Longmenju

Longmenju

Longmenju is a national AAAA-level tourist attraction.

The Longmenju Scenic Area is located on Longmenju Mountain in Sanzhuang Town, Donggang District, Rizhao City, a place of beautiful scenery. The scenic area lies 28 kilometers east of downtown Rizhao, 30 kilometers west of Ju County, and 5 kilometers south of the town center.

Longmenju features pleasant natural scenery. Stone figures like the Stone Man, Stone Rooster, Dragon Gate Stone, Heart-Testing Stone, and Lovers’ Stone all have their own stories; caves such as the Heavenly Cave, Fairy Cave, Sea-Viewing Cave, Sea Snail Cave, and Wenxin Cave are all steeped in legend. The area is richly vegetated with a wide variety of species, including economic orchards of apples, hawthorns, jujubes, persimmons, plums, and pears spread across the land, with verdant pines stacking upon one another. Ecological forests of cotton roses, scholar trees, and oak trees blanket the hills and valleys, blooming in spring and bearing fruit in autumn, creating lush woodlands filled with the fragrance of fruit. Below the mountain, sparkling lakes and babbling streams further enhance the beauty and charm of Longmenju.

A mountain need not be high to be famous if it is home to immortals. Longmenju has many myths and folk tales. It is said that in his youth, Liu Xie, due to poverty, often studied at Jiming Temple on Longmenju and cultivated his literary skills in the Wenxin Cave, later writing the great literary critique “The Literary Mind and the Carving of Dragons.” At the mountaintop of Longmenju, a steep cliff features three towering standing rocks resembling a stone gate, with a mysterious round hole in it — this is the long-renowned “Dragon Gate.” Legend has it that long ago, on the second day of the second lunar month, thunder suddenly roared and lightning flashed, shaking the heavens, and the three stone gates of the Longmenju cliff slowly opened. A giant dragon soared out from within — it was Ao Guang, the Dragon King of the East Sea. From then on came the saying, “On the second day of the second month, the dragon raises its head.” This scene was witnessed by a shepherd at the foot of the mountain, who was petrified by the Dragon King’s finger and forever bound to the mountain. In addition, there are over 50 other legends and relics, such as the Tomb of Li the Half-Immortal, the Phoenix Perches on the Pile But Not on the Ju, Sun Wukong Learning Skills, and the Divine Tea — all beautiful and captivating, sparking endless imagination.

The scenic area was jointly developed by Shandong Rong’an Group, business investors from Ningbo, Zhejiang, the government of Sanzhuang Town, and the local village. The town established the Longmenju Tourism Company. The first phase of the project invested 30 million yuan. It mainly developed natural resources such as pine trees, apricot trees, and caves, and combined historical records and myths to plan ecological gardens like “Dragon Lake,” “Plum Garden,” “Bamboo Garden,” “Peach Garden,” and “Pine Garden.” Cultural landmarks such as “Jiming Temple,” “Hundred Dragons Street,” “Dragon King Temple,” and “Dragon-Phoenix Tower” were also constructed. Supporting facilities like Longhu Villa, lawn squares, and parking lots were built as well. The Longmenju Scenic Area has been developed into a leisure, entertainment, and folk tourism destination integrating hiking, sightseeing, bathing, and fishing.

Customer service hotline: 0633-8810340 8822222

Address: Shangboluogu Village, Sanzhuang Town, Donggang District, Rizhao City

Business hours: 8:00–18:00

Recommended visiting time: about 4 hours

Scenic area website: http://www.longmengu.com

Ticket price: 20 RMB per person