Yushan Cao Zhi Scenic Area is a cultural relics protection and famous scenic spot, also recognized as a provincial-level geological park. It is located in Yushan Town, Dong’e County, Liaocheng City, with boundaries defined by the Yellow River embankment roads to the east and south, the Ecological Health Park to the north, and Tongyu Road to the west. The area encompasses the entire Yushan Mountain, the provincial geological park, and the Cao Zhi Tomb native protection zone. Yushan, also known as Wushan, is situated on the western extension of Mount Tai and is renowned for Cao Zhi, who rests here. Although the mountain is not tall, it is famous for its association with the immortal. In 1951, a national archaeological team excavated Cao Zhi’s tomb on the western slope of Yushan, unearthing 132 cultural relics and 28 complete skeletal remains. The tomb has since been protected, restored, and supplemented with a spirit path in front of the tomb, a Sui Stele Pavilion, and a Ziji Temple. The area promotes the culture of Cao Zhi and showcases protected cultural relics such as the unearthed Sui Stele.
The scenic area boasts dense vegetation with a forest coverage rate exceeding 98%, air humidity around 60%, and a negative oxygen ion content 5-7 times higher than that of the city, making it a rare natural oxygen bar. Cao Zhi, a highly renowned literary figure during the Jian’an period in China, is the author of representative works such as ‘Fu on the Goddess of Luo’, ‘White Horse Chapter’, and ‘Seven-Step Verse’. He is also considered the founder of Chinese acrobatic art and the founder of Fanbei music. The earliest form of Han transmission Fanbei music originated from the Yushan Fanbei of King Dong’e, Cao Zhi, which has been listed as an intangible cultural heritage. The scenic area features cliff inscriptions and mountain waterfalls that are spectacular and awe-inspiring, integrating with the martial arts field to provide visitors with a natural and magnificent viewing venue. Unique performances such as Dong’e acrobatics, Tongcheng Er Lang Quan, and the Yellow River Da Yangge are also staged here as scheduled. Cao Zhi’s ‘Seven-Step Verse’, which has been passed down through the ages, helped him turn a dangerous situation into a safe one. A small bridge over a pond at the foot of Yushan has seven steps on both the front and back, hence the name ‘Seven-Step Bridge’. The fairy couple Cao Zhi and Yu Ni meet on the Seven-Step Bridge, and the micro-performance here attracts tourists to stop and take photos. Climbing to the top of Yushan, one can take in the magnificent and surging mother river, the Yellow River. To the east of the Yellow River are rolling hills, while to the west lies the vast and open Luxi Plain. There is also a spectacular sight of the Xiaoqing River flowing into the Yellow River, clearly distinguishing the two. In 1992, Cao Zhi’s tomb was rated as a ‘Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit in Shandong Province’, and in 1996, it was further rated as a ‘Key Key Protection Unit’. The Ziji Temple within the scenic area is located on the north side of the spirit path in front of Cao Zhi’s tomb and was originally built during the Longqing period of the Ming Dynasty. It was destroyed in the early years and the current Ziji Temple was restored and rebuilt in 1996. The scenic area has a long and profound history and culture, as well as a beautiful natural environment, featuring sedimentary rock sections and karst landforms. Here, you are about to experience a travel feast where ‘traveling in Yushan and dreaming back to the Three Kingdoms’ coexist with scenery and culture. The opening hours are from 08:30 to 17:00 all year round. Preferential policies for children: under 6 years old (inclusive) or with a height of 1.Free admission for children under 4 meters (inclusive), senior citizens aged 60 and above (inclusive), active military personnel and their families with valid identification, severely disabled individuals including one accompanying person, journalists with press cards issued by the General Administration of Press and Publication, high-level talents with the ‘Shandong Talents Card’, and minors aged between 6 and 18 (exclusive) with valid identification. Veterans with valid identification are eligible for half-price admission. Disabled military personnel and ‘three relatives’ (surviving family members of martyrs, military personnel who died in the line of duty, and those who died of illness) with preferential treatment certificates, retired military cadres, and fire and rescue personnel with valid identification are admitted free of charge. Full-time undergraduate and below students with valid identification enjoy half-price admission.
Additional notes: Other preferential policies are implemented in accordance with government regulations.
