Millennium Jujube Forest Scenic Area

Millennium Jujube Forest Scenic Area

The Millennium Jujube Forest Scenic Area is a national AAAA-level tourist attraction.

The Millennium Jujube Forest Scenic Area is the largest ancient artificial fruit-bearing jujube forest in China. It features attractions such as the Jujube Capital Stele, Mother and Child Tree, Celebrity Garden, Brotherhood Garden, Hundred Jujube Garden, and the Golden Silk Jujube Culture Museum. It has been successively awarded titles such as “National Agricultural Tourism Demonstration Site,” “Provincial Forest Park,” one of the first “Shandong Self-Drive Tour Demonstration Sites,” “Shandong Tourism Photography Creation Base,” and “National Leisure Agriculture and Rural Tourism Demonstration Site.” With a forest coverage rate of 95%, it is hailed as a “natural oxygen bar.” In 2014, it was rated as a national AAAA-level tourist attraction.

The scenic area is picturesque in all seasons. In spring, tender leaves emerge, brimming with vitality; in early summer, lush greenery and blooming flowers attract bees; in golden autumn, green leaves contrast with red fruits, resembling jade and agate; in winter, ancient trees with gnarled branches display unyielding strength. From the sightseeing tower, the vast jujube forest resembles a sea of green. The idyllic countryside scenery is poetic and enchanting, captivating visitors who find it hard to leave.

Hundred Jujube Garden: Initially built in 1992, it covers an area of 60 acres. After expansion in 2012, the area reached 180 acres, with over 5,800 jujube trees. It now gathers 596 renowned jujube varieties from China and abroad. It serves as a special jujube garden and intercropping demonstration site integrating variety introduction trials, comparative studies, species preservation, and tourism, and is known as the national repository of premium jujube varieties.

Celebrity Garden: Named for the many central and provincial leaders, as well as domestic and international celebrities, who planted trees here as memorials.

Brotherhood Garden: In the autumn of 1938, Commander Xiao Hua of the Eighth Route Army’s Eastward Advancing Anti-Japanese Column, then Leling County anti-Japanese magistrate Mu Yizhi, and Chang Haotian, village head of Dachang Village, formed a “Brotherhood Pact under the Jujube Trees” here. They pledged unity to discuss revolutionary strategies and defend national dignity, creating a legendary tale passed down through generations.

Mother and Child Tree: Tells a beautiful and devoted love story. The 700-year-old Mother and Child Tree has a young sapling growing from the old tree, resembling a mother embracing her child. The scene resembles a husband guarding his wife and child, a sweet family of three inseparable and united. Countless domestic and international tourists linger here, tasting red dates and savoring the sweetness, reflecting on the precious joy of family.

King Jujube Tree: With a history of over 1,300 years, it remains lush and bears fruit every year. Legend has it that when Emperor Qianlong traveled south of the Yangtze River and passed through Leling, he stopped under this tree feeling thirsty. After eating a few red dates, he found them incredibly sweet and refreshing, exclaiming, “Such fine fruit pleases me!” He then wrote the two characters “Jujube King.” Grateful locals made a golden plaque in his honor and hung it on the tree. Though the plaque has been lost over time, the current Jujube King Stele was inscribed by Aisin-Gioro Qi Gong, the late eighth-generation descendant of Emperor Qianlong, a renowned educator, master of Chinese studies, and artist.

Sightseeing Tower: Serving both as a viewing facility and a scenic attraction, it has a total floor area of 337 square meters. The first floor exhibition hall is 4.2 meters high and covers 128 square meters, displaying materials related to jujube tourism. The main tower top is an enlarged viewing platform at an elevation of 22.2 meters, featuring a 360-degree circular windowed view. The top layer is a small spire, reaching an elevation of 35.4 meters; the middle standard floors are each 3 meters high. From the viewing platform, the vast jujube forest spreads out as far as the eye can see, creating a fairyland-like experience that refreshes the mind and lifts the spirit.