Shandong Province 山 东 省 简 介 - Yantai 烟台市 - Penglai Pavilion 蓬莱阁

Located at the northern part of the Jiaodong Peninsular in Shandong Province, Penglai is a beautiful coastal city. For most Chinese, Penglai is a place of fairy tales in Shandogn Province. In Chinese myuthology, the ancient coastal castle of Penglai, about 65 kilometers northwest of Yantai, is a place where the gods lived. An ancient Chinese legend of the Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea originated in Penglai, each one showing his/her special prowess. And the vision, that locals claim appears every few decades, has given a fascinating mysterious atmosphere to the place. The famous scenic spots in Penglai are Penglai Pavilion and Penglai Water City.

Built in the period 1056 to 1063 of the Northern Song Dynasty, Penglai Pavilion (the castle) is perched on a cliff overlooking the sea. In myths, the castle is on one of the three saint mountains on the sea海上三神山 inhabited by immortals. The other two are Yingzhou瀛州 (a fabled abode of immortals) and Fangzhang方丈, which were frequently visited by emperors since the Qin and the Han dynasties. It is said that the eight immortals got drunk at the castle and crossed the sea using magic, without ships or other means of transportation. Their magic inspired a popular saying: “When the Eight Immortals cross the sea八仙过海，各显神通, each one shows his/her special feat. Each tries to outwit the other.” Today, it means everybody has his/her own way to deal with certain things. On display in the complex are works of calligraphy from famous writers, couplets in the hall columns and stone inscriptions. Penglai has a lot of folk customs. The most famous is the traditional fair of Penglai Pavilion held on January 16, according to the lunar calendar at the Heavenly Queen’s Palace. The Heavenly Queen天后 is also called Mazu in Fujian Province. According to mythology, she was the daughter of Lin Yuan, inspector of Putian, Fujian in the Song Dynasty. Her name was Lin Mo. It is said that she was born with red lights and fragrance, and seldom cried. She helped the poor, guarded off devils and saved endangered fishing boats. When Lin Mo died at the age of 28, she became the goddess of the sea. Because she blessed ships at sea, people in Fujian offered sacrifices to her. On March 23 (the traditional Chinese calendar), which is said to be her birthday, the people of Penglai hold a fair. They dance the Yangge (dance), a kind of popular rural folk dance, play with dragon lights and walk on stilts.

Penglai sits on the southern tip of Bohai Straits, the low temperature of the seawater and the high temperature along the coast result in the appearance of the spectacular mirage 海市蜃楼奇观(an optical phenomenon that creates the illusion of water, often with inverted reflections of distant objects) It results from distortion of light by alternate lavers of hot and cool air. Also called “fata morgana.” Usually mirages occur during summer and autumn, especially after it rains and when it is overcast and misty.

Penglai Pavilion was a place where men of letters historically flocked. They left inscriptions on tablets, among them is an engraved essay titled Notes on Reading Wu Daozi’s Painting, written by the great writer, painter and calligrapher Su Dongpo苏东坡 (1037-1101) during the Northern Song Dynasty. The inscription of the essay titled “Watching the Mirage on the Tower in a Summer’s Day” was made by Dong Qichang董其昌 (1555-1636), a calligrapher during the Ming Dynasty.

The board “hai bu yang bo” (Placid Sea Water) was written by Lu Qiguang, a famous Qing Dynasty calligrapher. During the Sino-Japanese War in 1895, the word “bu” was hit with a dumb cannonball.

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