This route is themed visiting ancient and secluded places to enlighten the way of life and the way of heaven and earth.
Main attractions of Taiqing scenic spot are Taiqing Palace, Mingxia Cave, Shangqing Palace and Longtan Waterfall. Laoshan is famous for its connections to the divines. And the Taiqing scenic spot is the core of Taoist culture and the origin of the immortal mountain. Tourists’ focus in Taiqing scenic spot is the Taoist culture and the many ancient and famous trees. In the scenic spot, Tourists can hear the myth and fairy tales, see the cultural relics and historical sites, and feel the antique beauty.
Main attractions
Longtan Waterfall: Eight streams converge into the Bashui River (eight waters) that rushes down from high cliffs and steep walls, forming a waterfall. The cliff is high and the river flows fast, so, the waterfall rushes out of the cliff and flies in the air and, like a white dragon rising from the clouds, crushes into the pool, giving itself the name "Longtan Waterfall".
Shangqing Palace: It was first built in the Song Dynasty, rebuilt in the Yuan Dynasty, and repaired in the successive dynasties. In the Yuan Dynasty, Taoist priest Qiu Chuji lived here and left his inscriptions. Among them, his one Song poetry and 10 four-line poems in are the most famous. The main hall in the palace is dedicated to the Jade Emperor, which is called the Jade Emperor's Hall. About 250 meters in front of the palace, lay Qiu's cenotaph, formerly known as the Qiu's ancestral grave. The biggest attraction here is the two Song Dynasty maidenhair trees in the courtyard.
Mingxia Cave: A cave built of boulders. It is the founding place of the Jinshan Sect. Masters such as Qiu Chuji, Hao Taigu, Sun Bu-er, Zhang Sanfeng and Sun Xuanqing studied here. The word "Mingxia Cave”inscribed inside the cave was made in the 3rd year of Da'an in the Jin Dynasty (1211 Ad) by Qiu Chuji.
Taiqing Palace: The oldest and largest Taoist temple in Laoshan Mountain. It has a history of more than 2,160 years. It has the most valuable religious buildings in Laoshan Scenic Spot including the Sanguan Hall, Sanqing Hall and Sanhuang Hall as well as ancient and magical trees such as Han cypress, Tang elm and Jiangxue. There are also the walls through which Taoist priests has been crossing in the legends, the Fengxian Bridge priests has been crossing without traces and the study Pu Songling wrote his master piece. Tourists come to visit this ancient and secluded place seeking truth and enlightenment and in turn enriched its history.
The peak backing up the Laoshan Taiqing Palace is named Laojun Peak. Under the Laojun Peak, Abbot Li Zongxian presided over the construction of the largest outdoor statue of Lao Tzu. It is a must-go place of the Taiqing Palace. The view atop the 108 stairs is shockingly good. The statue of Lao Tzu is 36 meters tall and 28 meters wide at the base. It was built according to the Lao Tzu painted by the Painting Sage Wu Daozi in the Tang Dynasty. Lao Tzu is pointing to the sky with his left hand and the earth with his right hand, which means "from heaven to earth, there’s only the Tao".
Sightseeing route
Tourist need to buy tickets at the Laoshan Tourist Service Center and take the sightseeing bus to enter the Taiqing scenic spot. The tour route is: Bashui River Plaza - Longtan Waterfall - Shangqing Palace - Mingxia Cave - Taiqing Cableway (or by foot) - Taiqing Palace (reversible). The tour takes about four hours.
There are three main scenic areas in Taiqing scenic spot: Bashui River, Taiqing Palace and marine tourist area.
The Bashui River area is a mountain climbing route. Up the Bashui River is the Longtan Waterfall Reservoir, thousand-year old Taiqing Palace. Trailing through the forest, tourists can reach the end point at Laoshan’s famous Taoist temple: Mingxia Cave. The entire journey takes 1 to 1.5 hours. If feeling tired, tourists can choose to turn back from the Longtan Waterfall or Shangqing Palace, cutting the tour uphill down to about 40 minutes. In addition, tourists can choose to take the Taiqing Cableway to Mingxia Cave at the lower Taiqing Cableway station.
It takes about an hour to tour Taiqing Palace because it is situated at the seaside.
If tourists want to truly appreciate the "No. 1 Famous Mountains on the Sea", they can also experience Laoshan's mountain and sea landscape by yacht at Taiqing Red Wharf. Diaoyutai, Baxiandun and Laoshantou can only be visited by boat.
