Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Puglia Italy - Matera
Italy • 8 days, 7 nights
Southern Italy: Castles, Caves & Coastal Treasures in Puglia
from
Turkmenistan Gates of Hell Darvaza crater
Turkmenistan • 10 days, 9 nights
Turkmenistan & the Gates of Hell
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Pinal Airpark
Note the chrysanthemum crests.
Hachiman Bridge
Clarendon War Memorial.
Clarendon War Memorial
This fried chicken is one of Bangkok’s most famous.
Gai Tord Jae Kee
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
This fried chicken is one of Bangkok’s most famous.
Gai Tord Jae Kee
Chefs Aruss Lerlerstkull and Atcharaporn Kiatthanawat lean into regional traditions.
Charmgang
The khao soi at Gedhawa comes with a rich, coconutty broth.
Gedhawa
At Nai Mong Hoi Thod, the oyster omelet is worth waiting for.
Nai Mong Hoi Thod
In this deceptively simple dish, top-quality ingredients are paramount.
Kor Panich
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Haleakalā National Park’s summit region, shrouded in the pre-dawn fog.
Beware the Legends Behind These National Park Souvenirs
3 days ago
For Aguilar-Carrasco, nature is a powerful reminder of the interconnectedness of all life.
How Can National Parks Be Made Accessible to All? AO Wants to Know.
4 days ago
Podcast: Finding ‘The Great Gatsby’ in Louisville
5 days ago
Here’s which treats you can safely lug home without risking a fine.
Dear Atlas: What International Food Can I Legally Bring Into the U.S.?
6 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All China Guiyang Yelang Valley
AO Edited

Yelang Valley

It took an artist 20 years to create this sprawling sculpture garden honoring the area's ancient inhabitants.

Guiyang, China

Added By
alliouaganarama
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
Face sculptures at Yelang Valley   Imaginechina Limited / Alamy Stock Photo
Face sculptures at Yelang Valley   Imaginechina Limited / Alamy Stock Photo
One of the sculptures at Yelang Valley.   Imaginechina Limited / Alamy Stock Photo
The stone castle at Yelang Valley   Imaginechina Limited / Alamy Stock Photo
Song Peilun at Yelang Valley.   Imaginechina Limited / Alamy Stock Photo
Yelang Valley.   CCTV+/CC BY 2.0
Song Peilun, the artist.   CCTV+/CC BY 2.0
YeLang Valley   CC BY 2.0
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Stone figures tower above the grassy turf within a patch of forest in the Chinese province of Guizhou. Their eyes, forever open, gaze across the lush landscape. Though the rocky creatures look like the magical leftovers of a long-gone ancient settlement, they’re actually relatively new creations.

The stunning structures are the work of Song Peilun, an artist, cartoonist, and former professor. He has spent more than 20 years designing the sprawling village of stone figures. Known as Yelang Valley, the massive collection of art spans over two million square feet and includes castles, lakes, and freestanding towers adorned with facial features.

Local masons helped with the construction, though since they had little artistic experience, Peilun instructed them to treat building the structures as if they were making pigpens.

Peilun began building Yelang Valley after visiting the Crazy Horse Memorial on a trip to the United States. He quit his job as a professor and purchased a then-isolated plot of land. The artist chose to build the mystical-looking sculpture park out of stone, as it was abundantly available and would therefore be environmentally friendly and cheap.

Yelang Valley is his way of honoring and remembering the Yelang tribes that inhabited the area nearly 2,000 years ago before disappearing and leaving few artifacts in their wake.

Though the area was once isolated and rural, there are now a handful of university buildings that have popped up nearby. Students sometimes help Peilun continue constructing the ever-evolving artwork.

Related Tags

Villages Art Sculptures Sculpture Gardens Forests Ecosystems

Community Contributors

Added By

alliouaganarama

Edited By

Meg, Kerry Wolfe, Michelle Cassidy

  • Meg
  • Kerry Wolfe
  • Michelle Cassidy

Published

September 22, 2017

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20170912-the-man-who-built-a-chinese-utopia
  • https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/five-fun-facts-you-still-dont-know-yelang-valley-dayong-wei
  • http://www.odditycentral.com/tag/song-peilun
Yelang Valley
Yelang Valley
Huaxi District
Guiyang
China
26.38815, 106.644768
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Liebian International Building

Guiyang, China

miles away

The Eye of Heaven

Pingtang County, China

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Guiyang

Guiyang

China

Places 2

Nearby Places

Liebian International Building

Guiyang, China

miles away

The Eye of Heaven

Pingtang County, China

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Guiyang

Guiyang

China

Places 2

Related Stories and Lists

Life Changing Locations with the Places Team

Podcast

By The Podcast Team

Our Favorite Weird, Wild Sculpture Gardens

List

By Jonathan Carey

Related Places

  • Oranki Art.

    Pello, Finland

    Oranki Art

    A little-known sculpture park of contemporary environmental art in a Lapland forest.

  • Picture Frame by artist Jaakko Pernu

    Lincoln, Montana

    Blackfoot Pathways: Sculpture in the Wild

    A collection of huge, site-specific sculptures sitting in the Montana woods.

  • “Cathedral.”

    Coleford, England

    Forest of Dean Sculpture Trail

    On this wooded path, a stained-glass window creates a spellbinding forest cathedral.

  • Crawick Multiverse.

    Crawick, Scotland

    Crawick Multiverse

    Modern megaliths form this work of cosmic, Celtic landscape art.

  • Òrrius, Spain

    The Enchanted Forest of Òrrius

    A Spanish forest is filled with mysterious stone carvings.

  • dragon

    Sept-Îles, Québec

    Iron Sculptures of Sept-Îles

    A collection of whimsical metal sculptures scattered along a forest path.

  • Other iconic sculptures include a stylized revisitation of the Greek myth of Leda and the Swan by Colombian sculptor Fernando Bottero.

    Orlando, Florida

    Lake Nona Sculpture Garden

    A public, open-air art exhibit featuring world-renowned sculptures hides in plain sight on the outskirts of Orlando.

  • The Awakening by Lorri Acott, one of the nearly 100 pieces on display.

    Little Rock, Arkansas

    Vogel Schwartz Sculpture Garden

    Art blooms at this unique outdoor gallery along the banks of the Arkansas River.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.