I have seen the columnar joint belt on Jeju Island in South Korea before, but it is not as spectacular as that on Elephant Mountain in China!

Columnar joints in the sea stone forest: The columnar joints are distributed in the coastal zone on the east side of Huaao Island, covering an area of about 1.03km². It is composed of about 1.5 million rhyolite (porphyry) rocks formed 116 million years ago. Looking around the coast of China, such magnificent columnar joints are rare.

Formation of columnar joints: Columnar joints are formed by acidic magma that intrudes along volcanic channels, which slowly cools and evenly shrinks to produce vertical longitudinal cracks. Due to the heterogeneity and high viscosity of the acidic magma, stone columns mainly composed of pentagons and hexagons are formed.

Columnar joints are a natural geological landscape that usually occurs in areas of volcanic activity. It is a unique landscape of columnar crystals formed by the magma ejected from the volcano, which solidifies and shrinks when it encounters the sea water.

Ancient salt making: This is the last ancient salt field in Zhejiang Province, and is a national intangible cultural heritage inheritance base. The seawater is dried and crystallized into salt, which is the most primitive way of making salt.
There is a sea salt drying intangible cultural heritage site nearby, which is suitable for parent-child study experience
There is also a "full salt feast", salt-baked lobster, salted duck, salt-baked potatoes...
Hua'ao Stone Forest: Hua'ao Island is a national marine park and Zhejiang Provincial Geopark. Its unique sea erosion landform is one of the three major volcanic rock native landforms in the world. It is known as the "East China Sea Stone Forest" and is spectacular! Check-in and take photos to get super photos

How to get there?
It is recommended to drive by yourself and navigate to Xiangshan [Jingaoyi Wharf]. The parking lot at the ferry wharf is free, and you can scan the code to pay for the ferry ticket directly on site. Key point: Transportation on the island is inconvenient, it is recommended to take a car ferry or bring a bicycle to the island.
It takes about 10 minutes by ferry to reach Huaao Island. Map of scenic spots on the island. Huaao Salt Field is the inheritance base of the intangible cultural heritage of ancient salt-drying method. The only remaining handmade sea salt sun-drying salt field in Zhejiang Province (there are no signs and it is easy to miss. If you are interested, please make an appointment in advance to experience it).
Follow the signs and drive to the end where you will reach Shilin. Parking is very convenient and costs 15 yuan per vehicle. Walk up and down the mountain path for about 18 minutes and you will see the Stone Forest on the Sea. It is recommended to wear comfortable sneakers and use the large black goose pebble to massage the soles of your feet.

Visiting Stone Forest?
Stone Forest Ticket: 40 yuan/person
Important point: It is very important to check the tide times online before traveling.
If the tide is high, the scenery will be greatly reduced and it will be impossible to go to the Stone Forest.
Sunny/cloudy days give different feelings. On sunny days: the blue sky and white clouds set off the stone forest; on cloudy days: the sky and the stone forest lose their colors and echo the black goose-soft stones, which is like a National Geographic blockbuster.

Catering: There are simple stalls to choose from.
Accommodation: The island is in a semi-developed state with average facilities. It is recommended to go there and back on the same day.