Jinjiangshan Park

Jinjiangshan Park

Nestled in the scenic Jinjiang Mountain to the north of Dandong City, Jinjiangshan Park boasts picturesque surroundings with lush green hills and undulating peaks. The park is built along the mountain’s contours, featuring winding paths that lead to serene, tranquil spots. It is adorned with pavilions, shaded by verdant trees, and offers stunning views in all seasons. As a must-visit destination for both domestic and international tourists coming to Dandong, it is also ranked as the foremost of the Eight Scenic Spots of Northeast China.

Covering an area of 91.06 hectares, Jinjiangshan Park was established in 1916 under the original name Zhenjiangshan Park, and renamed to its current title in 1965. The park’s grand entrance, designed in the style of a traditional Chinese memorial archway, stands proudly at the entrance. Featuring vermilion pillars, murals, and a resplendent golden hue, it is both majestic and awe-inspiring. Originally built in 1924 as a wooden structure, the gate was reconstructed with concrete in 1935 and redesigned with ethnic architectural elements in 1959. Spanning 34 meters in length and 17 meters in height, with a total floor area of 396.7 square meters, the archway is truly imposing. Its top is intricately carved and adorned with classical patterns in various colors, while yellow and green glazed tiles line the ridges, featuring 32 vividly crafted glazed lions, each with a unique and lifelike expression. Beneath the curved roof are 52 landscape paintings, rendered with exquisite brushwork and subtle colors. During festivals, 560 lanterns illuminate the archway in a dazzling display of color. Inside the park, turning left leads you to a large floral-patterned flower stand made up of various blossoms. Beyond the flower stand lies a vibrant and fragrant lotus pond, where graceful lotus flowers, broad leaves, and playful goldfish delight visitors, often encouraging them to linger by the railing. A quaint zigzag bridge spans the pond, with a charming hexagonal pavilion in the center offering shade and a perfect spot to admire the lotuses and fish. Following the clean asphalt path uphill brings you into the realm of rare birds and animals, including Siberian tigers, sika deer, camels, blue wolves, wild boars, Guangxi macaques, seals, lynxes, red-crowned cranes, peacocks, and over 50 other species. These creatures display a range of behaviors — from majestic and fierce to playful and adorable, their calls melodious and their colors competing in beauty — creating a uniquely captivating experience. Continuing along the winding, pristine asphalt road, you’ll find a variety of electric amusement rides: electric horses, battery cars, bumper cars, racing cars, shooting games, flying rides, flying chairs, mini trains, monorail cars, elephant rides, sky wheels, and “Sea Pearls.” The park currently cultivates over 200 varieties of peonies, totaling more than 100,000 pots, as well as over 300 pots of chrysanthemums. Throughout the year, the spacious and bright exhibition halls burst with vibrant colors and diverse blooms, arranged with ingenuity and unique displays. Bonsai, small ponds, fountains, and bridges reflect the traditional Chinese courtyard architectural style, reminiscent of Suzhou’s Humble Administrator’s Garden or Nanjing’s Mochou Lake. However, the most breathtaking sight is the dazzling array of azaleas — single-colored blooms in every hue, bicolored and multicolored varieties with borders, stripes, and contrasting backgrounds, large flowers about 15 cm across, tiny ones half a centimeter in size, and charming names such as “Five Treasures Pearl,” “Pink Heavenly Grace,” “Four Seas Wave,” “Crown,” “Overjoyed,” and “Drunken Imperial Concubine.” Here, one truly feels immersed in a world of flowers, wandering through an ocean of blossoms. Further up the path, you’ll reach the “Return Pavilion.” This two-story pavilion, designed in a northern Chinese ethnic style, features a square base on the first floor, with a red and green “回” (return) character in the center. The front of the first floor displays a marble stele engraved with Deng Xiaoping’s 1982 conversation with Margaret Thatcher, “Our Basic Position on the Hong Kong Issue.” The second floor is an octagonal, upward-curving pavilion adorned with paintings of Hong Kong’s Eight Scenic Spots. Standing 12 meters tall, symbolizing the 1.2 billion descendants of the Yellow Emperor, the pavilion’s outer plaza is paved with 1,997 granite slabs, representing Hong Kong’s return to the motherland in 1997. The Return Pavilion not only adds a new cultural landmark to Jinjiangshan Park but also serves as a patriotic education base for the people of Dandong.

Located in the heart of the park, the Cultural Garden is a modern cultural park that showcases local historical culture, displays contemporary calligraphy and paintings, and integrates works by artists from Dandong, including calligraphers, painters, songwriters, and riddle creators. It serves as a space for sightseeing, appreciation, copying artworks, and relaxation. The garden features six themed areas: the Forest of Stone Calligraphy Tablets, the Forest of Longevity, the Forest of Riddles, the Song Corridor, the Painting Gallery, and the Dandong Culture History Wall. Spanning over 10,000 square meters and surrounded by green mountains and lush trees, the garden is filled with elegantly inscribed stone tablets in a classic, rustic style. These include calligraphy treasures from renowned literary figures such as Guo Moruo, Mao Dun, and Bing Xin, as well as master calligraphers like Shu Tong, Qi Gong, and Shen Peng — all created for the people of Dandong. The styles vary from bold and vigorous to graceful and elegant, each carrying deep emotion and poetic brilliance. The Song Corridor and Painting Gallery feature timeless works by famous Dandong-born composers and painters such as Lü Yuan, Zheng Qiufeng, Yang Ming, and Shao Yu. The Culture History Wall illustrates the splendid ethnic culture of Dandong’s ancestors, starting from the prehistoric Mingdong people. Longevity proverbs and riddles contributed by Dandong publications like “Kangshou Gospel Newspaper” and “China Riddle Newspaper” offer profound insights and inspiration. From a higher vantage point, you can admire the city’s towering buildings, lush forests, picturesque landscapes, and flowing rivers. Exiting the Cultural Garden and continuing uphill leads directly to the summit of Jinjiang Mountain, where a gracefully designed two-story pavilion stands atop an open grassy area — the “Jinjiang Pavilion.” Originally built in 1934 and renovated in 1965, the pavilion features stone railings, pillars, tables, and benches, providing a place for visitors to rest and cool off. A brief rest here offers panoramic views of the landscapes of both China and North Korea.

The “Liaodong Liberation Martyrs Memorial Tower” stands majestically at the center of Jinjiangshan Park, adding a solemn atmosphere to the beautiful surroundings. With its unique design and distinctive features, it serves as a historical testament to the martyrs who bravely sacrificed their lives for the liberation of Liaodong. Construction of the memorial tower began in the winter of 1948 and was completed on the eve of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. The structure consists of four parts: a circular base, a pedestal, a square main body, and a bronze statue, reaching a total height of 10.73 meters. It faces 10 degrees east of due south, overlooking downtown Dandong. Atop the tower stands a 2.08-meter-tall, approximately 2-ton bronze statue of a People’s Liberation Army soldier. The soldier holds a rifle in his right hand and raises his left arm in a rallying cry, as if calling on the people to charge forward for the nation and its people. His heroic and determined posture is strikingly lifelike. This memorial tower is not only a source of pride for Dandong but also a revolutionary relic revered by visitors. It is a provincial-level key cultural relics protection unit and was designated as a patriotic education base by the Dandong Municipal Committee and Government in early 1995.