Donglei Scenic Area

Donglei Scenic Area is an important part of the Yuntai Mountain Scenic Area, located 10 kilometers from the city center. The landscape here is world-renowned for its “peculiar rocks, peculiar trees, peculiar temples, and peculiar colors.” The area features vast stretches of unique rock formations, densely packed and stretching as far as the eye can see, commonly known as the “Sea of Rocks.” These uniquely shaped mountain stones, displaced and stacked due to tectonic shifts, lean and press against one another in a naturally ingenious arrangement—some resembling humans, others objects, some dynamic, some static, some like flowers, plants, birds, or beasts, and others like waves stirred by the wind. After viewing the Sea of Rocks, one can’t help but marvel at the wonders crafted by nature. When visiting Donglei to see the Sea of Rocks, you must also see the King of Magnolia Trees. At the Yanfu Temple atop the mountain stand four magnolia trees that are the oldest, tallest, and have the thickest trunks in China. The largest of them stands 18 meters tall with a trunk girth of 4 meters, and is over a thousand years old. In full bloom, their fragrance wafts for miles, intoxicating all who pass. The Yanfu Temple in the mountains is the highest and only Taoist temple on Yuntai Mountain, forming a striking contrast with the surrounding Buddhist temples. The most beautiful aspect of Donglei is its seasonal colors—the red of spring, the blue of summer, the yellow of autumn, and the black of winter. These represent, respectively, the cherries of spring, the mountain springs of summer, the ginkgo trees of autumn, and the mountain rocks of winter. The Donglei scenery, like a fine masterpiece, offers endless fascination and layered meaning for year-round appreciation.