Fairyland of the Orient:Penglai
By admin on 2015-01-12

Penglai City (Pénglái Shì 蓬莱市), is a port, a town and an administrative subdivision of Yantai City (Yāntái 烟台)in Shandong Province, northeastern China. The port was formerly called Dengzhou (dēngzhōu 登州). Penglai Water City or Water Fortress (shuíchéng 水城), a fortified harbor hidden from the sea, is one of China's oldest military ports, built in 1376 under the Ming Dynasty (míng dài 明代) and is a protected historical monument. It was "the harbor for the fleet of imperial war junks and town for the semi-imperial garrison." The Water City is currently being rebuilt at a cost of 500 million yuan (more than 60 million dollars). There is a plank walk along the cliffs nearby.

Penglai was the first port on the Shandong peninsula that was opened to foreigners in the 1800s, so it was the first place Christian missions were established. Subsequently, it was overshadowed by the port of Yantai, 55 miles to the west. Its scenery has earned the city fame as the fabled spot where the Eight Immortals set out floating over the ocean from the Red Cliffs (dān yá 丹崖) there. Because of this connection with the immortals, the Emperors Qin Shi Huang (qín shǐ huáng 秦始皇) and Han Wu Di (hàn wǔ dì 汉武帝) both came to Penglai looking for an elixir of immortality.

The city is also famous for its mirages out at sea, which are frequent during May and June.

History
Penglai is said to be the place where Qin Shi Huang, the first Chinese emperor, sent off five hundred boys and five hundred girls on ships to the east, to look for the islands of immortality. "There are tales of a mystic dolphin seen from the cliffs above, at which the mighty Emperor cast an impotent spear and knew that his days were numbered.

"The gray walls of the city itself are crowned by gate towers of three stories instead of the usual two, because the uncle of the first Emperor of the Sui dynasty (suí cháo 隋朝) (A.D. 589-618) was once prince of that territory."
 
Tourism
Penglai has been ranked as one of China's top domestic tourist destinations. Recently, more than US$ 25 million has been invested into restoring and developing its characteristic tourist areas, including the Penglai Pavilion and the Penglai Water Fortress.

The Penglai Pavilion is a large park of ancient buildings, palaces and temples， that have been restored and rebuilt. It has been a tourist goal for more than a thousand years, and the site features inscriptions from famous poets and calligraphers like Su Shi (sū shì 苏轼) and Dong Qichang (dǒng qí chāng 董其昌).
 
Among other cultural attractions of Penglai are the Naval Museum with exhibits of ancient ships, and the restored residence of the famous patriotic general Qi Jiguang (qī jì guāng 戚继光). Penglai also has the largest ocean aquarium in Asia. It includes a polar area, a shark hall, a tropical rainforest, and a theater with mermaids, dolphins and sea lions.
A picturesque festival takes place in January for the birthday of Tianhou (tiān hòu 天后), a local sea goddess.
 
Tourism is a traditional industry of Penglai. It has matured in the last few years, becoming the mainstay of Penglai’s economy. Each year, more than 2 million tourists are expected.