A Culturally Rich Wellness Resort – Qingdu Mountain

Speaking of Qingdu Mountain, some might hesitate and ask, 'Where is that?' However, when mentioning Emperor Yao, one of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, I'm sure everyone knows who he is. Qingdu was the name of Emperor Yao's mother, and because she often brought the young Yao to live here, the mountain was named Qingdu Mountain. The lake that nurtured Emperor Yao was also named Yaomu Lake. Qingdu Mountain is not tall and is isolated from the surrounding mountains, standing alone as a small hill. But its summit is open and flat, covered with lush vegetation. Looking into the distance, the surrounding mountains encircle it like a green screen. Qingdu Mountain sits at the center, winding and coiling like a reclining dragon, exuding an air of imperial majesty. As the ancestor of the Chinese nation, Yao's residence naturally attracted later emperors to come and pay homage, including the only female emperor, Wu Zetian. At that time, a Grand Secretary, based on the description in Huangfu Mi's 'The Imperial Century' from the Western Jin Dynasty—'Yao Mountain, ten li south is Du Mountain; Du Mountain is where Yao's mother Qingdu lived'—suggested that the Empress Dowager should trace her roots and pay homage. Led by the local magistrate, ministers and geomancers built temples here. They first constructed Yao Temple, then 'Shousheng Temple,' which was later granted the name Lingyuan Temple. With the endorsement of Emperor Yao and Wu Zetian, the cultural significance of Qingdu Mountain can firmly rank among the top three humanistic landscapes in Hebei. Now let's look at its natural scenery. Yao Spring flows continuously year-round; on the mountain, ancient cypresses are verdant; at the foot, Lingyuan Lake offers picturesque scenery. The term 'mountain and lake beauty' is most apt to describe it. Even more remarkable, Qingdu Mountain belongs to Gaochang Town. The central route of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project and the Tang River irrigation canal pass through here, along with four small reservoirs, ensuring excellent water conditions. Specialty plantings include vegetables, mushrooms, sweet corn, and improved seed breeding. It is designated as a 'Pollution-Free Vegetable Planting Base' by Hebei Province and serves as Tang County's external seed production base. The high-quality seeds produced here are exported to the United States, Japan, Canada, and other countries. While greatly enriching visitors' spiritual world, it also satisfies their culinary desires. With such exceptional tourism resources, failing to develop and showcase them comprehensively would be a waste. Thus, in 2019, the Yingyuan Group undertook tourism resource development on Qingdu Mountain, constructing the Qingdu Mountain Health and Wellness Tourism Resort. This project takes 'promoting Tang-Yao culture' as its strategic positioning. Through resource integration, functional improvement, spatial remodeling, and cultural revitalization, it has formed a tourism product system centered on 'a wise emperor, a famous mountain, a clear lake, and a forested area,' creating a spatial pattern of 'one ring and five zones.' As one of the key observation projects of the Third Baoding City Tourism Development Conference, Qingdu Mountain is fully striving to build a national 4A-level tourist attraction integrating cultural experience, rural leisure, sports and recreation, health and wellness, and study tours—a deep-experience tourism destination for Tang-Yao culture, and a provincial-level tourism resort characterized by cultural health. In addition to Lingyuan Temple and Yaomu Lake already mentioned, the Yingyuan Group has also developed the Tang-Yao Ancient Town. Located in the gentle valley between Qingdu Mountain and Yu Mountain, adjacent to Yaomu Lake, it is a characteristic ancient town featuring traditional commercial streets and northern-style residences. As a venue for showcasing the folk customs of the Tang-Yao cultural heritage, the streets are arranged in rows along the mountain and lake. The buildings are made of blue bricks and dark tiles, exuding an antique charm. The commercial street offers local delicacies from Tang County, Baoding, and various other places, along with traditional workshops lining the street. Tang County is using Qingdu Mountain as a model to develop culturally rich tourism and residence projects. Through the creation of all-for-one tourism and the revitalization of rural economy, Tang County aims to truly achieve cultural and economic prosperity.