Park of ChinaOverview
| Designation | National Park of China (fourth batch) |
| Province | Shandong |
| Location | Qingzhou, Weifang, Shandong |
| Mountains | Taiyi Mountains |
| Latitude, longitude | 36.6, 118.5 Google Maps |
| Highlights | Ancient culture |
| Highest point | 400 m |
| Nearby cities | Weifang (Shandong), Zibo |
| Nearby sites | Mount Tai (Taishan) 129km, Lingyan Temple 135km, Temple, Mansion and Cemetery of Confucius, Qufu 174km, Mount Lao, Qingdao 198km Search nearby |
| Themes | Mountain, Culture, Inscription, Buddha, Grotto, Statue, Museum, Fossils & geological sites |
About
Qingzhou in central Shandong, under Weifang, has three hills on its south-western outskirts: Yunmen, Tuoshan and Linglong. Yunmen Mountain, about 400 m, is named for the gate-like cave on its summit and has many cliff inscriptions, including a giant character for “longevity” 7.5 m high. Tuoshan has five grottoes with more than 600 Buddhist figures.
East of Yunmen is the Shanwang fossil reserve.
The name Qingzhou comes from one of the Nine Provinces of the “Yu Gong”, an ancient region much larger than the present city.
It is in the fourth batch of national parks of China (national scenic areas) named by the State Council in 2002.
Main sights
Longxing Temple site: over 400 Buddhist statues dating from the Northern Wei to the Northern Song were unearthed here in 1996, many keeping their paint and gilding; they are now in the Qingzhou Museum.
Qingzhou Museum: over 60,000 objects, including the Longxing Temple statues, the Ming examination paper of top scholar Zhao Bingzhong and a Han jade bi disc; rated a national first-class museum in 2008.
Travel tips
Getting there: Qingzhou belongs to Weifang. The Jinan-Qingdao high-speed line stops at Qingzhou station, about half an hour to an hour from either city; from the station take a bus or taxi to town, and on to Yunmen Mountain and Tuo Mountain.
Yunmen Mountain: on the southern edge of the old city, with a cave like a door near the top and many cliff inscriptions; the huge character shou is about 7.5 m high, and the stone steps up are not long.
Tuo Mountain: southwest of the city, with grottoes holding more than 600 stone Buddhas, first carved in the Northern dynasties.
Qingzhou Museum: the museum shows Buddhist sculpture found around Qingzhou and makes a natural pair with the grottoes at Yunmen and Tuo mountains.
Old town: the old city keeps some historic streets and houses that can be walked.
Time: half a day each for Yunmen and Tuo mountains; with the museum, allow one and a half to two days.
Season: spring and autumn are best; summer is hot, so climb in the morning; winter is cold.
Where to stay: Qingzhou city is the most convenient.
Nearby: the Shanwang fossil reserve is in Linqu County and is a separate trip; Boshan lies to the west.
Nearby
| World Heritage | Mount Tai (Taishan) 129km, Temple, Mansion and Cemetery of Confucius, Qufu 174km |
| National parks | Boshan Scenic Area 57km, Thousand Buddha Mountain 127km, Mount Lao, Qingdao 198km, Mount Yuntai (Jiangsu) 235km |
| Detailed guides | Lingyan Temple 135km |
| AAAAA attractions | Zhoucun Ancient Commercial City Scenic Area 58km, Firefly Water Cave and Underground Grand Canyon Tourist Area 103km, Yellow River Estuary Ecotourism Area 121km, Yimeng Mountain Scenic Area 124km |
| AAAA attractions | Jiulongyu 3km, Linqu Lancui Lake Hot Spring Resort 18km, Qi Culture Museum (Qi Culture Museum and Football Museum) 21km, Yangtianshan National Forest Park 26km |
| UNESCO Global Geoparks | Yimengshan UNESCO Global Geopark 124km |
| Historic cities | Linzi 24km, Weifang 59km |
| Cities | Jinan 130km |
| Historical sites | Tuoshan Grottoes 2km, Stone Archways of the Prince of Heng's Palace 4km, Qingzhou Zhenjiao Mosque 5km, Qingzhou Longxing Temple Site 5km |
| National geoparks | Shanwang National Geopark 27km, Changle Volcano National Geopark 32km, Yiyuan Lushan National Geopark 57km, Zhucheng Dinosaur National Geopark 112km |
| Nature reserves | Shanwang Paleontological Fossils National Nature Reserve 27km, Yellow River Delta National Nature Reserve 142km |
| Historic villages | Pujiazhuang Village 40km |