A Gorge of Waterfalls: Yuwan Valley in Lianyungang
三潭泻玉连秋水，一涧穿云送晚凉 Sān tán xiè yù lián qiūshuǐ, yī jiàn chuān yún sòng wǎn liáng – Three pools pour jade into autumn water; one ravine threads the clouds and sends up evening cool
正文：渔湾 Yúwān Yuwan Valley is the water song of 连云港市 Liányúngǎng Shì Lianyungang City – a granite ravine south of the Yuntai range where a chain of pools and waterfalls steps down the mountain in three great drops, the deepest and most famous called Laolongtan, the Old Dragon Pool. In a region better known for beaches and peaks, this is the place locals go to stand in cold spray on a hot day.
The trail follows the stream itself – stone steps dodge from bank to bank over polished rock, footbridges cross the shallows, and each turn opens a new fall pouring into a green pool. After summer rain the gorge roars; in the dry season it whispers, and the pools turn glass-clear over brown stone.
The Old Dragon Pool is the climax: a black-green basin walled by smooth cliffs, its waterfall dropping a long ribbon into water that never quite warms. Local tradition ties the pool to the dragon lore that also feeds the Journey to the West legends up the road, and on busy days the viewing ledge hums with visitors counting the drops between showers of spray.
Bring shoes that can get wet and a change of clothes for children – wading is half the point. The full circuit takes two to three hours, the gorge is shadiest in midsummer, and autumn turns the ravine quiet and gold when the crowds thin to weekend walkers.
Practicalities
Beyond the gorge, the same 连云港市 Liányúngǎng Shì Lianyungang City keeps more places worth the detour: 花果山 Huāguǒ Shān Huaguo Mountain for the Monkey King peak, 连岛 Liándǎo Liandao Island for the sand bays, 海上云台山 Hǎishàng Yúntái Shān Yuntai Mountain for the sea-and-city overlook, or 孔望山 Kǒngwàng Shān Kongwang Mountain for the Han cliff carvings – four more doors into the same 连云港市 Liányúngǎng Shì Lianyungang City. Once the pools are visited, our Lianyungang food map fills the day.
Practicalities
Words and Names
flowcloud would say Yuwan Valley is the region’s cold tap: three pools, one gorge, and water cold enough to make summer feel like a guest rather than a landlord. All checked November 2026.
Getting there: Yuwan Valley sits about twenty minutes south of downtown Lianyungang by bus or taxi; entry is by scenic-area ticket, the stream-side route is stepped and can be slippery, and weekday mornings after rain give the falls at full voice. All checked November 2026.