On September 9, at the 9th Asia-Pacific Geoparks Network Symposium, Zanhuang Geopark of China and Langkawi UNESCO Global Geopark of Malaysia officially signed a sister park cooperation agreement, marking the establishment of a long-term friendly cooperative relationship between the two sides and opening a new chapter in cross-border collaboration between a Taihang Mountain-type geopark and a coastal island-type geopark.
Sister Park Cooperation Agreement Signed Between Zanhuang Geopark and Langkawi UNESCO Global Geopark
This cooperation is an important lever for Zanhuang County to deeply implement its five-county development strategy of "establishing the county through ecology, strengthening the county through industry, prospering the county through tourism, invigorating the county through culture, and benefiting the county through people's livelihood." It is of far-reaching significance for enhancing the capacity for geoheritage protection, broadening international cooperation channels in culture and tourism, and supporting the county's green and high-quality development.
Zanhuang Geopark Exhibition Area at the 9th Asia-Pacific Geoparks Network Symposium
Langkawi UNESCO Global Geopark in Malaysia was inscribed as a UNESCO Global Geopark in 2007 and is the first UNESCO Global Geopark in Southeast Asia. Encompassing 99 islands of the Langkawi archipelago, with a land area of approximately 478 square kilometers, the geopark preserves geological evolutionary records spanning 550 million years. It is characterized by ancient Cambrian strata, karst peak-forest landforms, and coastal mangrove ecosystems, and has accumulated mature experience and advanced models in coastal geological resource management and protection, international brand operation, and the development of geoscience study-tour systems.
Zanhuang Geopark is the type locality of Zhangshiyan landform, one of China's three major sandstone landforms. In 2004, it was listed among the third batch of national geoparks, and in June 2026, it passed the national review and officially became a candidate site for a UNESCO Global Geopark. The park currently has 87 typical geological heritage sites, among which the Ω-shaped natural echo wall—with an arc length of more than 300 meters and a height of more than 100 meters—has been included in the Guinness World Records. Its unique landscape pattern, described as "Three Plank Roads Linking Nine Valleys, Four Screens Concealing Eight Scenic Spots," has earned the park the reputation of "a hundred li of red cliffs and ten thousand zhang of crimson ridges." In recent years, the park has continued to deepen its work in geoheritage protection, ecological restoration, science popularization across the entire area, and the integration of mountain culture and tourism, achieving remarkable results in all these efforts.
Echo Wall in the Zhangshiyan Scenic Area of Zanhuang Geopark
Next, taking this cooperation as an opportunity, Zanhuang County will adhere to the working principles of "protection first, rational utilization, and inheritance and development," benchmark itself against advanced international concepts, and draw on Langkawi's mature operational experience. It will focus on three core tasks: refined management and protection of geoheritage, upgrading ecological cultural tourism formats, and building a geological science popularization brand. It will continue to improve management mechanisms, enrich cultural tourism products, broaden international communication, and deepen multilateral cooperation, going all out to secure the designation of a UNESCO Global Geopark, create a high-quality geopark benchmark that showcases the distinctive features of the Taihang Mountains, and help steadily raise the internationalization level of Shijiazhuang's cultural tourism industry.