Mount Tai scenic spots announce new opening times

The Colorful Stones Brook is located in Peach Blossom Valley. The stones, which are rocks that come from the remains of amphibolites with white and bottle-green bands, make the brook look as if it has been dyed into multicolored bands. [Photo by Liu Guoqiang/Official WeChat account of Tai'an municipal tourism bureau]

Opening hours at the five scenic spots of Mount Tai Scenic Area have recently been changed in order to better manage the attractions, according to the scenic area's management committee.

The five scenic spots are Colorful Stones Brook, Yuquan Temple, Puzhao Temple, Red Gate Palace and Wangmu Pool, which have been open to the public for free since March 1.

The scenic spots, which used to be open all day, are now open from 9 am to 5 pm from April 1 to Oct 31, and 9 am to 4 pm from Nov 1 to March 31 next year.

Puzhao Temple, located at the foot of Mount Tai, is covered by golden ginkgo leaves when late autumn comes. It is said that the temple was initially built during the Tang (618-907) and Song (960-1279) dynasties. [Photo/Official WeChat account of Tai'an municipal tourism bureau]

In addition, the number of daily visitors to each site has been capped –– with a "one in, one out" system in operation when they reach capacity. 

Numbers have been set at 3,000 for Colorful Stones Brook, 600 for the Red Gate Palace, 200 for Puzhao Temple, and 1,000 each for the Wangmu Pool and Yuquan Temple.

To provide additional capacity for foreign visitors and people from out of town, the Mount Tai travel cards and passes cannot be used during the Tomb-Sweeping Day, May Day and National Day holidays.

The ancient building of red walls and black tiles at Wangmu Pool in Mount Tai Scenic Area offers a wonderful view set against the golden leaves. The Wangmu Pool is said to have a history of more than 2,000 years. [Photo by Zhang Jie/Official WeChat account of Tai'an municipal tourism bureau]