Qingdao’s Spring: A Rhododendron Bloom Begins, Ticket Price 40 Yuan
After a winter, everything is recovering, and this city of Qingdao has entered a colorful period. Spring is the time to appreciate flowers. In recent days, the weather has been clear and sunny, and the temperature has been constantly rising, and many flowers in the mountains around Qingdao have entered the flowering period. Just saw the cherry blossoms, now it's time to appreciate the rhododendrons.
Everyone in Qingdao knows a good place to see rhododendrons, which is Mount Diaohua in Qingdao West Coast. Rhododendrons on Mount Diaohua have been in full bloom since the end of March, which is a little earlier than in previous years. Mount Diaohua is about 50 kilometers from Qingdao’s downtown area, it's one of the most famous mountains on Qingdao’s West Coast, which is equally renowned as Mount Lao, not only for its beautiful scenery but also for its vibrant and colorful natural scenery. Mount Diaohua is now open to tourists, with a ticket price of 40 yuan. Tourists need to book tickets online in advance and register and measure temperature at the entrance before entering.
Mount Diaohua is actually divided into two parts, Shimen Temple and Zhushan Xiu Gully. These two scenic areas have entrances, and they are also interconnected. As long as you buy a ticket, you can visit both scenic areas. If you want to appreciate the rhododendrons, you should go to Zhushan Xiu Gully. From the main entrance, walk about 2000 meters to reach Yunhuacheng, where the rhododendrons are most dense.
We arrived at Mount Diaohua early, and not many tourists, the scenic area was empty, only the rhododendrons were in full bloom. Mount Diaohua’s rhododendrons cover more than 10,000 mu. Along the hillside are densely packed rhododendrons. There is a stone staircase road among the flowers, which is a good place for photography. These rhododendrons have not yet sprouted leaves, the vibrant flowers have already bloomed on the branches, which is the most beautiful spring color in Qingdao. As Mount Diaohua's rhododendrons flourish, Qingdao will enter a colorful world, including cherry blossoms, rapeseed flowers, etc. will bloom successively.
Among the rhododendrons, there are also some brightly colored yellow lilac flowers, which are particularly conspicuous. Zhushan Xiu Gully is a valley on Mount Diaohua, about 5 kilometers long, and there are often streams flowing through the valley, which flow into a man-made lake at the foot of the mountain. Although it is equally famous as Mount Lao, Mount Diaohua is not very high, and the peak of Mount Diaohua only reaches an altitude of 486 meters. You can climb to the top and see the sea. Since ancient times, Mount Diaohua has attracted many writers and hermits to live in, leaving many cultural relics. There are many stone carvings on the rocks on the mountain, and Shimen Temple is a temple built during the reign of Emperor Kangxi, and has been in existence for more than 800 years.
Mount Diaohua’s rhododendrons have also attracted many photographers. A relatively short hiking trail is like an endless view in the eyes of photographers. Every step is a painting. These rhododendrons grow naturally along the hillside and cliff walls, and the flowers are densely blooming like a sea of clouds. Mount Diaohua’s rhododendrons have three varieties. The one that is currently open is called ‘Blue Thorn’, and in a month, around May 5th, ‘Red Lotus’ will be in full bloom, and there is also ‘Kongtong Flower’, which is a type of rhododendron, and the entire flowering period will last until June.
When visiting Mount Diaohua to see flowers, it takes about 2-3 hours, but the actual flowering time is about 30 minutes, and the rest of the time is spent climbing. However, Mount Diaohua is not very steep, and the terrain is gentle, and the scenery is also very charming, everywhere is green and flowers, it doesn't feel tired. The highlight of Zhushan Xiu Gully is this Yunhuacheng, the winding road created a colorful scene.
After climbing to the top of Yunhuacheng, the view is open, and the rhododendrons below are visible, which feels even more magnificent, this is the most beautiful spring in Qingdao, and the ticket price of 40 yuan is very reasonable. After reaching the top, you can divide into two routes, one leads to the entrance of Zhushan Xiu Gully, and the other leads to Shimen Temple Scenic Area, where there are more humanistic and historical sites.
As a well-known tourist resort on Qingdao’s West Coast, Mount Diaohua’s public transportation is also very convenient, there are bus stops at Shimen Temple and Zhushan Xiu Gully. If you drive, it’s even more convenient, there are large parking lots at the entrances of both scenic areas. Further away is the Lacombiao Scenic Area, which has a richer historical site, Qin Emperor’s East Tour came to Lacombiao, and left carvings on the mountain, and the handwritten script by Prime Minister Li Si is preserved in the National Museum in Beijing.
