Daying Mountain Li Bai Cultural Tourism Area

Daying Mountain Li Bai Cultural Tourism Area

The Daying Mountain Li Bai Cultural Tourism Area is a National AAAA-level Tourist Attraction.

The Qing Mountain Li Bai Tomb, a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit and a National AAAA-level Scenic Area, is located at the foot of Qing Mountain in Taibai Town, Dangtu County, Anhui Province. It is about 90 kilometers from Nanjing, 25 kilometers from Wuhu and Ma'anshan, and 8 kilometers from National Highway 205, making it very easily accessible.

Li Bai was one of the greatest poets of China’s Tang Dynasty, known as the Poet Immortal, the Wine Immortal, and the Banished Immortal. His ancestral home was in Chengji, Longxi; his courtesy name was Taibai, and his pseudonym was Qinglian Jushi. Born in 701 AD, there is still debate about his birthplace—some say Suyab in Central Asia, others say Jiangyou in Sichuan—but there is no dispute about his tomb on Qing Mountain.

Li Bai, who admired the Southern Qi poet Xie Tiao all his life, visited Dangtu seven times and climbed Qing Mountain countless times to explore relics associated with Xie. Xie Tiao once praised Qing Mountain as the “Capital of Mountains and Waters” and built a residence on the mountain. In front of the residence was a well dug by Xie Tiao, later called the Xie Gong Well. One of the ancient Eight Scenic Spots of Dangtu, the Yuanhui Ancient Well, also contributed to Qing Mountain’s alternate name, Xie Gong Mountain. As the Poet Immortal wandered these landscapes, he composed over fifty poems and essays, including “Looking at Tianmen Mountain” and “Mooring at Night Near Niuzhu, Thinking of the Past.”

In his later years, the impoverished poet sought refuge with his cousin, Li Yangbing, the magistrate of Dangtu County, and temporarily stayed at Longshan, seven li south of the city. In the winter of 762 AD, he passed away from an illness called “rotten flank disease” at his home on Longshan and was initially buried at the eastern foot of the mountain. In 817 AD, Fan Chuanzheng, the son of Li Bai’s close friend Fan Lun and then the Observation Commissioner of Xuancheng, She, and Chizhou, discovered that two of Li Bai’s granddaughters were married to commoners Chen Yun and Liu Quan of Longshan. From their accounts, he learned of Li Bai’s dying wish: “My home should be near Qing Mountain, like Xie Tiao’s.” To fulfill the poet’s final wish, on the 23rd day of the first lunar month that year, Fan Chuanzheng had Li Bai’s remains moved from Longshan to the foot of Qing Mountain. He built the Temple to Li Bai and erected two tomb inscriptions—one placed inside the tomb and the other displayed along the pathway. The inscriptions record that the site was “east neighboring the Gu family, six li west of the old tomb, three hundred paces south of the post road, and north backed by Xie Gong Mountain, now known as Qing Mountain.”

The Li Bai Tomb Park covers an area of about 60,000 square meters and is divided into three sections—front, middle, and rear—serving the purposes of introduction, reverence, and emotional reflection. Attractions include a memorial archway, the Li Bai Stele Forest, the Qing-Viewing Pavilion, the Temple to Li Bai, Li Bai’s Tomb, the Ten Odes Pavilion, and the Qinglian Academy. The tomb of Li Bai preserves the structure of a Tang Dynasty celebrity burial site intact. The Temple to Li Bai and the Hall of Worship showcase the architectural style of clan ancestral halls from the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Tomb inscriptions and steles provide detailed accounts of Li Bai’s life, background, and poetic achievements, verifying the authenticity of his burial site—today, there is no dispute that Li Bai is buried on Qing Mountain. The Li Bai Stele Forest features 108 stone tablets engraved with classic poems from various periods of Li Bai’s life, written by renowned modern calligraphers including Mao Zedong, Lu Xun, Guo Moruo, Yu Youren, Sha Menghai, Lin Sanzhi, Chu Tunan, Qi Gong, Chen Lifu, and Shen Peng. The stele forest blends poetry, calligraphy, and architecture into a masterpiece of cultural art.

The Qing Mountain Li Bai Tomb Park is a famous cultural tourism destination in the Jiangnan region, ideal for spring outings during Qingming Festival, autumn hikes, learning about Li Bai and his poetry, appreciating calligraphy, and enjoying garden art. During the annual Qingming Festival, visitors flock to pay homage at Li Bai’s tomb. On the annual Double Ninth Festival, the China Li Bai Poetry Festival is held at the Qing Mountain Li Bai Tomb. Guests from China and abroad gather at the Poet Immortal’s resting place to pour wine in tribute, sing poems, and perform music. These commemorative activities fully express people’s deep admiration for Li Bai.

The Li Bai Tomb Park warmly welcomes domestic and international tourists and poetry enthusiasts to step into this sacred realm of the Poet Immortal and experience the landscapes that captivated a legendary poet.