[2025 Yan'an Attraction] Travel Guide for Qingliang Mountain (Updated Jul)

🌈 Liangshan Grottoes is part of the Qingliang Mountain Scenic Area and one of the four major grottoes in northern Shaanxi. What left a deep impression on me about these grottoes on this not-so-tall mountain wasn't just their high artistic value and excellent preservation, but also their fascinating "multiple identities". There are four grottoes in total, with the Ten Thousand Buddha Cave being the largest. Their "multiple identities" refer to the fact that besides being historical and artistic relics, this site also served as revolutionary heritage including the Central Printing Plant, Currency Printing Factory, Clinic, and Xinhua Bookstore. Perhaps it's precisely because of this "identity resume" that the grottoes have been preserved so intact. 🕐 Opening hours: April 1 - October 31: 7:30 AM - 6:30 PM November 1 - March 31: 8:00 AM - 5:30 PM 🏝️ The scenic area gate is at the mountain base, while the grottoes are on the mountainside. After entering, it's about a 5-8 minute walk to reach the grottoes. 👍 Key highlights: The Ten Thousand Buddha Cave and the hillside to its west featuring Lupi Cliff, Three-Buddha Cave, and Maitreya Cave; Above the south side of Ten Thousand Buddha Cave is Poetry Bay, displaying over 50 cliff inscriptions by famous scholars through dynasties in various calligraphy styles covering the entire bay. 💗 The mountain isn't high, but some sections are quite steep. It's best to wear anti-slip shoes and watch your step. 🎟 Ticket: 45 yuan (includes Grottoes complex, Moon Well, Fan Zhongyan Temple, Medicine King Temple, Penglai Pavilion, and Glazed Pagoda). 🚎 Bus routes: Take bus lines 1, 4, 6, 8, 9, 11, 13, 16, 22, or 28. 🚗 For self-driving: Navigate to "Qingliang Mountain". There's an underground parking garage entrance 20 meters from the ticket office (2 yuan/hour).

Yan'an, an important hub on the northern line of the Silk Road, is a concentrated area of ​​Shaanxi Grottoes, with 318 existing grottoes. Fan Zhongyan once praised it with the words: "He carved a mountain into a stone temple and built ten thousand Buddha statues. It is rare in the world, so it must be a divine work." In the past, Buddhist cave art spread eastward along with the camel bells of the Silk Road. Yan'an was located at a strategic point and cultural intersection, so caves were built along the river valley. Since the Northern Dynasties, through the Sui and Tang Dynasties to the Ming and Qing Dynasties, caves were continuously opened, and the Song and Jin Dynasty caves were of particularly high attainments. The replica of the Buddha statue from the Zhongshan Grottoes in Zichang is on display at the Shaanxi History Museum. It is exquisite and represents the pinnacle of Song Dynasty grotto art. The Qingliangshan Grottoes originated in the late Northern Dynasties and reached their peak in the Northern Song Dynasty. They include three major caves, and currently there are 32 caves and two cliff carvings. The Wanfo Caves (Cave 11) of the Northern Song Dynasty is a screen-pillar-style Buddhist altar cave with nearly 10,000 statues of the Three Buddhas. It is a grand treasure of northern Shaanxi grotto art, carrying history and shining to this day.

This trip to Yan'an, Shaanxi, has already been shared with friends about the Yan'an Revolution Museum and the Yangjialing Revolutionary Site. Due to time and weather constraints, I cannot share in detail what I have seen and heard in Yan'an. Today, I will share with friends my overall impression of Yan'an! First of all, Yan'an Station. The entire front of the station is decorated with a pattern of cave dwellings, and a five-pointed red star shines brightly, exuding a strong Shaanxi northern characteristic. From a bird's-eye view, the roof of the station without platform pillars resembles an eagle with its wings spread, soaring into the sky, symbolizing Yan'an's vigorous development and soaring flight in the new era. The platform roof adopts a cable-supported steel structure. The application of modern steel structure technology makes the completed platform roof light and transparent, with a beautiful structure and strong expressive tension, achieving a perfect combination of structural technology and architectural art. At the same time, Yan'an Station uses multiple techniques, starting from culture, visual effects and other aspects, focusing on highlighting regional cultural characteristics, rich architectural space and innovative structural design. It integrates multiple domestic advanced technologies, equipped with passenger guidance system, central air conditioning system and automatic fire sprinkler system. The roof is a large-span cable-suspended steel structure, becoming an iconic building in the revolutionary holy land of Yan'an. Next, I will share about Qingliangshan in Yan'an. Qingliangshan Wanshou Temple, a Song Dynasty cave temple, is one of the four major cave temples in Shaanxi. From January 1937 to March 27, 1947, the printing workshop of the Central Printing Factory was located on Qingliangshan. Known as the "News Mountain" of Red Yan'an, it has made indelible contributions to the Chinese revolution. On August 6, 1956, it was announced as the first batch of provincial key cultural relics protection units; on May 25, 2006, it was announced as a national key cultural relics protection unit; in 2011, it was rated as a 3A-level tourist attraction and one of the three major national red education bases. On the east side of Qingliangshan are the Xinhua Broadcasting Station, Xinhua News Agency and Jiefang Daily of the Yan'an period. The Wanshou Cave Grottoes are the revolutionary relics of the Central Printing Factory, Paper Mill, Health Bureau and Xinhua Bookstore. Finally, there is Baota Mountain in Yan'an, located in Baota District, Yan'an City, Shaanxi Province. Built during the Dali period of the Tang Dynasty, it is part of the Yan'an Revolution Site and a landmark building in Yan'an City. Baota Mountain integrates historical relics and revolutionary sites, and combines human and natural landscapes. It covers an area of 360,000 square meters and has an altitude of 1135.5 meters, making it the highest peak among the surrounding mountains. Baota Mountain was approved by the State Council in 1961 as the first batch of national key cultural relics protection units; in 2019, the Yan'an Revolution Memorial Site Scenic Area, where Baota Mountain is located, was rated as a national AAAAA-level tourist attraction by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. Baota Mountain has been successively rated as a national red tourism classic scenic area, provincial-level safe scenic area and provincial-level civilized scenic tourist area. Qingliangshan and Baota Mountain in Yan'an are very close to each other, and each scenic spot has a separate entrance fee. There are also joint tickets, which seem to be around ninety yuan, which is recommended!