Wolf Dance Mountain

Wolf Dance Mountain

Wolf Dance Mountain is a national AA-level tourist attraction.

Wolf Dance Mountain, also known as Wolf House Mountain, is situated in the eastern part of Xiangcheng Town, Zoucheng City, at an elevation of 459 meters. The mountain has 15 major and minor peaks, covering a total area of 11,000 mu. It features dense natural vegetation, with 3,500 mu of forested land, 1,000 mu of fruit orchards, and 3,000 mu of suitable forested areas. The scenic area is currently recognized as a "Shandong Provincial Water Conservancy Scenic Area." The area is covered with lush trees and blooming flowers, offering fresh air and the fragrance of wild fruits. Its unique landscape resembles a pristine forest. The Wolf Dance Mountain Water Conservancy Scenic Area combines the grandeur of northern landscapes with the elegance of southern scenery, making it the largest primitive, entirely natural ecological tourism area in the eastern mountainous region of Zoucheng.

The Wolf Dance Mountain Scenic Area showcases beautiful primitive ecological mountain and water views, mysterious wolf cave landscapes, and vast, diverse primeval forests. It integrates mountains, water, forests, caves, waterfalls, and rocks, characterized by being "graceful, rich, peculiar, beautiful, and accessible." It harmoniously blends natural and cultural landscapes, creating a spectacular and awe-inspiring experience.

The "gracefulness" of Wolf Dance Mountain lies in its picturesque scenery and abundant springs. Originally, there were two small reservoirs with a water surface area of 50,000 square meters and a water storage capacity of 200,000 cubic meters. Since the development of the scenic area, water has been intercepted and dammed along the mountains, resulting in the construction of 12 ponds and an additional water surface area of 15,000 square meters, increasing water storage by 45,000 cubic meters. This has created natural landscapes such as streams in mountain valleys, mirror-like pools in valleys, gurgling springs, and interconnected waterfalls. The natural water systems in the area have clear water quality, with abundant resources in the reservoirs and ponds. There is a wide variety of aquatic plants, animals, and microorganisms, including over ten types of fish such as black carp, grass carp, silver carp, common carp, and ornamental fish. Aquatic plants like reeds, lotus, and aquatic herbs thrive here, along with rare primitive organisms such as freshwater jellyfish (Craspedacusta) and other plankton. Each water system and surface forms its own self-contained ecosystem, a natural cycle of biological resources within a biological chain kingdom.

The "richness" of Wolf Dance Mountain lies in its lush, vibrant primeval vegetation and the beauty of ancient and rare plants, as well as the vitality of exotic flowers and grasses. The mountain is rich in forest resources, with a forest coverage rate of 70%. Various tree species such as pine, cypress, locust, and poplar grow abundantly. There are over 140 species of woody plants and 150 species of herbaceous plants. Especially in the Locust Valley, the strong fragrance of flowers intoxicates visitors, while the Pine Tree Ridge feels like a deep, ancient forest where one can easily lose their way. The area is home to a wide variety of wildlife, including wolves, badgers, eagles, and pheasants. There are also numerous wild medicinal herbs such as honeysuckle, ganoderma, dandelion, and salvia, as well as dozens of types of wild grasses like skin-peeling vine, mugwort, wild reeds, and cogon grass. The region produces a wealth of temperate fruits, including dates, apricots, yellow pears, walnuts, cherries, chestnuts, hawthorn, and strawberries.

The "peculiarity" of Wolf Dance Mountain lies in the immense power of nature that splits through the earth and penetrates rocks and stones. It is extraordinary in its exquisitely crafted, translucent, and vividly lifelike strange rocks, intricately carved as if by hand. The mountain resembles a soaring eagle spreading its wings or a majestic dragon wandering through the clouds in ever-changing forms. The "peculiarity" of Wolf Dance Mountain also lies in the unsolved mysteries of the ages: how did the cracked mountain peaks form? How were the bizarre rocks shaped? What is the origin of the Wolf House Cave? These questions remain for people to explore and uncover. Its mystery is further deepened by the dreamlike, ever-changing mists that shroud the rugged cliffs. The captivating stories hidden beneath the mysterious veil attract adventurers seeking hidden wonders.

