Taimu Mountain

Taimu Mountain in Ningde City of Fujian Province offers a grand view of mountain and sea, and is famous for its natural scenery including granite caves, odd-shaped stones, steep cliffs, clear streams, cascading waterfalls, and cultural attractions such as ancient temples and Cliff Inscriptions. The scenic area mainly consists of seven sightseeing areas:

It covers an area of 9.6 square miles (24.8 square kilometers). The mountain peaks are about 1,640 to 3,280 feet (500 to 1000 meters) high and are formed by granite, with a scattering of more than one hundred granite caves. Cucurbit Cave, General Cave and One-Line-Sky are the most attractive. Cucurbit Cave is shaped like a cucurbit, and is 2,390 square yards (1,998 square meters) and can contain one thousand people. General Cave gets such a name because there are three stones on the top of the cave looking like a general’s shoes, hat, and sword. One-Line-Sky is situated to the east of General Cave. The rock broke into two parts with a narrow passage in the middle and formed a cave. The passage is so narrow that you can only walk through the cave one by one. Steep cliffs stand erect on both sides and one can only see a thin strip of sky from the top.

Sunny Plain and Seashore, located at the east foot of Taimu Mountain, consists of flat beaches and islands. Big Yuandang Bathing Beach and Cowboy Beach are the most famous. Big Yuandang Bathing Beach has a reputation for its soft sands and Cowboy Beach for its distinctive sea-cut reefs. Here you can swim, go boating, stroll on sands, and collect shells.

Nine Carps Stream and Waterfall is at the southwest of the mountain, covering 9.7 square miles (25 square kilometers). The wriggling Nine Carps Stream has 13 influents and flows into the East Sea. You can take the raft at Nandou Wharf of Longting Village to Dutou Village, which takes two hours and costs CNY 75. Along the stream you can appreciate many kinds of lifelike stones. At the destination of the drift, there are two maple forests and an ancient banian forest of which the banians are 800 to 1,500 years old. This is the northernmost ancient banian forest in the world.

Fuyao Islands, 3.56 nautical miles from Taimu Mountain, contain eleven islands such as Big Yushan Island and nine reefs. Big Yushan Island is the biggest island among them. On Hongji Mountain, the top of Big Yushan Island lies Sky Lake that is 656 feet (200 meters) high. Sky Lake consists of Big Sky Lake and Small Sky Lake. The two lakes are full of clear water all the time.

Mulberry Garden Hydropower Dam wards off the water of Nine Carps Stream and formed a man-made lake named Mulberry Garden and Crystal Green Lake. There are many types of fishes in the lake for people to catch.

Lengcheng is a village at the east foot of the mountain. During 1522 to 1566, the villagers built a castle to defend themselves from their enemies. The castle has east, south, and west gates with a cliff at the north. Stone House in Song Dynasty (960 – 1279) is situated at the east gate. Human and animal patterns are carved on the pedestal, which is vivid.

The layout of Ruiyun Temple is not symmetrical like many other temples in China. There are the Grand Hall, Bell and Drum Tower, Plum Pavilion, Fish-watching Platform, Half Moon Lake and Lotus Lake connected by a long corridor. The beams and arches of these buildings all have delicate sculptures. A “feeling” tree grows in the temple. If you touch a leaf, all the leaves quiver.

In addition to sightseeing, you can enjoy some local specialties like Fuding tea, steam cake, siji pomelo, and steamed green bean cake. They will make your visit "delicious" as well.

Taimu Mountain stands on the coast of the East Sea. Administratively, it is located in Fuding, Ningde City of Fujian, about 125 miles (200 kilometers) from Fuzhou and 75 miles (120 kilometers) from Wenzhou.

 1. Visitors can take a train to Taimushan Railway Station from Fuzhou, Wenzhou, Xiamen or many other cities.
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 2. Upon arrival, there are direct buses to the mountain, which cost CNY 10 and take about 30 minutes. By taxi, it takes about 30 minutes and costs CNY 80.

 To Cowboy Beach:
First, you can take the bus at Taimushan Railway Station to Taimu Mountain Bus Station. Then take bus line 9 to Cowboy Beach. The duration is about 30 minutes.

 To Nine Carps Stream and Waterfall:
You can take the bus at the gate of the mountain. The terminal is Chixi and you should get off at Nine Carps Stream and Waterfall. The travel time is 30 minutes.

 To Yushan Island:
You can take the bus from Taimu Mountain Bus Station to Yushan Island Station. Then go to Yujing Wharf to take the speedboat to Yushan Island, which costs CNY 40.

Admission Fee	Taimu Mountain: CNY 100 Cowboy Beach: CNY 40 Big Yushan Island: CNY 70 Children between 3.6 and 4.9 feet (1.1 and 1.5 meters) enjoy half-price entry. Children less than 3.6 feet (1.1 meters) go for free.
Opening Hours	Taimu Mountain: 08:00 – 17:00 Big Yushan Island and Nine Carps Stream and Waterfall: 08:30 – 17:30 Cowboy Beach: 08:00 – 19:00