The National Tourism Administration of China has commended Yantai, a coastal city in Shandong Province, as an excellent tourism city. Every year the city attracts more than 6 million tourists from home and abroad.

The yearly average temperature of 12 degrees centigrade and the warm, moist weather is an ideal place for people to live and work. In summer visitors can enjoy· themselves relaxing or playing on the beach, swimming and enjoying the sunshine. The natural sights and the splendid historical interests are very fascinating. Walking into the Mount Fenghuang (Phoenix), visitors can see murmuring streams, hear birds singing, smell the fragrance of flowers and enjoy the rare chance of walking through the forest. The mountain has eight famous scenic spots including Xianglu (Incense Burner) Peak and Xianren (Immortal/Celestial Being) Bridge. The 1, OOO-year-old Bamboo Temple is a celebrated temple in the Jiaodong Peninsula. In the temple there is the Main Hall for Buddha, the statue of Sakyamuni, the golden statues of Bodhsattvas and the bronze statues of 500 arhats. Tourists can see inscriptions written by celebrities from Britain, the United States, France, Japan, and other countries. Chulan Village, a tourism village with local customs, lies among the seashore. Each year, the village receives' many overseas tourists. Some of the tourists stay with the villagers. They plant flowers, pluck fruits, and visit the markets by bicycle. They also fly kites at the seashore, practise Chinese kungfu / gongfu (a Chinese system of self-defense, like karate - any of several Asian styles of fighting without a weapon that include blows with the hands and feet,but emphasizing circular rather than linear movements) and paddle the boat out of the sea to fish together. These have made overseas tourists learn the typical Jiaodong (east Shandong) folk customs .

Zhifu Island

Located 9 kilometres north of Yantai (population 6.45 million), Shandong Province, Zhifu Island is surrounded by sea on four sides. The shape of the island looks like a magic fungus-glossy ganoderma (Ganoderma lucidum; used in medicine; formerly created with miraculous powers and considered a symbol of good luck). With lush hill and blue sea, visitors can ascend the hill and enjoy the sunrise and it is a marvellous natural phenomenon. Historical Records show that in 219 BC and 218 BC, Emperor Qinshihuang, first emperor of China came to the island by boat twice. In 211 BC, the emperor dispatched Xu Shi, a Qin high official to the island to collect medicine, and shoot giant fish. At present the ruin of Fish-Shooting Terrace still remains. Emperor Wudi (156-87 BC, reigned 140-87' BC) of the Han Dynasty came to the island for east inspection. The Zhifu Bay is deep and the waves smooth, it doesn't freeze in winter, actually it is a fine harbour.

Yantai Consulates

Yantai has restored its 17 foreign consulates around Yantai Mountain. The architectural complex, built in the period 1862 to 1932, would be opened to tourists after the restoration. In 1861, the Qing government was forced to enter into the Tianjin Treaty, which turned Yantai into a treaty port and in 1862, the Qing government set up its first customs office for North China at Yantai. Among the countries originally represented were Britain, the United States, France, Japan, Germany, Russia, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, and Sweden. Several museums will be opened in the complex, including one that shows a foreign consulate, one of a private residence of the time, a building to detail reform and opening-up policies and watch museum. The whole repair bill would come to more than 20 million yuan (US $ 2.42 million). There is also to be a second stage to the project, which costs more than 100 million yuan (US $ 12.1 million). The 17 consulates all have different characteristics and, along with clubs, shops, firms and post offices all built around the mountain, they produced a huge foreign architectural complex that is well preserved. Even today, tourists can still play in the bowling club constructed by the British in 1865. The restoration work has aroused attention from Britain, the Untied States, Japan, and France, and some of them are interested in helping the renovation project.

Lying in the eastern part of the city, Mount Yantai is surrounded by the seas on three sides and encompasses 24 hectares (59.3 acres). On top of the mountain are a beacon erected in 1398 and a lighthouse, which have become the city's symbols. In 1979, Mount Yantai was turned into a park .

