Park of China
Overview
| Designation | National Park of China (third batch) AAAAA tourist attraction |
| Province | Tianjin |
| Location | Jizhou District, Tianjin |
| Mountains | Yanshan Mountains |
| Latitude, longitude | 40.1, 117.3 Google Maps |
| Highest point | 864 m |
| Nearby cities | Tianjin, Beijing |
| Nearby sites | The Temple of Heaven, Beijing 77km, The Forbidden City (Palace Museum), Beijing 77km, The Summer Palace, Beijing 86km, Chengde Mountain Resort and its Outlying Temples 113km Search nearby |
| Themes | Mountain, Hill, Temple, Ancient Building, Statue, Cable Car, Peak, Stone, Ancient trees |
Mount Pan
Mount Pan lies on the southern edge of the Yan Mountains in Jizhou District, Tianjin, 120 km north of Tianjin and 90 km east of Beijing, “the first mountain east of the capital”, famed for its three tiers, five peaks and eight rocks: pines on the upper tier, rocks on the middle and water on the lower. The main peak, Guayue (“Hanging Moon”), is 864 m.
A passenger cable car runs to the Wansong Temple area, and the Yunsong cable car from there to Yunzhao Temple.
It is in the third batch of national parks of China (national scenic areas) named by the State Council in 1994.
Main sights
Guayue Peak: the main summit, crowned by the Dingguang Buddha relic pagoda.
Yunzhao Temple: below Guayue Peak, reached by the Yunsong cable car from Wansong Temple.
Wansong Temple: in the middle of the mountain among pine woods; the lower cable car ends here.
Tiancheng Temple: an old temple below Cuiping Peak, with a Liao-dynasty octagonal brick pagoda in front.
Site of Jingji Villa: a detached palace built under the Qianlong Emperor on the mountain; Qianlong came here many times, but the buildings are gone.
Travel tips
Getting there: Mount Pan is in Jizhou district, Tianjin; it is one to two hours by coach or car from Tianjin or Beijing to Jizhou, and the mountain lies about 15 kilometres northwest of the town.
Climbing: a cable car runs from the base to the Wansong Temple area; the main peak, Guayue, needs a long flight of steps.
The three panpan: the pines of the upper part, the rocks of the middle and the waters of the lower; pines are higher and springs are lower.
Dule Temple: in Jizhou town, best visited on the same trip; the great statue inside the Guanyin Pavilion is seen by looking upward.
Time: a day for the mountain; two days if you add Dule Temple and the town.
Season: spring and autumn are more comfortable, with good colour in autumn; summer is humid and the summit is windy in winter.
Where to stay: Jizhou town is the easiest base, and Tianjin and Beijing are possible as day trips.
Caution: the steps are many and slippery in the rain; the summit is windy, so bring clothes.
Dule Temple
Dule Temple on West Street in the Jizhou district town was founded in the Tang and rebuilt in the Liao; it is a national protected site.
Its Guanyin Pavilion is a famous ancient building 23 m high, using 24 kinds of bracket-set joint and no nails. Inside stands a 16 m clay Guanyin with ten small Buddha heads on its crown, the Eleven-Faced Guanyin, the largest surviving clay statue in China.
Map
Photo credits: Mount Panshan, Jizhou, Tianjin: rheins (CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons)
Nearby
| World Heritage | Eastern Qing Tombs 34km, The Temple of Heaven, Beijing 77km, The Forbidden City (Palace Museum), Beijing 77km, Beijing Central Axis: A Building Ensemble Exhibiting the Ideal Order of the Chinese Capital 78km |
| National parks | Badaling–Ming Tombs Scenic Area 101km, Stone Flower Cave 117km, Yesanpo 185km |
| Detailed guides | Shidu 153km |
| AAAAA attractions | Eastern Qing Tombs Scenic Area 33km, Jinshanling Great Wall Scenic Area 64km, Olympic Park 76km, Prince Gong's Mansion Scenic Area 78km |
| AAAA attractions | Jinhai Lake 9km, Yuyang International Ski Resort 11km, Dule Temple 13km, Jingdong Grand Canyon 17km |
| UNESCO Global Geoparks | Yanqing UNESCO Global Geopark 115km |
| Cities | Beijing 77km, Tianjin 101km |
| Historical sites | Qianxiang Temple Statues 3km, Shangzhai Site 9km, Jixian White Pagoda 13km, Former Front Command of the Pingjin Campaign 21km |
| National geoparks | Jizhou National Geopark 13km, Xinglong National Geopark 60km, Yanqing Petrified Wood National Geopark 100km, Qian'an National Geopark 122km |
| Nature reserves | Baxianshan National Nature Reserve 27km, Wulingshan National Nature Reserve 59km, Songshan National Nature Reserve 131km, Dahaituo National Nature Reserve 134km |
| Historic villages | Xijingyu Village 12km, Jiaozhuanghu Village 37km |