Scenic Area, and Shibayue Tan Scenic Area. Xianglu Mountain in Micang Mountain Scenic Area is an excellent vantage point overlooking the entire red leaf panorama. At an altitude of 2,230 meters, standing atop the mountain offers a full view of the autumn colors. The Natural Gallery, one of the best red leaf viewing spots in Guangwu Mountain, features richly colored forests like a three-dimensional autumn oil painting. Walking through the woods, you see red leaves of various shades everywhere; when the wind blows, the leaves fall like rain, dreamlike and enchanting. Heixiong Valley and Shibayue Tan showcase a poetic combination of red leaves and water. By the mountain streams in Heixiong Valley, all autumn daydreams from poetry come to life. Shibayue Tan Scenic Area, named for its 18 waterfall pools resembling laurel leaves, is sometimes called the “Little Jiuzhaigou” of Guangwu Mountain. 03 Experience Upgrade: Comprehensive Play from Ground to Air This year, Guangwu Mountain Tourism Area added a batch of amusement projects, changing the previous single experience of just viewing red leaves. Rich ground entertainment projects. Guangwu Mountain Sports Theme Park officially opened this year, featuring new attractions like mountain coasters and glass water slide rafting. Since opening, the park has welcomed over 3,000 visitors daily. Hiking challenge adds excitement. The Guangwu Mountain Hiking Challenge offers three routes: two beginner routes of 6.5 kilometers each and one advanced route of 11 kilometers. The trails cover key scenic spots in the area, and finishers receive a limited daily edition Guangwu Mountain custom commemorative medal. Unique aerial viewing perspective. Visitors can take a helicopter from the Micang Mountain Scenic Area helipad to overlook the 680-square-kilometer sea of red leaves from 300 meters high. This project also offers a “helicopter + drone” joint photography service for photography enthusiasts, capturing stunning moments where clouds and red leaves blend. 04 Thoughtful Services: Smart and Convenient Touring To provide visitors with a more convenient touring experience, Guangwu Mountain Tourism Area launched multiple thoughtful services. Real-time red leaf index updates. The scenic area uses big data analysis combined with on-site observations to accurately predict red leaf conditions and promptly push red leaf indices. Daily real-time updates ensure visitors don’t miss the best red leaf viewing. Human-machine interactive lifestyle market. At Tieluba Square in Micang Mountain Scenic Area, a human-machine interactive lifestyle market runs until October 29. Visitors can enjoy robot-made coffee, milk tea, ice cream, and other delicacies, and interact with robot dogs and robot artists. Diverse play plans. The scenic area offers personalized play plans for different groups. For families, there is a “Red Leaf Science Tour” guiding children to identify red leaf tree species and make leaf vein specimens; for wellness groups, a “Forest Healing Tour” combines hot spring therapy and medicinal cuisine for a relaxing body and mind package. 05 Travel Tips: Efficient Touring of Guangwu Mountain Tickets and ticketing policies. Bazhong City has coordinated 31 scenic spots and 18 cultural museums to launch a “one ticket for multiple spots, one appointment for three days” ticketing policy. It also collaborates with performance, sports, and food sectors to promote “ticket stub economy” mutual benefits, driving coordinated development of regional consumption. Three classic touring routes: · Route 1: Peak Cluster Red Leaf Tour (Guangwu Mountain Scenic Area) — Visitor Center — Wanhui Pilgrimage — Yuntian Feiyan — Hongshanya — Swallow Ridge — Seven Women Peak — Wanhui Pilgrimage — Swallow Ridge Cableway Upper Station. · Route 2: Romantic Red Leaf Tour (Micang Mountain Scenic Area) — Jiaguo Mountain — Natural Gallery — Langou Bridge — Heixiong Valley — Golden Corridor — Xianglu Mountain. · Route 3: Fairy Pool Red Leaf Tour (Shibayue Tan Scenic Area) — Yunti Pool — Pearl Pool — Couple Pool — Five-Color Pool — Wedding Dress Waterfall — Fairy Pool. Best viewing time. The Guangwu Mountain Red Leaf Festival starts in October, with mid-October to mid-November as the best viewing period. It is recommended to follow the official social media accounts for daily red leaf index updates. Accommodation options. Bazhong Cultural Tourism Demonstration Zone has completed 16 homestays and put 60 homestays into operation, adding 808 new rooms and 1,482 beds. After renovation, Guangwu Mountain Red Leaf Villa homestay not only installed elevators and refurbished exteriors but also added smart appliances in every room, making it more popular with guests. 06 In-Depth Experience: Diverse Activities to Keep Visitors Longer To encourage visitors to stay after hiking, Bazhong offers more activities to “retain guests.” Night tour projects fully upgraded. The large immersive night tour project “New Dream Guangwu Mountain” has been fully upgraded. The scenic area also hosts weekly “Red Leaf Concerts” paired with outdoor movies and bonfire parties, creating a romantic autumn experience. Special local food experience. At Guangwu Mountain, don’t miss the local specialty—Nanjing Yellow Goat, known as “China’s Number One Goat.” There are many ways to prepare the goat meat: oil-drizzled yellow goat head, spicy diced goat meat, wild chive mixed with yellow goat, braised yellow goat meat, rustic goat offal… the lavish yellow goat feast will make your mouth water. Linking nearby attractions. Guangwu Mountain-Nuoshui River Global Geopark is not only the 36th national geopark but also Sichuan’s third global geopark. The park covers a total area of 1,818 square kilometers, mainly composed of Guangwu Mountain and Nuoshui River sections. --- At dusk, Guangwu Mountain looks even more charming under the sunset glow. A visitor from Beijing remarked, “It’s not that I can’t go to Japan for red leaves, but Guangwu Mountain offers better value!” From technology empowerment to service quality improvement, from ecological protection to experience innovation, Guangwu Mountain is achieving a magnificent transformation from traditional sightseeing to immersive experience with its 680-square-kilometer red leaf landscape and cutting-edge technology. This autumn destination, known as “China’s Number One Red Leaf Mountain,” is not only a natural heritage but also a modern model of technology-tourism integration. Take advantage of the crisp autumn air and come to Guangwu Mountain to experience this spectacular fusion of technology and nature in the red leaf festival!