Penglai Pavilion

Located at the northern part of the Jiaodong Peninsular in Shandong Province, Penglai is a beautiful coastal city. For most Chinese, Penglai is a place of fairy tales in Shandong Province. In Chinese mythology, the ancient coastal castle of Penglai, about 65 kilometres northwest of Yantai, is a place where the gods lived. An ancient Chinese legend of the Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea originated in Penglai, each one showing his/her special prowess. And the vision, that locals claim appears every few decades, has given a fascinating mysterious atmosphere to the place. The famous scenic spots in Penglai are Penglai Pavilion and Penglai Water City.

Built in the period 1056 to 1063 of the Northern Song Dynasty, Penglai Pavilion (the castle) is perched on a cliff overlooking the sea. In myths, the castle is on one of the three saint mountains on the sea inhabited by immortals. The other two are Yingzhou (a fabled abode of immortals) and Fangzhang , which were frequently visited by emperors since the Qin and the Han dynasties. It is said that the eight immortals got drunk at the castle and crossed the sea using magic, without ships or other means of transportation. Their magic inspired a popular saying: "When the Eight Immortals cross the sea , each one shows his/her special feat. Each tries to outwit the other . Today, it means everybody has his/her own way to deal with certain things. On display in the complex are works of calligraphy from famous writers, couplets on the hall columns and stone inscriptions. Penglai has a lot of folk customs. The most famous is the tradi tional fair of Penglai Pavilion held on January 16, according to the lunar calendar at the Heavenly Queen's Palace. The Heavenly Queen is also called Mazu in Fujiang Province. According to mythology, she was the daughter of Lin Yuan, inspector of Putian, Fujian in the Song Dynasty. Her name was Lin Mo. It is said that she was born with red lights and fragrance, and seldom cried. She helped the poor, guarded off devils and saved endangered fishing boats. When Lin Mo died at the age of 28, she became the goddess of the sea. Because she blessed ships at sea, people in Fujian offered sacrifices to her. On March 23 (the traditional Chinese calendar), which is said to be her birthday, the people of Penglai hold a fair. They dance the Yangge (dance), a kind of popular rural folk dance, play with dragon lights and walk on stilts.

Penglai sits on the southern tip of Bohai Straits, the low tetJ;112erature of the seawater and the high temperature along the coast result in the appearance of the spectacular mirage (an optical phenomenon that creates the illusion of water, often with inverted reflections of distant objects) It results from distortion of light by alternate layers of hot and cool air. Also called "fata morgana." Usually mirages occur during summer and autumn, especially after it rains and when it is overcast and misty.

Penglai Pavilion was a place where men of letters historically flocked. They left inscriptions on tablets, among them is an engraved essay titled Notes on Reading Wu Daozi's Painting, written by the great writer, painter and calligrapher Su Dongpo (1037-1101) during the Northern Song Dynasty. The inscription of the essay titled "Watching the Mirage on the Tower in a Summer's Day" was made by Dong Qichang (15551636), a calligrapher during the Ming Dynasty.

The board" hai bu yang bo" (Placid Sea Water) was written by Lu Qiguang, a famous Qing Dynasty calligrapher. During the Sino-Japanese War in 1895, the word" bu" was hit with a dumb cannonball.

Penglai Water City

East of the castles of Penglai is the Penglai Water City, one of the oldest military harbours in China with dry docks and piers. Construction of the fortress began in 1642 and finished in 1696. The water fortress is the earliest man-made ancient military port in China. Along with the castle of Penglai, it is a key historical relic under the state protection. National hero Qi Jiguang (1528-1587) of the Ming Dynasty, a native Penglai, once trained his naval force here against foreign invasion. In the past 600 years, the Qis have donated a great deal of cultural relics, such as Qi Jiguang Statue and the Father-son Governor. The Former Residence of Qi Jiguang was completed and opened to the public in 2001.

West of the castle is Tianheng Hill or Dengzhou Cape, the southern end of the border between the Yellow Sea and Bohai Sea. Legend has it that it used to be the fort for the Tianheng 500 heroic men , who built camps on top of the barracks overlooking the sea. Tianheng , a general in the Qin Dynasty, stationed his troops there. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, cannons were placed here. In the 1940s, the People's Liberation Army (PLA) used them to attack Japanese warships. The relics are still there, but other aspects of the site have changed, with a new cultural park, and a plank road along the cliff. Walking on it with clouds surrounding the tourist, she can't help but think that the new road would have made the sea crossing much easier for the Eight Immortals!