Where to Go Hiking in Xuzhou: Top 10 Hiking Spots Recommendations

There are many great places to go hiking in Xuzhou, and some of the best are cool and refreshing, perfect for a summer outing! Let’s take a look at some of the recommended spots! For details, please read the text below.

1、Yunlong Mountain

Yunlong Mountain is 142 meters above sea level and stretches for 3 kilometers. The mountain is divided into nine sections, winding and undulating, shaped like a divine dragon, raising its head to the northeast and trailing its tail to the southwest. “Try on spring clothes under Yunlong Mountain, send the setting sun in front of the Crane-Releasing Pavilion.” The famous Northern Song Dynasty writer Su Shi wrote the Crane-Releasing Pavilion to increase the fame of Yunlong Mountain. Nowadays, it has become the most famous mountain in Xuzhou. Every year on the 19th day of the second lunar month (the birthday of the Bodhisattva Guanyin), it is the time of the Yunlong Mountain Temple Fair, and people come to the fair in an endless stream. It is one of the important folk customs activities in Xuzhou.

There are towering pines and cypresses on the mountain, verdant and overshadowing the sun. Palaces and pavilions are hidden among them. The great Northern Song Dynasty writer Su Shi praised the beautiful scenery of Yunlong Mountain in his article “Record of the Crane-Releasing Pavilion”: At the turn of spring and summer, the grass and trees reach the sky; in the winter snow and moon, it is a single color for thousands of miles. In the midst of wind, rain, gloom and brightness, it changes a hundred times, up and down…

2、Quanshan

Quanshan Forest Park is located in the southern part of the urban area, covering an area of over 3,500 mu. Quanshan consists of five peaks, also known as “Five Old Peaks”, and is the first mountain in Pengcheng. It is the “pearl in the palm” of the national forest park. Under the dense shade of trees, there is no feeling of heat in summer.

The park has beautiful natural scenery, dense forests, and abundant biological resources, with 590 species of plants and over 200 species of animals. The park is adorned with peculiar peaks and rocks, beautiful lakes, dense forests, bamboos, wild animals and plants, and myths and legends, blending and embellishing each other, making it an interesting sight. It is known as a “natural oxygen bar”, with the characteristics of “green, strange, beautiful, quiet, and wild”. The largest Bird Delight Garden in China is located within the park; “Guolao Cave” has the beautiful legend of Zhang Guolao becoming a fairy in folk tales; the classical bamboo-style Longquan Bridge, spanning the east and west Longquan Lakes, is reflected in the bamboo forest by the lake, which is refreshing and relaxing.

3、Dadong Mountain

Dadong Mountain is located 40 kilometers northeast of Xuzhou city in Jiawang District, with an altitude of 361 meters. It is also known as Juju Mountain and Ninety-Nine-Peaked Lotus Mountain. There are over 100 surrounding peaks, making it the highest peak in Xuzhou. Legend has it that the Tang Dynasty poet Wang Wei’s poem “Alone in a foreign land as a stranger, I miss my family especially on festive occasions. From afar, I know my brothers are climbing high, and I am one less person to insert a sprig of jujube”. It was composed on this mountain.

Dadong Mountain belongs to the Huaiyin Mountain Range, with over 300 species of plants distributed in four types of vegetation: forest, shrubbery, shrub clusters, and sparse trees. It is verdant and towering, with surging green waves, and has been designated as an ecological and natural reserve by Xuzhou city.

4、Malingshan

Malingshan, also known as Lingshan and Malingshan in ancient times, runs from Caozhuang in Linyi County in the north to Jiangsu in the south, extending for over 60 kilometers in a north-south direction. It is named after its shape resembling a galloping horse. The part within Xuzhou is located in Xinyi (yí) city. Malingshan has extremely rich natural and cultural landscapes. Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty made five trips south of the Yangtze River and passed through this place three times. He wrote many poems praising it. The legend of Sun and Pang’s duel of wits at Maling Road, the legend of Huang Chao’s rebellion, and the story of Han Shizhong’s resistance against the Jin Dynasty are widely circulated among the people.

Malingshan is located in the southern suburbs of Xinyi City, the first transportation hub city on the Eurasian Continental Bridge. The scenic area covers 28.9 square kilometers, with “peaks and ridges spanning ten thousand folds, surpassing Penglai in beauty”. Malingshan has long been a famous scenic spot and Buddhist holy land, with its beautiful scenery renowned in the Jiang-Huai region. The scenic area strives to create a famous scenic area featuring ancient cultural relics and revolutionary sites, as well as mountain and water landscapes and field scenery.

5、Jiuli Mountain

Jiuli Mountain is located in the northwest of Xuzhou, south of the North Third Ring Road. It is also known as Jiuning Mountain. It has an altitude of 134 meters and covers an area of over 100 hectares. It is named after its nine-mile length from east to west. Jiuli Mountain is the battlefield where Chu and Han fought fiercely. It retains the Baiyundong Cave where Xiang Yu was defeated.

Xuzhou has always been a strategic location for military strategists, and most of the battles to attack and defend Xuzhou throughout history were fought in front of Jiuli Mountain. Therefore, in the thousands of years of war, Jiuli Mountain played an important role in resisting strong enemies and defending homes. The classic Chinese novel “Water Margin” has a poem in the fourth chapter: “Jiuli Mountain is an ancient battlefield, a shepherd boy picks up old swords and spears”.

