Qingping Eco-Ancient Town

Qingping Eco-Ancient Town

Qingping Eco-Ancient Town is a national AAA-level tourist attraction.

The Qingping Ancient Town Ecological Tourism Area in Qingping Town, Gaotang County, includes two major sections: the ancient town tourism zone and the forest park. Located in the northwest of Shandong Province, at the center of the “Golden Triangle” formed by Jinan, Liaocheng, and Dezhou, it is known as the “Millennium Ancient Town with Eco-Friendly Qingping.” The area features the largest plain forest park in Shandong Province—the Provincial Qingping Forest Park. This newly developed natural ecological forest park covers an area of 50,000 mu, with a forest coverage rate of over 80%, and boasts abundant flora and fauna. Facilities built within the park include a recreational playground, fishing gardens, forest courtyard houses, five log cabins, mountain biking trails, eco-agricultural picking gardens, and various amusement facilities.

The ancient town section of Qingping was originally the site of the Qingping County seat, established in the seventh year of the Xuanhe era during the Song Dynasty, boasting a history of nearly a thousand years. It has been the birthplace of notable historical figures such as Lü Cai, a renowned thinker, musician, and philosopher of the Tang Dynasty; Wang Maode, the Left Chancellor of the Zhongshu during the Yuan Dynasty; and Ji Xianlin, a contemporary master of Sinology. Currently preserved within the area are three municipal-level key cultural relics protection units listed in the Shandong Scenic Spots and Historic Sites Directory: the Yingxu Gate, the Jin Dynasty Confucian Temple, and the stone sculpture group at the tomb of Wang Maode. In 2000, the provincial government approved it as a central town. It is now a national AAA-level tourist attraction, one of China’s Top 100 Towns for Afforestation, a Shandong Provincial Town with Beautiful Environment, a Shandong Provincial Town with Distinctive Landscape Tourism, a Shandong Provincial Strong Tourism Town, one of Shandong’s First Demonstration Sites for Tourism in Rural Areas, and an Advanced Sanitation Town in Shandong Province. A total of 360 new antique-style commercial and residential buildings have been constructed, and historic structures such as the Dacheng Hall of the Confucian Temple and the Toulou Wall have been restored. New additions include the Pan Pond, Pan Bridge, Apricot Altar, Dacheng Gate, east and west side halls, 24 Paragons of Filial Piety statues, the Gaotang Folk Museum, the Qingping Poetry and Music Art Gallery, the Yingxu Scenic Boulevard, and over 20 new tourist attractions. The millennia-old town, now featuring distinct ancient characteristics and rich cultural content, has taken shape, becoming a well-known Qingping Eco-Ancient Town tourism destination along the lower reaches of the Yellow River.