Nanshan Tourist 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. With "Fu-Shou (blessing and longevity) culture" and "religious culture" as its core features, the scenic area integrates natural landscapes and cultural landscapes. It has both magnificent ancient architectural complexes and beautiful mountain and water scenery, and is known as "the First Mountain of Donglai." The scenic area contains numerous Ming- and Qing-style buildings, with a total construction area of more than 300,000 square meters, including temples, palaces, pavilions, towers, and terraces. The overall layout is rigorous and the craftsmanship is exquisite, demonstrating the unique charm of traditional Chinese architecture. As a comprehensive scenic area integrating sightseeing, leisure vacations, religious pilgrimage, and cultural experiences, it attracts a large number of domestic and international tourists.
Historical Culture
The historical culture of Nanshan Tourist Area is closely connected with religious culture and Fu-Shou culture. Nanshan Temple in the scenic area has a long history. It was first built during the Zhenguan period of the Tang Dynasty and underwent repairs and expansions through the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, gradually forming its current scale. It is an important Buddhist activity site in the Jiaodong region. The temple preserves a large number of precious Buddhist artifacts and inscriptions, bearing witness to the development of local Buddhist culture.
Fu-Shou culture is another important cultural connotation of Nanshan Scenic Area. The "Nanshan Grand Buddha" and the "Nanshan Medicine Master Jade Buddha" are important carriers of Fu-Shou culture, attracting many believers and tourists to pray and make wishes. In addition, the pavilions, towers, sculptures, and stone carvings in the scenic area also mostly take Fu-Shou as their theme, such as the "Fu-Shou Pavilion" and the "Hundred Fu Painting," reflecting the Chinese nation's longing for and pursuit of a better life and forming a unique Fu-Shou cultural landscape group.
Main Attractions
Nanshan Grand Buddha
The Nanshan Grand Buddha is the landmark attraction of Nanshan Tourist Area. It is the world's largest bronze seated Buddha, 38.66 meters high and weighing 380 tons, assembled from 232 copper plates and 108 tons of steel. The Grand Buddha sits atop Nanshan at an altitude of 189 meters, with a kind face and a solemn posture. Tourists can climb onto the base of the Grand Buddha to closely experience its magnificent aura and overlook the panoramic view of the scenic area. Surrounding the Grand Buddha are 9,999 small Buddhas, forming the spectacular scene of "Ten Thousand Buddhas Paying Homage," a perfect combination of Buddhist culture and modern sculpture art.
Nanshan Medicine Master Jade Buddha Hall
The Nanshan Medicine Master Jade Buddha Hall enshrines a huge Medicine Master Jade Buddha. The jade Buddha is carved from a single piece of Myanmar jadeite weighing 360 tons. It is 13.66 meters high, 4.6 meters wide, and 4.4 meters thick, making it the largest jade Buddha in the world today. The jade Buddha is emerald green throughout, with a warm luster and exquisite carving, displaying the compassionate image of Medicine Master Buddha. The hall also displays numerous Buddhist artifacts and works of art, allowing tourists to understand the profound connotations of Buddhist culture while feeling the shock of the jade Buddha.
Nanshan Temple
Nanshan Temple is one of the Buddhist temples with the longest history in the scenic area, covering an area of about 40,000 square meters, with a building area of about 15,000 square meters. Its main buildings include the mountain gate, Hall of Heavenly Kings, Mahavira Hall, and Sutra Library, all in Ming- and Qing-style architecture. The Mahavira Hall enshrines three great Buddhas: Shakyamuni Buddha, Amitabha Buddha, and Medicine Master Buddha. The Buddha statues are tall and solemn, with exquisite craftsmanship. Ancient cypresses tower in the temple, and the environment is quiet and serene, making it a good place for peaceful worship and experiencing Buddhist culture.
Nanshan Manor Wine Chateau
Nanshan Manor Wine Chateau is an attraction integrating grape cultivation, wine brewing, sightseeing, and leisure vacations. It covers an area of about 1,000 mu, of which the vineyard area is 800 mu, planted with various high-quality wine grapes such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. The wine chateau has a unique architectural style, adopting a European castle design. It includes a wine culture exhibition hall, brewing workshop, underground wine cellar, and more. Tourists can visit the wine-making process, taste authentic Nanshan wine, and experience the charm of wine culture.
Nanshan Theme Park
Nanshan Theme Park is a comprehensive park mainly focused on 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 antique architectural complexes, lakes, lawns, and other landscapes. The environment is beautiful, making it an ideal place for family parent-child trips. In addition, the park regularly holds various cultural performances and festival activities, bringing tourists a rich entertainment experience.
Food
Specialty Food in the Scenic Area
Restaurants in Nanshan Tourist Area mainly serve Lu cuisine and Jiaodong seafood. Among them, "Nanshan Vegetarian Cuisine" is particularly distinctive. The vegetarian dishes use fresh vegetables, soy products, and other ingredients, carefully prepared into various meat-imitation dishes such as "vegetarian chicken" and "vegetarian fish." They are delicious and realistically shaped, priced at about 58 yuan per portion. In addition, the "Fu-Shou Noodles" in the scenic area are also very popular. The noodles are thin and long, paired with eggs, green vegetables, and other ingredients, symbolizing longevity and good fortune. They are priced at about 18 yuan per portion and are a must-try food after tourists pray and make wishes.
