Shandong Province 山 东 省 简 介 - Yantai 烟台市

The National Tourism Administration of China has commended Yantai, a coastal city in Shandong Province, as an excellent tourism city. Every year the city attracts more than 6 million tourists from home and abroad.

The yearly average temperature of 12 degrees centigrade and the warm, moist weather is an ideal place for people to live and work. In summer visitors can enjoy themselves relaxing or playing on the beach, swimming and enjoying the sunshine. The natural sights and the splendid historical interests are very fascinating. Walking into the Mount Fenghuang (Phoenix), visitors can see murmuring streams, hear birds singing, smell the fragrance of flowers and enjoy the rare chance of walking through the forest. The mountain has eight famous scenic spots including Xianglu (Incense Burner) Peak and Xianren (Immortal/Celestial Being) Bridge. The 1,000-year-old Bamboo Temple is a celebrated temple in the Jiaodong Peninsula. In the temple there is the Main Hall for Buddha, the statue of Sakyamuni, the golden statues of Bodhsattvas and the bronze statues of 500 arhats. Tourists can see inscriptions written by celebrities from Britain, the United Sates, France, Japan, and other countries. Chulan Village, a tourism village with local customs, lies among the seashore. Each year, the village receives many overseas tourists. Some of the tourists stay with the villagers. They plant flowers, pluck fruits, and visit the markets by bicycle. They also fly kites at the seashore, practice Chinese kungfu/gongfu工（功）夫 (a Chinese system of self-defense, like karate空手道—any of several Asian styles of fighting without a weapon that include blows with the hands and feet---but emphasizing circular rather than linear movements) and paddle the boat out of the sea to fish together. These have made overseas tourists learn the typical Jiaodong (east Shandong) folk customs.

Penglai Water City 蓬莱水城

East of the castles of Penglai is the Penglai Water City, one of the oldest military harbours in China with dry docks and piers. Construction of the fortress began in 1642 and finished in 1696. The water fortress is the earliest man-made ancient military port in China. Along with the castle of Penglai, it is a key historical relic under the state protection. National hero Qi Jiguang戚继光 (1528-1587) of the Ming Dynasty, a native Penglai, once trained his naval force here against foreign invasion. In the past 600 years, the Qis have donated a great deal of cultural relics, such as Qi Jiguang Statue and the Father-son Governor. The Former Residence of Qi Jiguang was completed and opened to the public in 2001.

West of the castle is Tianheng Hill or Dengzhou Cape, the southern end of the border between the Yellow Sea and Bohai Sea. Legend has it that used to be the fort for the Tianheng 500 heroic men田横五百壮士, who built camps on top of the barracks overlooking the sea. Tianheng田横, a general in the Qin Dynasty, stationed his troops there. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, cannons were placed here. In the 1940s, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) used them to attack Japanese warships. The relics are still there, but other aspects of the site have changed, with a new cultural park, and a plank road along the cliff. Walking on it with clouds surrounding the tourist, s/he can’t help but think that the new road would have made the sea crossing much easier for the Eight Immortals !

Yantai Consulates 烟台外国领事馆

Yantai has restored its 17 foreign consulates around Yantai Mountain. The architectural complex, built in the period 1860 to 1932, would be opened to tourists after the restoration. In 1861, the Qing government was forced to enter into the Tianjin Treaty, which turned Yantai into a treaty port and in 1862, the Qing government set up its first customs office for North China at Yantai. Among the countries originally represented were Britain, the United States, France, Japan, Germany, Russia, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, and Sweden. Several museums will be opened in the complex, including one that shows a foreign consulate, one of a private residence of the time, a building to detail reform and opening-up policies and watch museum. The whole repair bill would come to more than 20 million yuan (US $ 2.42 million). There is also to be a second stage to the project, which costs more than 100 million yuan (US $ 12.1 million). The 17 consulates all have different characteristics and, along with clubs, shops, firms and post offices all built around the mountain, they produced a huge foreign architectural complex that is well preserved. Even today. Tourists can still play in the bowling club constructed by the British in 1865. The restoration work has aroused attention from Britain, the Untied States, Japan, and France, and some of them are interested in helping the renovation project.

Lying in the eastern part of the city, Mount Yantai is surrounded by the seas on three sides and encompasses 24 hectares (59.3 acres). On top of the mountain are a beacon erected in 1398 and a lighthouse, which have become the city’s symbols. In 1979, Mount Yantai was turned into a park.

Zhifu Island 芝罘岛

Located 9 kilometers north of Yantai (population 6.45 million), Shandong Province, Zhifu Island is surrounded by sea on four sides. The shape of the island looks like a magic fungus—glossy ganoderma (Ganoderma lucidum; used in medicine; formerly created with miraculous powers and considered a symbol of food luck). With lush hill and blue sea, visitors can ascend the hill and enjoy the sunrise and it is a marvelous natural phenomenon. Historical Records show that in 219 BC and 218 BC, Emperor Qinshihuang, first emperor of China came to the island by boat twice. In 211 BC, the emperor dispatched Xu Shi, a Qin high official to the island to collect medicine, and shoot giant fish. At present the ruin of Fish-Shooting Terrace still remains. Emperor Wudi (156-87 BC, reigned 140-87 BC) of the Han Dynasty came to the island for east inspection. The Zhifu Bay is deep and the waves smooth, it doesn’t freeze in winter, actually it is a fine harbour.

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