Nanshan Tourist Scenic Area is located in Longkou City, Yantai City, Shandong Province. It is a national 5A-level tourist attraction with a total area of about 14 square kilometers. The scenic area features "fortune and longevity culture" and "religious culture" as its core, integrating natural landscapes and cultural landscapes. It boasts both magnificent ancient architectural complexes and beautiful landscapes of mountains and waters, known as "the First Mountain of Donglai". There are many buildings in the style of the Ming and Qing dynasties in the scenic area, with a total construction area of over 300,000 square meters, including temples, palaces, pavilions and other structures. The overall layout is rigorous and the craftsmanship is exquisite, showcasing the unique charm of traditional Chinese architecture. As a comprehensive scenic area integrating tourism, leisure and vacation, religious pilgrimage, and cultural experience, it attracts a large number of tourists from home and abroad for visits.
History and Culture
The history and culture of Nanshan Tourist Scenic Area are closely linked with religious culture and fortune and longevity culture. Nanshan Zen Temple in the scenic area has a long history, first built during the Zhenguan period of the Tang Dynasty. After renovations and expansions in the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, it gradually formed its current scale. It is an important Buddhist activity site in the Jiaodong region, with a large number of precious Buddhist cultural relics and inscriptions preserved in the temple, witnessing the development of local Buddhist culture.
Fortune and longevity culture is another important cultural connotation of Nanshan Scenic Area. The "Nanshan Giant Buddha" and "Nanshan Medicine Buddha Jade Statue" in the scenic area are important carriers of fortune and longevity culture, attracting many believers and tourists to come and pray for blessings. In addition, the pavilions, sculptures, and stone carvings in the scenic area are mostly themed on fortune and longevity, such as "Fortune and Longevity Pavilion" and "Hundred Fortune Diagram", reflecting the Chinese nation's yearning and pursuit for a better life, and forming a unique group of fortune and longevity cultural landscapes.
Main Attractions
Nanshan Giant Buddha
Nanshan Giant Buddha is a landmark attraction of Nanshan Tourist Scenic Area, being the world's largest bronze seated Buddha. It is 38.66 meters high and weighs 380 tons, composed of 232 copper plates and 108 tons of steel. The Buddha sits on the top of Nanshan at an altitude of 189 meters, with a kind face and a solemn posture. Tourists can climb up to the Buddha's pedestal to feel the magnificent momentum of the giant Buddha up close and overlook the panoramic view of the scenic area. The giant Buddha is surrounded by 9,999 small Buddhas, forming a spectacular scene of "ten thousand Buddhas paying homage to the Buddha", which is a perfect combination of Buddhist culture and modern sculpture art.
Nanshan Medicine Buddha Jade Hall
The Nanshan Medicine Buddha Jade Hall enshrines a huge Medicine Buddha jade statue. Carved from a 360-ton piece of Burmese jadeite, the jade statue stands 13.66 meters tall, with a width of 4.6 meters and a thickness of 4.4 meters, making it the largest jade Buddha in the world currently. The entire jade statue is emerald green, with a warm and smooth luster and exquisite carvings, embodying the compassionate image of the Medicine Buddha. The hall also displays numerous Buddhist cultural relics and artworks, allowing visitors to understand the profound connotations of Buddhist culture while being shocked by the jade statue.
Nanshan Zen Temple
Nanshan Zen Temple is one of the oldest Buddhist temples in the scenic area, covering an area of about 40,000 square meters with a construction area of about 15,000 square meters. The main buildings in the temple include the mountain gate, Heavenly King Hall, Mahavira Hall, and Scripture Repository, all of which are in the style of the Ming and Qing dynasties. The Mahavira Hall enshrines three giant Buddhas: Sakyamuni Buddha, Amitabha Buddha, and Medicine Buddha. The Buddha statues are tall and solemn with exquisite craftsmanship. The temple is surrounded by ancient cypresses reaching the sky, with a quiet environment, making it a good place for meditation and experiencing Buddhist culture.
Nanshan Manor Wine Castle
Nanshan Manor Wine Castle is an attraction integrating grape planting, wine brewing, tourism, and leisure vacation. It covers an area of about 1,000 mu, among which the vineyard area is 800 mu, planting various high-quality wine grapes such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. The wine castle has a unique architectural style, adopting European castle design, with a wine culture exhibition hall, brewing workshop, underground wine cellar, etc. inside. Tourists can visit the wine brewing process, taste authentic Nanshan wine, and experience the charm of wine culture.
Nanshan Theme Park
Nanshan Theme Park is a comprehensive park mainly for leisure and entertainment, covering an area of about 200,000 square meters. It is equipped with various amusement facilities such as roller coasters, Ferris wheels, and carousels, suitable for tourists of different ages. The park also has ancient-style buildings, lakes, lawns and other landscapes, with a beautiful environment, making it an ideal place for family and parent-child tours. In addition, the park regularly holds various cultural performances and festivals, bringing rich entertainment experiences to tourists.
Food
Featured Food in the Scenic Area
Restaurants in Nanshan Tourist Scenic Area mainly serve Shandong cuisine and Jiaodong seafood, among which "Nanshan Vegetarian Feast" is unique. The vegetarian feast uses fresh vegetables, soy products and other ingredients to carefully cook various meat-like dishes, such as "vegetarian chicken" and "vegetarian fish". They are delicious and lifelike in shape, with a price of about 58 yuan per serving. In addition, "Fortune and Longevity Noodles" in the scenic area are also very popular. The noodles are long and thin, with ingredients such as eggs and vegetables, implying longevity and good luck. A serving is about 18 yuan, which is a must-try food for tourists after praying for blessings.
