DAY ONE
Weihai, Shandong Province
The ShenDiao Mountain Wildlife Park is named after the tall mountain at the center of the reserves’ grounds. It hosts hundreds of species from around the world along with breathtaking coastal views in Rongcheng County in Weifang. Guests can see wild animals up close and personal. The zoo is famous for its successful tiger breeding program (featuring a number of rare white Bengal tigers).
DAY TWO
YangMaDao, Yantai, Shandong Province
The Yangma Island is located in the middle of Yellow Sea, 5.6 miles north of Muping District and 18.6 miles east of Yantai City. Owing to its beautiful sea scenery and pleasant climate, The Yangma Island enjoys the fame of ‘Oriental Hawaii’. In 219 BC, the first Chinese Emperor, Emperor Qin Shi Huang [the same emperor who started building the Great Wall of China and the Terra Cotta Warriors in Xi'an], passed by the island and was impressed by the flourishing grasses and thousands of galloping horses. Therefore, he regarded the island as a valuable land with a good geomantic omen, and ordered some persons to raise imperial horses here. That is why the island is named Yangma Island (an island for raising horses). Following the legend, a horse-race ground has been built in the island, which has held 11 national and international horse race events since its completion. When there is no formal competitive activity, the ground becomes an entertainment park, where activities such as horse riding, archery take place to entertain visitors.
DAY 3
YantaiShan, Yantai City, Shandong Province
Despite its name as a Yantai Mountain, this lovely historical park isn’t really a mountain, but instead features a gently rising hill which boasts picturesque views of one of China's busiest harbors, along with a number of tourist attractions. The name Yantai Mountain (煙台山) came from a beacon built in 1398 during the Ming Dynasty. It was used to signal an early warning of the pirates from Japan.
Later, the city was named Yantai City after the beacon. According to the "Tianjin Treaty" (天津條約), Yantai opened to foreign countries later in 1861, and became the earliest port opened to foreign countries in Shandong. Many well maintained villas throughout the park were formerly consulates during this time period. The area is the location of four former foreign consulates representing the UK, the US, Denmark, and Japan, as well as other ancestral temples, a war memorial, some museums and a tea house.
Day Four
Penglai, Shandong Province
Penglai Pavilion or Penglai Pagoda (蓬莱阁) is a famous tower perched on top of Danya Mountain at the northernmost part of Jiaodong peninsula, Yantai. It is noted as one of the Four Great Towers of China. It is said that Penglai was the place that Emperor Qin Shi Huang looked for the elixir of life, and the place where the great Emperor Wu of the Western Han Dynasty (206BC-24) paid his sacred visit. In addition, the legend of the Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea adds a more mysterious atmosphere to this place. The legend goes that the eight immortals crossed the sea using their special powers after they got drunk in the Penglai Pavilion. Penglai, Yingzhou, and Fangzhang were said to be the three divine mountains in the sea for immortals to live in. The dividing line between the Yellow Sea and Bohai Sea is also marked and clearly visible from the area. Warlord Zhang Zongchang (1881-1932) wrote a famous poem titled "Visiting Pengai Pavillion" about the pavilion's beauty. The Penglai Pavilion has been regarded as a 'Fairyland' since ancient times.