Surrounding Food
There are many specialty food restaurants in Longkou City around the scenic area. "Longkou Old Restaurant," about 5 kilometers from the scenic area, is famous for local home-style dishes. The restaurant's "Longkou Vermicelli Steamed Scallops" uses high-quality Longkou vermicelli and fresh scallops, steamed together. The vermicelli absorbs the freshness of the scallops, and the texture is smooth. It is priced at about 68 yuan per portion. In addition, "Jiaodong Big Steamed Bun" is also one of the restaurant's specialties. The steamed buns are large and soft, with a faint wheat fragrance. They are priced at about 5 yuan each and are a representative of local traditional pasta.
Tickets：
Tickets are 115 yuan per person.
You can search for the official WeChat public account "Shandong Longkou Nanshan Tourism" to get the latest updates or purchase tickets online.
Opening Hours：
Opening hours are 8:00-17:30 every day (8:30-17:00 from November to February in winter). The opening hours of attractions within the scenic area are consistent with those of the scenic area. The morning chanting time of some temples may be earlier; please consult scenic area staff for details. Tourists are advised to arrange their visiting time reasonably to avoid missing the best visiting periods for the attractions.
Tour Route：
A recommended one-day tour route: arrive at the scenic area at 8:30 a.m., first go to the Nanshan Grand Buddha, visit the Grand Buddha and surrounding landscapes, about 1.5 hours; at 10:00 go to the Nanshan Medicine Master Jade Buddha Hall, admire the elegance of the Medicine Master Jade Buddha and learn about Buddhist culture, about 1 hour; at 11:00 go to Nanshan Temple, feel the quiet atmosphere of the ancient temple and visit the temple buildings and cultural relics, about 1 hour; at 12:00 enjoy lunch at a restaurant in the scenic area; at 13:30 go to Nanshan Manor Wine Chateau, visit the vineyard and wine cellar, and taste wine, about 1.5 hours; at 15:00 go to Nanshan Theme Park, experience amusement facilities and enjoy the park's landscapes, about 1.5 hours; at 16:30 end the tour and leave the scenic area.
Transportation：
Public transportation: From Longkou City Bus Station, you can take the tourist special line directly to Nanshan Tourist Area. It runs every 30 minutes, the journey takes about 30 minutes, and the fare is about 10 yuan. You can also take Longkou city buses No. 5, No. 10, and other lines, get off at the "Nanshan Scenic Area" station, and walk about 500 meters to the scenic area entrance.
Self-driving: From Yantai city area, drive west along the Shenhai Expressway, exit at Longkou, and then follow navigation instructions to Nanshan Tourist Area. The total distance is about 100 kilometers, and the drive takes about 1.5 hours. There is a large parking lot in the scenic area, and the parking fee is 5 yuan per day.
Taxi/ride-hailing: Take a taxi from Longkou City Railway Station to Nanshan Tourist Area. The total distance is about 15 kilometers, the drive takes about 25 minutes, and the cost is about 30-40 yuan.
Must-Visit Attractions：
Nanshan Grand Buddha: The world's largest bronze seated Buddha, 38.66 meters high and weighing 380 tons, surrounded by 9,999 small Buddhas. It is the landmark attraction of the scenic area, where you can feel the charm of Buddhist culture and sculpture art.
Nanshan Medicine Master Jade Buddha Hall: Enshrines the world's largest Medicine Master Jade Buddha, carved from 360 tons of Myanmar jadeite, 13.66 meters high, demonstrating the exquisite art of jadeite carving.
Nanshan 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 numerous cultural relics and profound historical heritage.
Travel Suggestions：
The recommended tour time is 1 day. The scenic area is large and has many attractions. You can reasonably arrange the visiting order according to personal interests and time.
When visiting Buddhist attractions, respect religious customs, keep quiet, and do not take photos or touch Buddha statues or cultural relics at will.
When traveling in summer, take sun protection measures and bring sunscreen, sun hats, and other items; when traveling in winter, pay attention to keeping warm and wear thick clothing and non-slip shoes.
Food in the scenic area is relatively expensive. You can bring some snacks and drinking water and enjoy them in rest areas.
If you want to learn more about the scenic area's historical culture and attraction backgrounds, you can rent an electronic guide device or hire a guide, costing about 20-50 yuan.
Precautions：
Smoking and littering are prohibited in the scenic area. Please protect the environment and public facilities and abide by the scenic area's management regulations.
When using amusement facilities, follow the instructions of staff and fasten seat belts to ensure personal safety.
During peak periods (such as holidays), there are many tourists. It is recommended to buy tickets in advance and travel at off-peak times to avoid crowding.
Some sections of the scenic area have steep slopes. Be careful when walking, especially elderly people and children, who should be accompanied.
Keep personal belongings safe and avoid losing items in crowded places. If you encounter problems, you can promptly ask scenic area staff for help.