A Mountain, a City: Laoshan, the Must-Visit Taoist Sanctuary in Qingdao
When I came to Qingdao, the first things I saw were the boundless sea, the iconic Zhanqiao Pier, and the red-tiled roofs, green trees, blue sea, and clear sky of the old town. But Qingdao is more than just that.
So I decided to head to Laoshan, that famous mountain by the sea. I had long heard that Laoshan is huge, divided into several scenic areas, and that you’d better only visit one area in a day, otherwise it’s exhausting. Laoshan’s greatest features are its Taoist culture and the seamless blend of mountain and sea. After some careful thought, I decided to go to the Yangkou Scenic Area, the best place to experience what makes Laoshan so special.
From downtown Qingdao, you can take bus 110 or 371 to Yangkou Station; from Licun, bus 109 goes directly there. Yangkou Scenic Area is quite far, usually taking 2–3 hours, so it’s best to set off early~
First, let’s look at the map of Yangkou Scenic Area. It doesn’t look huge on the map, but the actual climb is quite tiring. However, you can choose the cable car to go up, which saves a lot of energy. If you’re bringing elderly or kids, it’s best to take the cable car.
The cable car is open-air, so you can breathe the fresh air—it feels much nicer than the enclosed type.
Not far up, you’ll see a Taoist temple, Taiping Palace. ‘By the imperial edict of the Song emperor, the temple was built.’ This is the Taiping Palace, the temple of the immortal Huagai. Among the surviving temples on Laoshan, Taiping Palace is the oldest with verifiable historical records. It was founded by Emperor Zhao Kuangyin as a place of practice for the Daoist master Liu Ruozhuo (known as Huagai Zhenren). Because it was completed during the Taiping Xingguo reign era, it was first named Taiping Xingguo Temple, later changed to Taiping Palace.
As you climb higher, you’ll see many stone carvings of the character ‘Shou’ (longevity), said to be very famous. Lots of people take photos here. This peak is called ‘Shouzi Peak’ because its huge rock face is covered with ‘Shou’ characters of all sizes. Nearly a hundred masters of calligraphy from ancient and modern times have inscribed the character in different scripts—clerical, seal, running, cursive, regular—creating a spectacular ‘Hundred Longevity Chart’ on the massive cliff, an exhibition of the art of writing ‘Shou’. The most eye-catching one, bold and weighty, stands over 20 meters tall and 16 meters wide, known as ‘The Number One Shou under Heaven’ and ‘The Ultimate Shou of China’, symbolizing longevity, great longevity, and eternal life. The ‘Shou’ characters here are plentiful and gigantic.
Further up, the interesting part begins: a cave called Mitian Cave (Searching for Heaven Cave). The entire route through the cave is one-way—no turning back, just forward, haha, because many spots can only fit one person at a time. Actually, not even one if you’re a bit on the heavier side—you might not squeeze through. Inside, it’s pitch black; you can’t see anyone else. The flashlight of our trailblazer, Xiao You, helped a lot. But with narrow stairs and sharp turns, the flashlight shining ahead left my feet in the dark. It took me a while to realize—duh—I had my phone, and phones have a flashlight, right? I remember years ago climbing with a candle in one hand and feeling my way with the other; back then there were no mobile phones. How times have changed, it made me nostalgic.
Mitian Cave is formed by piles of rocks wedged between the cliffs on both sides, with iron ladders installed inside. It’s hard to imagine how difficult it must have been to build those iron ladders in such a cave—another thing we kept marveling about. We climbed upward through the darkness, and the nearly hundred-meter path, twisting and fueled by the endless desire to see the light, passed quickly. Finally, we saw light, hurried out of the cave, and emerged back under the open sky. Then the true meaning of the name ‘Mitian’ (Searching for Heaven) became clear. Isn’t this just like the journey of life? Even when the light is dim and darkness surrounds you, as you feel your way forward, if you have the courage to face difficulty and persist in your climb, you will surely meet the light ahead.
Finally, after climbing a bit more, you reach the top of Yangkou, where you can fully enjoy the stunning scenery of mountain and sea blending together. It’s all massive boulders. After passing through ‘One-Line Sky’—a narrow stone staircase that only allows one person at a time—and climbing an almost vertical 80-degree iron ladder installed by hand, you arrive at the summit of the scenic area: Tianyuan (Heavenly Garden). Here the view is wide open; the entire Yangkou scenic area is laid out before you, even Yangkou Beach can be seen. It’s windy on top, and the terrain is steep, a vast expanse of giant rocks with a 30-degree slope. At the highest point stands a huge upright stone carved with the two large characters: Tian Yuan.