Surrounding Food
There are many characteristic food restaurants in Longkou City around the scenic area. "Longkou Old Restaurant", about 5 kilometers away from the scenic area, is famous for local home-cooked dishes. The restaurant's "Longkou Vermicelli Steamed Scallops" is made of high-quality Longkou vermicelli and fresh scallops, steamed. The vermicelli absorbs the freshness of the scallops, with a smooth taste, and a price of about 68 yuan per serving. In addition, "Jiaodong Big Steamed Bun" is also one of the restaurant's specialties. The steamed buns are large in size, soft in taste, with a light wheat fragrance, and a price of about 5 yuan each, being a representative of local traditional pasta.
Tickets
Ticket price: 115 yuan per person.
You can search for the official WeChat public account "山东龙口南山旅游" to get the latest news or buy tickets online.
Opening Hours
The opening hours are 8:00-17:30 every day (8:30-17:00 in winter from November to February of the next year). The opening hours of each attraction in the scenic area are the same as those of the scenic area. The morning class time of some temples may be earlier, and you can consult the scenic area staff for details. It is recommended that tourists arrange their visiting time reasonably to avoid missing the best visiting time of the attractions.
Tour Route
Recommended one-day tour route: Arrive at the scenic area at 8:30 a.m., first go to Nanshan Giant Buddha, visit the Buddha and surrounding landscapes, taking about 1.5 hours; go to Nanshan Medicine Buddha Jade Hall at 10:00 a.m., admire the charm of the Medicine Buddha Jade Statue and learn about Buddhist culture, taking about 1 hour; go to Nanshan Zen Temple at 11:00 a.m., feel the quiet atmosphere of the ancient temple, visit the buildings and cultural relics in the temple, taking about 1 hour; have lunch in the restaurant in the scenic area at 12:00 p.m.; go to Nanshan Manor Wine Castle at 13:30 p.m., visit the vineyard and wine cellar, taste wine, taking about 1.5 hours; go to Nanshan Theme Park at 15:00 p.m., experience the amusement facilities and enjoy the landscapes in the park, taking about 1.5 hours; finish the visit and leave the scenic area at 16:30 p.m.
Transportation
- Public transportation: From Longkou Bus Station, you can take a tourist special line to Nanshan Tourist Scenic Area directly, with a bus every 30 minutes, the journey is about 30 minutes, and the fare is about 10 yuan. You can also take Longkou city buses such as No. 5 and No. 10, get off at "Nanshan Scenic Area" station, and walk about 500 meters to reach the scenic area entrance.
- Self-driving: Starting from Yantai urban area, drive west along Shenhai Expressway, get off at Longkou Exit, then go to Nanshan Tourist Scenic Area according to the navigation instructions. The whole journey is about 100 kilometers, and the driving time is about 1.5 hours. There is a large parking lot in the scenic area, and the parking fee is 5 yuan per day.
- Taxi/online car-hailing: Taking a taxi from Longkou Railway Station to Nanshan Tourist Scenic Area, the whole journey is about 15 kilometers, the driving time is about 25 minutes, and the cost is about 30-40 yuan.
Must-visit Attractions
- Nanshan Giant Buddha: The world's largest bronze seated Buddha, 38.66 meters high and 380 tons heavy, surrounded by 9,999 small Buddhas. It is a landmark attraction of the scenic area, allowing you to feel the charm of Buddhist culture and sculpture art.
- Nanshan Medicine Buddha Jade Hall: Enshrining the world's largest Medicine Buddha jade statue, carved from 360 tons of Burmese jadeite, 13.66 meters high, showcasing the exquisite jade carving art.
- Nanshan Zen Temple: An ancient temple first built during the Zhenguan period of the Tang Dynasty, covering an area of 40,000 square meters. It is an important Buddhist activity site in the Jiaodong region, with many cultural relics and a profound historical heritage.
Tour Suggestions
- The recommended visiting time is 1 day. The scenic area is large with many attractions, and you can reasonably arrange the visiting order according to your interests and time.
- When visiting Buddhist attractions, you should respect religious customs, keep quiet, and do not take photos or touch Buddha statues and cultural relics at will.
- When visiting in summer, take sun protection measures, bring sunscreen, sun hats, etc.; when visiting in winter, keep warm, wear thick clothes and non-slip shoes.
- The catering price in the scenic area is relatively high. You can bring some snacks and drinking water to enjoy in the rest area.
- If you want to have an in-depth understanding of the historical culture of the scenic area and the background of the attractions, you can rent an electronic interpreter or hire a guide in the scenic area, with a cost of about 20-50 yuan.
Matters Needing Attention
- Smoking and littering are prohibited in the scenic area. Please protect the environment and public facilities and abide by the management regulations of the scenic area.
- When playing on amusement facilities, follow the instructions of the staff, fasten your seat belt, and ensure personal safety.
- There are many tourists during peak periods (such as holidays). It is recommended to buy tickets in advance and travel during off-peak hours to avoid crowds.
- Some sections in the scenic area have a large slope. Be careful when walking, especially the elderly and children should be accompanied by someone.
- Take good care of your personal belongings, avoid losing them in crowded places, and ask the scenic area staff for help in case of problems.