Dragon Cave is located at the junction of Lixia District and Shizhong District, Jinan City. There are rich natural and cultural landscapes here. It has become a tourist attraction since the Song Dynasty. Sun Xingyan, a famous scholar in the Qing Dynasty, once left a poem here to praise the beautiful scenery of Dragon Cave Scenic Area.
According to the legend, thousands years ago, an evil dragon caused troubles continuously here. Later Da Yu controlled the floods and came here to apprehend the dragon. The evil dragon escaped through the mountains and left the deep cave. Therefore the steep and rocky mountains here were called as Dragon Cave Mountain.
Main attractions of Dragon Cave Scenic Area
Baiyun Spring flows from Baiyun Mountain. The main peak of Baiyun Mountain has a steep cliff, which is about 15 meters high. The lower part of the cliff is recessed and shaped like a grotto. The spring water flows out from the cave and merges into a small stone pool with an area of about 1 square meters. Then it flows into a big pool, which is 20 meters long and 6 meters wide. The green algae float in the pool while the water is clear and endlessly.
On the north side of the spring is Baiyun Cave, also known as White-Clothes Fairy Cave. The cave is more than 10 meters deep and four to five meters wide. According to legend, a fairy in white clothes once lived here, hence the name. Here, the mountains are high and deep; the forests are lush and evergreen.
Foyu Scenic Area is located on the southeast side of Dragon Cave Scenic Area, which is surrounded by mountains, lush forests, blooming flowers, clear springs and ancient temples. Walking along the stone paths, across the creek, there is the circular valley, commonly known as "Luoquan Valley".
On the north side of the mountain, there is an ancient temple named "Banruo Temple". According to the record of the inscriptions, the temple was founded by Emperor Suiwen of the Sui Dynasty with a history of more than 1,400 years. The temple is surrounded by a wall courtyard, forming a secluded courtyard.
Shousheng Temple was built during the Wei Dynasty. In the hall, the dragon king and other gods were worshipped. Many people used to come here to pray for the rain and harvest. Now the temple was destroyed but left two old ginkgo trees in the courtyard flourishing. The stone steles carved during the Northern Song Dynasty are still existed, which recorded the story of the dragon.