Although the Oriental Goddess, a picturesquely peak in Mount Sanqingshan in Shangrao in East China's Jiangxi Province, is not as famous as the Statue of Liberty in New York, however its importance will definitely outstrip the latter, as it was created by nature more than 140 million years ago.

Dubbed the "first fairy mountain in the world" ,the Mount Sanqingshan in Shangrao, a tourist attraction featuring granite, forests, gorges and unique ecological scenes, has recently attracted the attention of global geologists.

On July 24 – 28, 2006, the First International Symposium on Granite Geology and Landscapes was held in an effort to strengthen exchanges with granite geoparks of other countries. It also aimed at further studying the formation and development of geology and landforms of granite, as well as exploring the effective usage of natural landscape resources. The Symposium was hosted by the Shangrao Municipal Government, Jiangxi Provincial Land and Resources Department, Research Centre of the National Geopark, the Research Branch of Tourism Geology & Geopark, Geological Society of China in Shangrao City and the Management Committee of the Mount Sanqingshan National Park.

More than 160 overseas and local specialists of geology, geomorphology and tourism, gathered in the city to take part in the meeting.These specialists include Dr Chris Wood , an Environmental Consultant of World Commission on Protected Areas IUCN , Dr Franz Wolfgang Eder , the former Director of Earth Sciences Division of UNESCO , Prof. Piotr Migon, the former Secretary- General of International Association of Geomorphologists , Dr Lu Yaoru ,an academia of China Academy of Science , Prof. Chen Anze, National Geopark Evaluator and Vice President of the Research Branch of Tourism Geology & Geopark ,Geological Society of China ,Prof.Cui Zhijiu and Prof. Li Jianghai from Peking University and Prof. Young Ng from Sydney University etc.

In the Symposium, both overseas and local experts discussed and exchanged their views under various topics including the formation and evolution of granite geology and landscapes, its scientific popularization, geopark construction and management .All experts presented their papers. For instance, Dr Franz Wolfgang Eder's discussion on the "Geoheritage Geoparks and the Promotion of Earth Sciences through the International Year of Planet Earth in 2008", Prof. Piotr Migon's presentation on "Granite Landcapes Geodiversity at Its Best", and Prof.Cui Zhijiu's paper on the “Classification and Development of Granite Landform' provided further insights to the development of Mount Sanqingshan. Meanwhile, Mount Sanqingshan's geological values had been explored in the Symposium. Its importance had been further recognized and compared with the other granite landscapes therefore attracted tremendous interests of the geologists around the globe.

During the symposium, local and overseas experts toured the Mount Sanqingshan National Park and made on-the-spot inspection. When entering the scenic spots, they were all amazed by the stunning and wonderful views. "It's really wonderful. The scenery here is one of the most spectacular sceneries in the world," exclaimed Dr Franz Wolfgang Eder.

"While there are other notable granite mountains in the world, many of which are established protected areas, none displays such an intriguing and impactful landscape as Mt Sanqingshan. This mountain combines outstanding geological and geomorphological resources , with internationally important disjunct and relict flora and fauna, making it one of the world's great natural treasures. Every effort should be made to secure international recognition of this unique and special landscape." said Dr Chris Wood.

"Focusing on granite, few if any other world sites can rival Mount Sanqingshan in terms of grandeur, majesty and phantasy of Mother Nature." said Prof. Piotr Migon .

"Mount Sanqingshan is of great scientific aesthetic values which meet both the quality requirements of the World Geological Park and World Heritage. More efforts should be made to further scientific research and environmental improvements to make it a world-renowned site." commented Prof. Chen Anze .

"The incomparable grotesque and splendid landscapes of Mount Sanqingshan stand distinct from the landscapes of other granite mountains in their impact on the soul of the visitor . It is an ideal location for scientific research. It will encourage appreciation of the great and unique beauty of Mt Sanqingshan." said Dr Cui Zhijiu.

The unique granite geomorphology in Mount Sanqingshan, where Geological Society of China decided to set up Research Center for Granite Landscapes in China ,attracts the geologists from all over the world.Then more geologist home and abroad will come here to do field trip.Welcome to Mount Sanqingshan with spetacular, marvellous and precipitous landforms ,distinguished guests!