Scaling Mt. Laoshan

Deep in the Shandong province, there is a district within the district of Qingdao famous for quite a number of things. It's name is called Laoshan. Here the geography allows the district to remain quite mild both in winter and in the summer. There is nothing better than visiting the actual mountain named after the district.

It's located by the seaside of the East China Sea and is about 40 km from the town of Qingdao. Over time, the mountain has gained a reputation for being religious because it served as one of the cradles of Taoism. Here you will find the remnants of at least 9 palaces, eight temples, and more than 70 nunneries that housed over 1000 people in the mountains.

Although the mountainous terrain is considered difficult to live in, the district itself sits on some of the most abundant natural resources in the whole province. This allows it to have quite a thriving economy, including some high-tech companies specialising in software, and IT.

Most of the mountain is actually inaccessible by foot, it is interlaced by large rocks. One of the characteristics of the area is that the water is some of the most purest in all of China. As such, the water from the mountains at Laoshan is frequently bottled and sold throughout China.

In the ancient times, it is believed the emperors would climb to the top of the Laoshan mountain to seek immortals.

From atop the mountain, you can see the coastal scenery which stretches for miles and miles. Actually the peak of the mountain is higher up, beyond a normal person's ability to reach. Most people get to the second plateau and will call it a day. Even at this height, the views are spectacular.

Something to pay attention to is the odd shaped rocks and the perfectly clear springs. The most famous spring would be the Tianyi spring which can be found at the mountain top but there are also several others such as Shenshui at Taiqing palace, and the Shengshuiyang in the Shangqing Palace.

Tsingdao beer is one of China's most famous beers and one of their marketing points is that their beers are brewed with the water from this mountain.

Most of the activities here play into superstitious territory but remain a draw for many people looking to cure certain chronic diseases. Of course, with multiple legends of the water here giving immortality, it is not a surprise that people flock here in the thousands at any time of the year to drink some of this divine water.

Me on the other hand, I prefer the tea of the area. High latitude of the mountains mean that the tea plants have difficulty growing, the ones which survive will yield an unusual but really full taste.