In Yizhang, Mangshan Mountain in spring is the "kingdom" of azaleas. Unlike elsewhere, the azaleas here are the Alpine Azaleas.

Azalea is a large family of dicotyledon plants and woody plants. There are about 650 species in 17 genera in China. Alpine Azalea is one of the most abundant resources of azaleas. Compared with the general azaleas, the Alpine Azaleas have thicker branches and leaves, and the height of the trees can reach 3 meters. The corolla is umbrella-shaped, 15-20 cm in diameter, and some species are even more than 25 cm in diameter; it is rich in color, with red, yellow, purple, white and various transitional colors, flowering from April to June; thick branches, big leaves, thick leaves, mostly lustrous.

Alpine Azalea has strong adaptability, extremely cold and heat resistance. It is evergreen all the year round, an excellent species for urban and rural greening. 70 percent of the original species of Alpine Azalea originated in China, and it is also one of the top 10 famous flowers in China. Overseas, Alpine Azaleas are the noble flowers and planted in all European gardens. Without Alpine Azaleas, it can not be called a garden.

Every April, azaleas blossom all over the mountains, turning Mangshan Mountain into a sea of flowers. There are 43 species of azaleas in Mangshan Mountain, which accounts for 4 subgenera of 5 subgenera of azaleas in the world. Among them, Hunan azalea, Jianshang azalea and Huguang azalea are endemic species of azaleas in Mangshan Mountain. Because of the different altitudes, the long flowering period is one of the main characteristics of azalea blooming in Mangshan Mountain. From low altitude to high altitude, all kinds of azaleas blossom in sequence, and the flowering period lasts for up to 3 months. Especially in the Tiantai Mountains, the azalea sea stretching for more than ten miles is a great wonder in South China and even in China. Mangshan Mountain is the most concentrated area of azalea resources in South China, with the most primitive population and the largest number of native azalea forests. In Mangshan forest area, the forest belt of azalea trees accounts for a large proportion of more than 20,000 hectares of land.

Self-driving route: Mangshan National Forest Park, Chenzhou City

Bus Line: Intercounty Bus