Penglai, Shandong

Chinese Name: 蓬莱 (péng lái)
Population: 410,000
Area: 1,007 square kilometers (389 square miles)
Location: in the north of Yantai City, Shandong Province, east China
Area Code: 0535
Zip Code: 265600
GDP (2018): CNY 53.62 billion (USD 8.10 billion)

Penglai is a county-level city in Shandong Province, managed by Yantai city. It is located in the northeast of Shandong Province and the north of Yantai City, bordering the Yellow Sea and Bohai Sea on the north and Qingdao City on the south. Penglai has been known as a legendary fairyland where the legend Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea originated. It was also once the starting point of the ancient Maritime Silk Road with rich historical relics and many places of interest. There are plenty of minerals, marine products and high-quality apples. It is also one of the seven grape coasts in the world and three wine grape producing areas in China. With beautiful coast and 40 tourist attractions, Penglai is awarded one of the best tourism cities. It is worth mentioning that Penglai is also the place with the most mirage in China.

 Penglai Pavilion Scenic Area
Penglai Pavilion Scenic Area features ancient architectural complex, with distinctive buildings, halls, pavilions, platforms. The Penglai Pavilion is one of the Four Great Towers of China, which is also the best place to view the sea. It is a wonderful experience to take a cross-sea cableway to enjoy the beautiful scenery after visiting the Penglai Pavilion. And visitors can see the historic naval base and learn about the history of ancient Dengzhou Port and Silk Road at museums as well. Besides, one of the wonders of Penglai Pavilion Scenic Area is the mirage, which attracts countless tourists every year.

 Penglai Baxian Sea Crossing Scenic Area
Penglai Baxian Sea Crossing Scenic Area is a place where the myth Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea originated, looking like a gourd lying on the sea. It features gardens, stone forests, long corridors, and pavilions and temples. Something with the theme of eight immortals can be found everywhere such as jade, porcelain, lacquer, wood and stone carvings. Visitors are able to enjoy the excellent sea view on the coastal platform, viewing gallery, and Seal Island and experience speedboat tour projects.

 Ocean Aquarium of Penglai
In this marine world, there are nearly 100 kinds of marine creatures around the world, such as polar bears, sharks, belugas, walruses, penguins, seals, etc. Visitors can see the wonderful performances of dolphins and sea lions as well as beautiful mermaids. Many strange and interesting marine creatures are kept in the aquarium.

Others: Sanxianshan Scenic Area, Wencheng Castle, Penglai Oulebao Magic World

The best time to visit Penglai Shandong is from May to September and the peak season is from July to September. The maximum temperature of Penglai in summer (from June to August) is not more than 30℃ (86℉) and visitors can taste fresh seafood and get close to the sea. Moreover, the most likely time for a mirage is around May each year. There is not extremely cold weather during the winter time of Penglai, from December to February. And the average temperature of Penglai is 12.4℃ (54.3℉).

Penglai is 411 km (255 mi) from Jinan, the capital of Shandong Province. Visitors can take a flight to Yantai Penglai International Airport. It only takes 30 minutes to the downtown area. It is also very convenient to access Penglai by bullet train and coach from Qingdao and Jinan.

The public transportation of Penglai relies on buses and taxis. It charges CNY7 of Penglai normal taxis for the first 3km and CNY1.5/km for the next distance and charges CNY8 of the luxurious one for the first 3km and CNY1.8/km thereafter. CNY100-110 is needed from the urban area to Yantai Penglai International Airport.  

The best Penglai food includes Penglai Noodles, Prawns Stewed in Brown Sauce, Penglai Sea Cucumber, Spanish Mackerel Dumpling and Eight Immortals Feast.

​ Penglai Noodles
Penglai Noodles is a traditional snack. Noodles are usually man-made, thin and chewy. With snapper as the main ingredient, the soup snapper is particularly delicious, and different seafood scallops, prawns and sea cucumbers can be added.

​ Eight Immortals Feast
The Eight Immortals Feast is actually a seafood feast mainly composed of prawns, sea cucumbers, scallops, sea crabs, red snails, red snappers and other sea treasures. It has 8 platters, 8 hot dishes and 1 hot soup.