6、Aishan

Aishan is located on the border between Jiangsu and Shandong provinces, in Pizhou City, Xuzhou. It is one of the three famous mountains in northern Jiangsu, alongside Huaguoshan and Yunlong Mountain. There is a saying: “The peak of the country is Mount Tai; the peak of Pizhou is Aishan”. This mountain was the “state-protecting” mountain of the ancient Xu state, and it once had a cauldron cast with the character “Ai”. Legend has it that a divine mugwort grows once every sixty years. Local people call it Aishan to pray for good fortune and blessings.

The Aishan Jiulong Scenic Area has a beautiful environment, pleasant climate, and many scenic spots. There are the ruins of Aiwang City from the Spring and Autumn Period, Xushuzhong’s hermitage cave from the Three Kingdoms period, the ancient battlefield of Black Wind Mouth from the Tang and Song dynasties, the Grandmother Temple from the Ming and Qing dynasties, the Iron Buddha Temple and Huayan Temple, which are subordinate temples of Shaolin Temple, and the large-scale musical dynamic fountain – the Nine Dragon Buddha Pagoda, which is a human landscape.

7、Hubu Mountain

Hubu Mountain is located south of the ancient city of Xuzhou, also known as Nanshan. In 206 BC, Xiang Yu, the Hegemon of Western Chu, established his capital in Pengcheng and built a platform for his horses on the top of the mountain, making it the first scenic spot in Xuzhou. Historically, there was a proverb: “The northern gate is poor, the southern gate is rich, and those with money live on Hubu Mountain”.

The buildings on Hubu Mountain include Xiang Yu’s platform for his horses, the courtyards of officials, gentlemen, and wealthy households, the quadrangles of the city’s middle class, and the miscellaneous courtyards of ordinary people. Among them, Li Pan’s No. 1 Scholar’s Mansion, Cui Dao’s Hanlin Mansion, Zheng Family Courtyard, Yu Family Courtyard, Zhai Family Courtyard, and Li Family Mansion, known as the No. 1 Building in Xuzhou, are the most famous and relatively well-preserved. There are over 400 well-preserved buildings from the Ming and Qing dynasties and over 700 buildings from the Republic of China era, with over 20 relatively complete courtyards. These courtyards and ancient buildings bear witness to the vicissitudes of Xuzhou City over thousands of years. They are a reflection of the political, economic, and cultural life of Xuzhou in the Ming, Qing, and Republic of China eras. More importantly, they are the last remnants of the ancient city of Xuzhou.

8、Lüliang Mountain

Green mountains, blue waters, strange rocks, and ancient villages – Lüliang Mountain Scenic Area, the backyard of Xuzhou City, is located about 20 kilometers southeast of the main urban area of Xuzhou. It stretches for about 40 kilometers from east to west and 10 kilometers from north to south, covering an area of 186.22 square kilometers, including parts of Xuzhuang, Yizhuang, Zhangji, and Fangcun Towns. There are many peaks in the area, with 173 low mountains and hills. The area is rich in forest resources, with diverse vegetation types and a forest coverage rate of 89.5%. The air is fresh. There are many lakes in the area, including Lüliang Lake, Xuanshui Lake, Shengrenwo Reservoir, Xiaohong Reservoir, Shuikoushui Reservoir, Baiqiao Reservoir, Yangwa Reservoir, etc., distributed along the banks of the ancient Yellow River. The area is rich in animal and plant resources. According to preliminary investigations and statistics, there are over 250 species of animals belonging to over 20 families and over 500 species of plants belonging to over 100 families. The area has a long history and culture, with many historical sites, such as ancient temples, ruins, and ancient inscriptions. In addition, the area has abundant resources of “Lüliang strange rocks”. Due to their thick and vigorous shapes and magnificent grandeur, they are highly sought after by collectors of strange rocks.

The scenic area has many tourist attractions, especially known for its ten major attractions: the vast forest sea, ancient temple ruins, natural caves, Aolie sand dunes, Fengshan overlooking the flood, Lüliang Mountain Martyrs’ Pavilion, Fengguanshan ancient inscriptions, Lüliang strange rocks, boating on the flat lake, and Nanshan Peach Garden.

9、Zifang Mountain

Zifang Mountain is 146 meters above sea level and is known as one of the four famous mountains of Xuzhou, along with Yunlong Mountain, Jiuli Mountain, and Hubu Mountain. Zifang Mountain was originally called Jiming Mountain. Legend has it that during the Chu-Han struggle, Zhang Liang ordered his soldiers to play flutes to disperse the Chu troops on this mountain, so it was renamed Zifang Mountain.

“Zifang Flute Sound”, one of the eight ancient scenic spots in Xuzhou, has become a classic of fighting and killing, using strategy to defeat the enemy for thousands of years. There is a Zifang Temple on the top of Zifang Mountain. “Zifang Flute Sound” is one of the eight famous ancient scenic spots in Xuzhou.

10、Dongzhu Mountain

Dongzhu Mountain is located east of the Xuzhou station of the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway, north of the Jinshanqiao Science and Technology Research and Development Center, and west of the Jinlong Lake. It is known as the first mountain in the high-speed rail international business district. After less than a year of renovation, the Dongzhu Mountain Mountain Park has been unveiled to the world in its stunning beauty.

Just as the foot of Mingshashan bathes in the Moon Crescent Spring, and the foot of Yunlong Mountain bathes in Yunlong Lake, the foot of Dongzhu Mountain immerses itself in Jinlong Lake. A mountain without water is not spiritual, and water without a mountain is not beautiful. With the moistening of Jinlong Lake, Dongzhu Mountain has taken on a spiritual aura.