Yandang Mountain (yàn dàng shān 雁荡山) is located in Leqing County (lè qīng xiàn 乐清县) of Wenzhou City (wēn zhōu shì 温州市), Zhejiang Province (zhè jiāng shěng 浙江省). It is one of the top ten mountains in China. Yandang Mountain is 1,150 meters high. In Chinese, Yandang means "reed marsh for wild geese". In autumn, wild geese do gather in the marshes around the lake at the top of the mountain. In 2005, Yandang Mountain was announced as the World Geologic Park by the Scientific and Cultural Organization of United Nations.

The mountain became known in the early Tang Dynasty (táng cháo 唐朝) and enjoyed greater fame during the Northern Song Dynasty (běi sòng 北宋). It consists of North Yandang, Middle Yandang, South Yandang, West Yandang and East Yandang. Normally we talked about is North Yandang. The mountain is regarded by scientists as a natural museum of great historic and scientific significance. It is divided into eight scenic areas, among which the most famous are the Three Wonders: the Spiritual Peaks (líng fēng 灵峰), the Spiritual Rocks (líng yán 灵岩) and the Big Dragon Waterfall (dà lóng qiū 大龙湫).

The Spiritual Peaks
The Spiritual Peaks, also called Husband and Wife Peak (fū qī fēng 夫妻峰) because it looks like a couple in each other’s arms. It is at the east gate of Yandang Mountain. When entering the east gate of Yandang Mountain, you will see the big rock called “Pick-up monk (jiē kè sēng 接客僧)", the “pick-up monk” salutes with the hands folded. It's so vivid that the rock has been considered as one of the most significant scenic spots at Yandang Mountain. The sight of the peak at night is even more attractive than that in day. When night falls, with a little imagination, one can see many beautiful pictures under the moonlight, such as “wife-and-husband peak”, "rhinoceros looking at the moon ”(xī niú wàng yuè 犀牛望月), "a love-sick maiden” (xiàng sī nǚ 相思女) and so on.

The Spiritual Rocks
The spiritual Rocks is the most magnificent in the three wonders of Yandang Mountain. It consists of three levers. The first lever consists of Lingyan Temple (líng yán sì 灵岩寺), and the Small Dragon Waterfall (xiǎo lóng qiū 小龙湫). The Dragon Nose Cave (lóng bí dòng 龙鼻洞) and the Clerestory Cave (tiān chuāng dòng 天窗洞) is in the second lever. The third lever contains the Crouching Dragon Valley (wò lóng gǔ 卧龙谷) and the Double Pearls Valley (shuāng zhū gǔ 双珠谷). Apart from the beautiful scenery, the marvelous 'flying person' performance is also very amazing.

The Big Dragon Waterfall
The Big Dragon Waterfall is one of the four most famous waterfalls in China. Its water comes from the highest peak of Yandang Mountain--Bai Gang Jian (bǎi gǎng jiān 百港尖) whose altitude is 1,056 meters. The Big Dragon Waterfall is 192 meters which is the biggest of all waterfalls in China. When there are heavy rains, the Big Dragon Waterfall conjures an image of a dragon flying swiftly upward and another one seething in the pond waters below. Thus, it got the name of 'dragon'. In fall and winter, the water flows down quietly and calmly. With the misty haze surrounding the falls, one can feel as if they are enjoying the marvels of heaven. No wonder the famous poet in Qing Dynasty (qīng cháo 清朝)(1644-1911), Jiang Shi (jiāng shí 江湜), exclaimed that 'the beauty of the Big Dragon Waterfall cannot be expressed in words.'

There are five other scenic areas also worth visiting. For example, the Immortal Bridge (xiān qiáo 仙桥), The Wild Goose Lake (yàn hú 雁湖), The Wonder-displaying Gate (xiǎn shèng mén 显胜门), The Goat-horn Cave (yáng jiǎo dòng 羊角洞) and The Three-step Waterfall (sān shé Pù 三折瀑).

Yandang Mountain is known for its unique characteristic and has been regarded as “the No. 1 Mountain of Southeast China”, "a famous mountain in the sea”. For thousand years great deal of historic cultures have been accumulated. Many poets, painters and writers are illuminated by the large scale peculiar landscapes of Yandang Mountain and left a large amount of works.

Yandang Mountain

Address: No.88 Yanshan Road (yàn shān lù 雁山路), Yandang Mountain, Yueqing County, Wenzhou City, Zhejiang Province
Admission fee:
The Big Dragon Waterfall: RMB 30
The Spiritual Rocks: RMB 30
The Spiritual Peaks: RMB 30
The Wonder-displaying Gate: RMB 10
The Three-step Waterfall: RMB 10
The Wild Goose Lake: RMB 10
Opening hours: 6:00 a.m.- 6:00 p.m.
Transportation: You can take special bus to the mountain.