In mythical stories, there’s always a place called Penglai Island. It’s a place different from the mundane world, a paradise. So, there’s Penglai in mythical stories, and we have it too, in Shandong. It’s a Penglai that can be compared to paradise.
In ancient Chinese legends, there were three divine mountains in the eastern Bohai Sea, namely Fangzhang, Yingzhou, and Penglai. Gods lived on these mountains. These legends led to the story of Qin Shihuang sending his alchemist Xu Fu to find the divine mountains. It is said that Xu Fu wrote to Qin Shihuang, saying that a giant whale had appeared in the East China Sea. He requested to enter the sea to find immortals. In 219 BC, the 28th year of Qin Shihuang’s reign, Xu Fu, with thousands of young boys and girls, set sail on a giant ship to find paradise in the East China Sea, but never returned. Penglai in Shandong is also the place where the Eight Immortals crossed the sea in legends. The frequent mirages further add to its charming scenery. In the sweltering summer, it’s a rare cool escape. With endless thoughts about divine mountains and immortals, and a longing for the sea, we drove to Penglai.
Passing through the Eastern New City and following the beautiful coastal road, we arrived at the quaint and elegant Western scenic spot zone. The sea surface was undulating, the sea breeze puffed the sails, speedboats shuttled back and forth, a scene of cool summer scenery. The beautiful coastline brought endless joy to people. We truly envied those who lived by the sea.
The Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea scenic spot, with its pavilions and towers on the sea, seemed like a mirage. Whether or not we saw a real mirage didn’t matter. We saw a billboard on the side of the road that read “Come to Penglai, live a divine life.” At that moment, my heart soared with my gaze, and I began to enjoy this carefree, divine life.
We first bought tickets to visit the 5A scenic spot – Penglai Pavilion. Ancient buildings, pavilions, and towers are scattered throughout the area, temples and gardens complement each other, accompanied by the background music of the Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea. The atmosphere is filled with an aura of divinity and spirituality, especially the Puzhao Tower, covered in creeping vines. It’s even more ancient, deep, and full of divinity. We climbed to the main pavilion of Penglai Pavilion. The Eight Immortals are either looking up, lying down, or sitting, depicting a carefree scene of enjoying the beautiful scenery while drinking.
Tianheng Mountain Park is a great place to visit. It’s said to be where King Tianheng of Qi stationed his troops to resist Qin. Riding the cross-sea cableway and sitting in the cable car, looking south at the ancient city of Penglai Pavilion is a different kind of pleasure. Gray tiles, green trees, blue sky – a scene of clear and pure beauty. After getting off the cable car, we went straight to the boundary marker between the Bohai Sea and the Yellow Sea, where the two dragons play with the pearl. After taking pictures, we walked along the Tianheng Plank Road until we reached the pebble beach by the sea. We rolled up our pants and ran barefoot on the sand, digging under every stone to find small fish, crabs, and shrimps. For children, playing by the sea is a timeless game. It turns out adults are the same way. The sea brings infinite spiritual wealth to people.
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