China's most mysterious twin towers.

Chengde Mountain Resort, located in Chengde City, Hebei Province, is one of the most popular tourist destinations in China.

This resort is one of the four most famous estates in the country of over a billion people, showcasing the pinnacle of classical Chinese gardening techniques. With its outstanding architectural value, the Chengde Mountain Resort has been recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Chengde Mountain Resort is located in Chengde City, Hebei Province, China. (Photo: Sohu)

The Chengde Mountain Resort began construction around the early 18th century, during the reign of Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty. Initially, only a small manor was built, but through the reigns of Kangxi, Yongzheng, and Qianlong, it gradually expanded to its current scale.

The resort's architecture is simple and elegant, prioritizing the preservation of natural beauty and harmony with the environment. The structures are built to suit the existing terrain, without disrupting the landscape. Within the grounds, there is not only the grandeur and majesty of Northern Chinese architecture, but also the subtlety and softness of Southern Chinese architecture.

The architecture of the Chengde Mountain resort prioritizes preserving natural beauty and harmonizing with nature as much as possible. (Photo: Sohu)

The Chengde Mountain Resort is divided into areas such as palaces, lakes, and gardens. The entire complex is a harmonious blend of mountains and lakes, showcasing many typical characteristics of Chinese culture. The structures within the resort are considered evidence of the historical development of Chinese garden art, a treasure trove of art with immense historical and cultural value for future generations.

Surrounding the resort grounds are many notable attractions, one of which is dubbed "China's most mysterious building." To this day, no one has been able to explain its origin. It consists of two ancient brick towers atop Songta Mountain, about 10 km from the resort.

The most distinctive feature of this place is the two parallel mountain peaks, with their upper parts connected and a wide gap between them. Each peak has an ancient brick tower, which is the origin of the name Twin Towers Mountain.

Mount Song Thap. (Photo: Sohu)

Song Thap Mountain, covering an area of approximately 3,000 hectares, is the largest natural scenic spot in Chengde City. From a distance, the two peaks look like two large, seemingly unassuming rock formations. However, upon closer inspection, the two mountains are towering and vertical, reaching heights of over 40 meters and circumferences of 74 meters. The gap between the two rock formations is wide enough for a car to pass through.

Experts estimate that the two towers were built during the Liao Dynasty, over 1,000 years ago. The tower on the north peak is 2 meters high, while the tower on the south peak is over 5 meters high, and each tower contains an ancient statue.

A close-up view of the two stone towers atop Song Thap Mountain. (Photo: Baidu)

Remarkably, the surface surrounding the Twin Towers is very smooth; even professional climbers today would find it difficult to ascend barehanded. In ancient times, before the advent of specialized equipment, it's hard to imagine how people managed to climb to the summit. After reaching the top, how did they transport building materials to complete the construction of these two brick towers? These mysteries remain unsolved to this day.

Hua Yu (Source: Sohu)

Source: https://vtcnews.vn/toa-thap-doi-bi-an-nhat-trung-quoc-ar911860.html