Kunyu Mountain is located in the east of Jiaodong Peninsula or Shandong Peninsula, which is 35 kilometers from north to south, 50 kilometers from east to west, with a total area of 1,750 square kilometers. The main peak - Taiding Peak, has an altitude of 923 meters, which is also the highest peak in the east Shandong Peninsula. It has the reputation of “ancestry of holy mountains". It is selected as the National 4A Class Scenic Spot.
Amazing Kunyu Mountain
Kunyu Mountain is one of the famous revolutionary bases in Shandong Peninsula. In 1935, Yu Deshui and Wang Liang led the "Kunyu Mountain Red Army Guerrilla" and fought with a protracted guerrilla here.
Kunyu Mountain is a national nature reserve. It is the original habitat of Chinese red pine as well as the largest and most well-protected natural distribution area of the red pine forest in the world. Due to the mild climate and abundant rainfall, it has rich vegetation resources. There are 1,073 species of plants, 1,161 species of birds and insects in the mountain.
There are many places of interest in Kunyu Mountain. As far back as in the Han and Tang dynasties, there were many temples such as the Three Imperial Palaces, Chan Temple, Wuran Temple, Liudu Temple, Yuegu Temple and Ganquan Temple on the mountain. During the Jin and Yuan dynasties, the Quanzhen Taoism was founded here. The large-scale rock carvings on the Shengjing Mountain are very rare in China. The monuments dated back to Han and Tang dynasties at Wuran Temple are the precious cultural relics.
Highlights at Kunyu Mountain
Zijin Peak is 257 meters above sea level. Its peak resembles the "purple gold crown" worn by the ancient emperor, hence the name. In 1670 during the Qing Dynasty, a landslide occurred at Zijin Peak. A "gutter" with the depth of 10 meters from east to west and the width of 1 meter, divided the mountain from north to south, forming a natural wonder. According to the legend, Ma Danyang (1123-1183) from Jin Dynasty, known as one of the seven immortals, passed the Zijin Peak one day and then built a temple in the mountain for preaching and practicing.
Donghua Palace locates in front of Zijin Peak, which is one of the main remains of the Quanzhen Taoist. In 1182, Ma Danyang discovered that there was a stone altar, a flower garden and a red stove in front of the peak. He inferred that this place was the former residence of the Emperor Donghua. Then he led his disciples to build the Donghua Palace. In 1302, Li Daoyuan, a disciple of Ma Danyang, came to Zijin Peak and continued to expand its scale. The octagonal Eight-Corner Glaze Pavilion and Wuhua Stele Pavilion were added. In 1308, Donghua Palace became a famous Taoist palace with an area of 10,000 square meters, which was full of magnificent monuments. In the middle of Ming Dynasty, the palace was destroyed by fire while only a few Taoist relics from Jin and Yuan dynasties are remained nowadays.