Yishan Turtle Mountain Scenic Area

Yishan Turtle Mountain Scenic Area

Yishan Turtle Mountain Scenic Area is a national AAAA-level tourist attraction.

Mount Meng, anciently known as Dongmeng or Dongshan, stands majestically within Pingyi County, Shandong Province. With a total area of 1,257 square kilometers and stretching 49 kilometers from east to west, it is a national forest park and a world-famous wellness and longevity tourism destination. The mountain features towering peaks, lush overlapping ridges, dense forests, and stunning scenery. Renowned across China for its grandeur, it has long been celebrated as the “Giant Pillar of the Nine Provinces, Standing Majestically in Grandeur.” Its main peak, Guimeng Top, rises 1,156 meters above sea level, towering above the clouds and reaching into the azure sky. Named for its resemblance to a divine turtle lying on the clouds, it is the second highest peak in Shandong and faces Mount Tai from afar, earning the title “The Second to Mount Tai.”

Pingyi Guimeng Scenic Area

The Guimeng Scenic Area of the Yishan Mountain Tourism Zone is now a national AAAA-level tourist area, a national forest park, a national geopark, a provincial scenic spot, and a world-renowned wellness and longevity destination. It has earned numerous accolades including “One of Shandong’s Top Ten Most Beautiful Places” and “National Youth Civilization Award.” This year, the Mount Meng Scenic Area was included in the “China’s Cool Mountains List,” ranked ninth in the “China’s Most Beautiful Geoparks” shortlist, awarded a spot in the “Top 30 National Forest Parks,” and ranked among the top six in the “Shandong Tourism Trends Online Search Rankings.”

The main peak, Guimeng Top (named for its resemblance to a giant turtle), stands 1,156 meters above sea level. The area is covered by dense forests with an average vegetation coverage of over 90%, making it a super clean zone known as a “Natural Oxygen Warehouse.” Mount Meng has a well-developed water system, surrounded by more than 150 large, medium, and small reservoirs. Mountain springs are widespread, with sweet-tasting water rich in trace elements such as metasilicic acid, known as a “beauty element.” The Guimeng Scenic Area boasts thousands of peaks and valleys, sea of clouds, pine waves, cascading springs, flying waterfalls, birdsong, and fragrant flowers. The scenery changes magically with the seasons: in spring, layered green mountains bloom with flowers; in summer, waterfalls flow and clouds drift mysteriously; in autumn, the mountains are covered in lush green, highlighted by red leaves; in winter, everything is draped in silvery white, like jade carvings. Thanks to its natural environment and ecological conditions, Mount Meng is recognized as a global wellness and longevity destination, making it an ideal place for eco-tourism, sports and leisure, and health retreats.

This is one of the birthplaces of the “Dongyi Culture.” As early as five thousand years ago, ancestors thrived here. Since the Zhou Dynasty, Mount Meng has been a site of imperial worship. During the Spring and Autumn Period, Confucius “climbed the Eastern Mountain (Mount Meng, anciently called Dongshan or Dongmeng) and looked down upon the State of Lu.” The “Odes of Lu” in the Book of Songs sings the praises of Mount Meng. Since the Tang and Song dynasties, Mount Meng has drawn the attention of literati, poets, emperors, and generals. The great Tang poets Li Bai and Du Fu traveled to Mount Meng together, and Du Fu wrote the famous lines, “I too am a guest of the Eastern Mountains, and cherish you as a brother. We sleep drunk under the same quilt in autumn and walk hand in hand in the sunlight.” Emperor Xuanzong of Tang once led his ministers to climb Mount Meng. The Northern Song literary figure Su Shi visited Mount Meng and composed the renowned verse, “Unfazed by the shifting seas and fields of Bohai, I come to see the spring at Guimeng’s leaky marsh.” Emperor Kangxi left the poetic line, “Horse hooves crush the jade path, cutting off the peaks atop Guimeng Mountain,” after visiting in winter. Emperor Qianlong, during his southern tour, visited Mount Meng and left the praise-filled verse, “The mountain spirit surely follows Yao’s decree, revealing poetic inspiration upon the jade peaks.” All held Mount Meng in high esteem. Important early Taoist figures such as Lao Laizi of the Spring and Autumn Period, the originator of the School of Diplomacy Guiguzi of the Warring States Period, and the Han Dynasty historian Cai Yong once lived in seclusion here. Taoism flourished most on Mount Meng, with Taoism and Buddhism coexisting, giving rise to the saying “Thirty-six grotto-heavens and seventy-two ancient temples.” The spiritually rich Mount Meng nurtured many sages and talented individuals, such as Confucius’ disciple Zhongyou, “Mathematics Sage” Liu Hong, “Wisdom Sage” Zhuge Liang, “Calligraphy Sage” Wang Xizhi, and the Yan family of calligraphers including Yan Zhenqing.

This is the symbol of the Yishan Mountain Revolutionary Base Area. The world-shocking Menglianggu Campaign unfolded at the foot of Mount Meng, marking the beginning of the strategic offensive in the Liberation War. Veteran proletarian revolutionaries such as - , Chen Yi, Luo Ronghuan, - , and Su Yu left glorious footprints here. The region gave rise to many heroic figures, such as the Yishan Red Sisters-in-Law who saved wounded soldiers with their breast milk and the Yishan Six Sisters, forging the “Yishan Spirit” of “love for the Party and the army, pioneering and striving, hard work and entrepreneurship, and selfless dedication,” which has become a precious spiritual asset for the Party and the country.

The Yishan Mountain Tourism Zone Guimeng Scenic Area enjoys a superior location, situated at the center of the Beijing–Shanghai Golden Tourism Route. It serves as a crucial hub for tourists from the Beijing-Tianjin-Tangshan and Yangtze River Delta metropolitan areas traveling southward and northward. To the east, the Guimeng Scenic Area connects with the Golden Coastline formed by cities such as Qingdao, Yantai, Weihai, and Rizhao, while to the west, it borders the Mountains-and-Sages Route formed by cities such as Tai’an, Qufu, and Jinan. The scenic area enjoys convenient external transportation, with - , Rizhao–Dongying Expressway, Jiqing Expressway South Line connecting to Lai Xin Expressway, Yanzhou–Shijiusuo Railway, Jiaozhou–Xinxiang Railway, G205, 327, S234, 335, 240, and 229 all passing by Mount Meng, forming an extensive transportation network. Linyi Airport has flights to major cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Shenyang, Qingdao, Dalian, Wuhan, Xi’an, and Chongqing, while Qufu Airport, located just 60 kilometers from Mount Meng, is also in operation.

Admission Ticket

Admission Ticket: 64 RMB

Opening Hours

07:00-18:00

Location

Mengxi Line, Bolin Town, Pingyi County, Linyi City, Shandong Province

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