Tongling Phoenix Mountain

　　    The Phoenix Mountain Scenic Area in Tongling, Anhui, is situated to the southeast of the city and is the most unique attraction in Tongling. Legend has it that this is where the phoenix descended — a sacred, auspicious, and noble land filled with wondrous and touching tales. The mountain is named for its resemblance to a phoenix in shape and consists of several peaks, including Hengshan, Mianshan, Lingfengshan, Tanshan, and Jinshan. With its picturesque landscapes and pristine scenery, it is a well-known tourist destination in Tongling. As early as the Jingtai era of the Ming Dynasty, poet Zhou Duo composed a series of sixteen poems titled “Eight Views of Phoenix,” which praised the mountain, including lines such as: “Beyond the cottage the mountain soars halfway to the sky; / By the stone a lone spring gathers sweet water nigh. / The phoenix drank here a thousand years ago; / Its traces still live on, in legends we know.” In 1998, the Phoenix Mountain Scenic Area was designated as a provincial-level scenic spot, and it is now a national AAAA-level tourist attraction. In 2000, it was named the “Hometown of Chinese Medicinal Peony” by the State Forestry Administration and the China Flower Association. It is the core production area of Fengdan, Tongling’s first national geographical indication product, and a nationally renowned viewing destination for southern Chinese peonies. In 2013, it was awarded the title of “China’s Beautiful Countryside” by the Ministry of Agriculture. In August 2015, Fenghuangshan Village was recognized by the National Tourism Administration as one of the first “Model Villages for Rural Tourism in China,” and in 2015 it was also named one of the “Best Slow Life Rural Tourism Resort Areas in the Yangtze River Delta.”

　　    Building on its status as a national AAAA-level scenic area, Phoenix Mountain is driving comprehensive development through the creation of iconic and distinctive tourism projects, establishing itself as a broad-market-influence integrated tourism destination that combines cultural sightseeing, cultural experiences, health and wellness, and eco-leisure.