Cai Mountain

Cai Mountain

Cai Mountain is located within Jiangji Town, Ningyang County, Shandong Province. It lies to the north of Mount Tai, to the south of Qufu, and to the east of National Highway 104, the Beijing-Fuzhou Expressway, and the Beijing-Shanghai Railway. Mengguan Road runs at the foot of Cai Mountain. With an elevation of 361 meters, the mountain resembles a giant coiled dragon, stretching over 10 li from east to west and covering an area of 22,000 mu.

According to the *Ningyang County Annals*, this mountain formed during the Mesozoic Era. With its lush greenery and clear waters, the mountain features rocky terrain covered with fertile soil and rich surface vegetation. The colorful flowers, trees, and plants dress the entire mountain like a vibrant orb. Since "all other mountains are green, but this one is ochre," it has been named Cai Mountain, meaning "Colorful Mountain."

The mountain is home to approximately 150 species of wild native trees, with a forest coverage rate exceeding 98%. The main fruit trees include chestnut, apricot plum, walnut, persimmon, and jujube, covering an area of over 10,000 mu; timber forests cover about 4,000 mu. The mountain also hosts more than 80 types of precious medicinal herbs such as fleeceflower root, pangolin, arnebia root, salvia root, wild ginseng, ganoderma, pinellia tuber, and wolfberry, as well as over 300 varieties of rare plants. Among the wildlife are badgers, pheasants, magpies, turtle doves, shrikes, cattle egrets, egrets, and orioles, which wander through the mountain’s forests and streams. The mountain boasts numerous natural attractions, including Divine Dragon Spring, Overturned Well, Longevity and Fortune Stone, Immortal’s Hut, Sage’s Cave, One-Sword Heaven, and Five-Tone Stone—each with its own unique scenery and story. The Temple of Hua Tuo, with its long history, hosts an annual bustling temple fair on the ninth day of the first lunar month. The *Ode to Cai Mountain* written by the Qing Dynasty scholar Huang Entong is also widely celebrated. Listening to the chirping of birds, admiring peculiar rocks and exotic fruits, savoring the sweet springs of Cai Mountain, and appreciating both its cultural richness and natural beauty offer visitors a truly unique experience.

To the north of Cai Mountain flows the mighty Dawen River, China’s most famous upstream-flowing river, winding like a jade ribbon. The egret scenic area, reminiscent of the poetic scene “Two golden orioles sing amid the willows green; A flock of white egrets fly into the blue sky,” is located along the Dawen River in Jiangji Town. This area, dense with forests and abundant in water sources, provides an ideal habitat for birds. By the riverbank, watching egrets play and fish, one can escape the noise of the mundane world and return to the tranquility of nature—an experience that lingers long in the memory and makes one loathe to leave.

Jiangji Town: Located in the central part of Ningyang County, Shandong Province, Jiangji Town sits to the north of Mount Tai—the foremost of China’s Five Great Mountains—to the south of Qufu, the hometown of Confucius, and to the west of Liangshan Marsh, the setting of the classic Water Margin. The nation’s largest upstream-flowing river, the Dawen River, flows along the northern edge of the town, moving westward. The town covers a total area of 84 square kilometers, governs 40 administrative villages, and has a population of 52,000.

Convenient Transportation: Mengguan Road runs east-west across the town. To the east, it is close to Ciyao Station on the Beijing-Shanghai Railway, and just 2 kilometers from the entrances of National Highway 104 and the Beijing-Fuzhou Expressway. Within the town, 28 villages are connected by asphalt roads. Communication and power facilities are fully equipped, and ten thousand lines of program-controlled telephone service provide convenient global connectivity. … More detailed information about Jiangji Town++