Ma’er Mountain Ecotourism Area

Ma’er Mountain Ecotourism Area

Ma’er Mountain Ecotourism Area

Located in the southern part of Yaoqianhu Town, 35 kilometers from downtown Shenyang and 15 kilometers from Taoxian Airport. The Yangqian exit of the Shenyang-Dandong Expressway is just 7.5 kilometers away from the tourism area. Ma’er Mountain gets its name from its two peaks, which stand side by side and closely resemble a horse’s ears.

Ma’er Mountain is an extension of the Qianshan Mountain Range, with its main peak at an elevation of 330.8 meters, making it the highest peak in southern Shenyang. The mountain features steep terrain with cutting depths of over 15 meters, narrow and elongated ridges, and numerous valleys extending toward the summit. The valleys are no more than 10 meters wide but can stretch 300–1000 meters in length, densely vegetated and deeply serene. The mountain is home to over 20 types of native plants, including deciduous broadleaf forests, acacia forests, and oak forests. Natural formations on the mountain include stone figures of humans and horses, Chaoyang Cave, Beiying Cave, as well as rock shelters, stone coffins, and Tiger Cave. There is also a historical beacon tower site and, at the foot of the southern mountain, the ruins of a Temple of the Medicine King. With its pristine natural scenery and classic northern pastoral landscapes, Ma’er Mountain exudes endless charm, attracting nearly ten thousand visitors each year for spontaneous hiking and outings.

The Ma’er Mountain Ecotourism Area currently has 1,277 acres of orchards, primarily featuring varieties such as apple-pear, Nanguo pear, Korean yang pear, and hawthorn. Other fruits like 123 apples, apricots, plums, hawthorn berries, and Chinese bush cherries are also cultivated on a considerable scale. The months of August, September, and October are the best time for visitors to enjoy fruit-picking activities. Liaoning Cherry Valley Co., Ltd. entered Ma’er Mountain in 2000, and its greenhouse and open-field cherry orchards are expected to yield substantial production in 2006. Hundreds of thousands of wild fish further enrich the ecological vibrancy of the area.