The "beauty" of Wolf Dance Mountain lies in the surrounding natural scenery. Around the mountain are 99 peaks of various sizes, including Wubao'an Mountain, Dragon Mountain, and Lianqing Mountain, as well as 17,083 mu of national public welfare forests and 12,886 mu of provincial public welfare forests. Wubao'an Mountain is a "provincial-level forest park" and a "municipal-level nature reserve," often referred to as the "Number One Oxygen Bar in Eastern Zoucheng." Natural ecological parks such as the "National Greening Thousand-Village Model" Dahe Natural Ecological Park, the "National Thousand-Village Small Watershed" Liuzhuang Watershed, and the provincial wetland park—Moting Reservoir—are naturally formed, elegant, and uniquely charming. The surrounding scenic area is rich in produce. There are 50,000 mu of high-quality peanut planting bases, 10,000 mu of date bases, 10,000 mu of Kate apricot bases, 10,000 mu of mulberry bases, 10,000 mu of safe melon production demonstration bases, and 10,000 mu of cherry planting bases. Throughout the year, the area is filled with fruits and flowers, their fragrance drifting for miles.

The "accessibility" of Wolf Dance Mountain lies in its fast and convenient transportation. The mountain is 8 kilometers from the Xiangcheng (Yishan) entrance of the Beijing-Fuzhou Expressway, 14 kilometers from the Zoucheng entrance, 18 kilometers from National Highway 104, 22 kilometers from Qufu Station on the - railway, 34 kilometers from Tai- head on the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, 210 kilometers from Rizhao Port, and 400 kilometers from Qingdao Port. Water transport via the Baima River through the Beijing-Hangzhou Canal can directly reach Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai. After the completion of the - railway, it takes only 2.5 hours to reach Beijing or Shanghai. The drive to Jinan Airport, Xuzhou Airport, or Linyi Airport is within 2 hours. The intercity expressway—Linyi-Heze Highway Jining Section (the southern second ring road of Jining City), which connects the Jining North Lake Eco-New Town (the new location of the Jining Municipal Party Committee and Government) directly to Jining Airport and the Xiangcheng (Yishan) entrance of the Beijing-Fuzhou Expressway, links to the seat of Xiangcheng Town. It takes only 40 minutes to travel from Xiangcheng to Jining and under 1 hour to reach Qufu (Jining) Airport. Zoucheng City plans to construct a 15-meter-wide sightseeing and tourism road along the artificial river created by the joint water diversion project between Moting Reservoir and Xiwei Reservoir. This road will connect the Wolf Dance Mountain Water Conservancy Scenic Area with downtown Zoucheng through waterways and roads, forming an integrated pattern of interconnected water systems, roads, urban-rural complementarity, and mutual enhancement.

In recent years, Zoucheng City has leveraged the unique agricultural resource advantages of Wolf Dance Mountain, relying on its favorable geographical and ecological environment, as well as its superior location and transportation conditions, to vigorously develop eco-cultural tourism. It has also promoted natural sightseeing agriculture ecotourism, hailed as a "green industry," and has initially forged an industrialized, ecological path for agricultural development.

"During the visit, enjoy the delights of the mountains; after leaving, long for the otherworldly realm." The primitive ecological scenic corridor makes one feel as if they are in a paradise on earth. This is the enchanting—Wolf Dance Mountain Water Conservancy Scenic Area.

Source: CPC Zoucheng Municipal Committee, Zoucheng Municipal People's Government

Xiangcheng Town: Located in the southeastern part of Zoucheng City, Xiangcheng Town is 20 kilometers from the city center. The town has a population of 84,000, covers an area of 177 square kilometers, and governs 100 administrative villages. In 2003, the total rural economic income of the town was 322.64 million yuan, fiscal revenue was 22.64 million yuan, and the per capita net income of farmers was 2,960 yuan.

Diverse Key Pillar Industries. Forestry, fruit, animal husbandry, stone materials, and agricultural by-product processing are the town’s key industries. Four major zones have been established for dates, pomegranates, apricots, and sericulture, with contiguous economic forests covering 55,000 mu. The annual production includes 2 million pounds of round-red and long-red fresh dates, Mengyang Red Stone... Detailed information on Xiangcheng Town++