Old Dragon Lake & Mount Yi

Old Dragon Lake is located in Yeyuan Town, Linqu County, about 60 kilometers (37 miles) southwest from Weifang city, the capital of kites. It is a bright pearl of the ‘Thousand-Li Folk-Custom Tourist Line’ in Shandong Province. The scenic area is well-known for its characteristic Southern Chinese river scenery featuring waters, small bridges and ancient buildings.

Once called Xunye Lake, the Old Dragon Lake lies in the northern foot of Haifu Mountain. With an area of more than 13 acres, the lake is fed by underground springs. The still lake water is unique in that it keeps its temperature 18 Celsius degrees (64.4 degrees Fahrenheit) all year around. In deep winter, the scenic area is full of rising mirages, which look like a fairyland and has become a wonder. In other times, the blue lake wrinkles slightly in the soft breezes and extends to the distant horizon. The spectacle is all the more charming with thick forest and tall bamboos around the lake. Stone bridges with intriguing features of their own span the vast waters, such as Xuehua Bridge and Cloud Bridge.

The lake also enjoys a long history of about 2,500 years. After Ou Zhizi, a very famous sword-smith during the Spring and Autumn Period (770BC-476BC), cast an excellent sword here, many saints and personage came here, and left many verses and calligraphic works. Now some ancient buildings and cultural sites display their enchanting appearance, for example, Jiangnan Pavilion, Yuquan Temple and White Dragon Xanadu.

Here the blue water, elegant bridges, green hills and ancient buildings contrast finely with each other. It boasts of itself a wonderland in Shandong Province and even more beautiful than scenery in Southern China. It is indeed an ideal tourist resort for relaxation and holiday.

 Travel Tips:
The entrance fare is CNY 35.

At Weifang General Bus Station, buses to Linqu County leave every 10 minutes. The buses operate from 06:00 to 18:00 and the duration is around an hour and a half. Upon reaching Linqu, one can find buses to reach Yeyuan Town and these buses pass Old Dragon Lake, so that you can take the bus for Yeyuan to reach the lake. It is suggested to ask the bus driver to remind you to get off at the lake, after you boarding the bus in Linqu. 

Mount Yi, also called the Eastern Mount Tai, is one of main peaks of the Tai-Yi mountain range. It has been developed into a large scenic area including Forest Park, Dongzhen Temple, Qilu Great Wall and Mount Yi Reservoir. Besides its beautiful natural scenery, it also abounds in places of historic interest.

It is situated about 45 kilometers (28 miles) south from Linqu County Seat. With an area of 65 square kilometers (16,062 acres), range upon range of undulating hills, deep valleys and steep slopes spread all over the scenic area. Many stone peaks seem to have mushroomed from the ground, presenting an infinite variety of shapes, as if they contend with each other in beauty and fascination. At the highest peak, Yuhuang Peak, tourists can easily get a panoramic view of Mount Yi.

The forest view and greenery glorify the mountain in all of its majesty. Most trees are conifers, robinias and oaks with some rarer species. A stunning waterfall falls over a tall cliff with a drop of 68 meters (223 feet). Other ribbon-like streams wind through rocks and craggy mountain paths. As with Mount Tai, this mountain enjoys a long history. Sixteen emperors of ten dynasties had visited. The Dongzhen Temple was originally built during the reign of the Han Emperor Wu (141BC-87BC). Many elites throughout the history had come here and left stone steles and tablets with inscriptions.

More and more tourists both home and abroad are attracted by its beautiful mountain natural views and places of cultural interest. The best time to visit the mountain is around April to November.

 

Admission Fee	March - November: CNY 85 December - February: CNY 60
Opening Time	08:00 to 17:00