Yiwulu Mountain National Scenic Area (Beizhen)

National AAAA-level Tourist Attraction

Yiwulu Mountain features towering ridges and gorgeous landscapes with fantastic peaks and clear waters. As a branch of the Yinshan Mountain Range, it stands within Beizhen City, Liaoning Province. The mountain range stretches from northeast to southwest, running 45 kilometres long and 14 kilometres wide, covering a total area of 630 square kilometres. It boasts more than fifty famous peaks, with Wanghai Mountain as its main summit reaching an altitude of 866.6 metres above sea level.

Yiwulu Mountain was known by many ancient names including Yuwei Mountain, Wulü Mountain, Fuli Mountain and Liushan Mountain, and is now shortened to Lü Mountain. Historical records show that Emperor Shun designated it as one of the Twelve Great Mountains across the nation. It also ranked among the northernmost sacred mountains in China’s "Five Great Mountains and Five Guardian Peaks". Complete Records of the Liao Dynasty records: "Among all mountains, Yiwulu Mountain stands out for exquisite natural beauty." It is honoured as the foremost of the three most famous mountains in Northeast China, together with Qianshan Mountain and Changbai Mountain.

Yiwulu Mountain boasts a long history and stands majestically in Northeast China with unique charm. Qu Yuan, the great poet of the Warring States Period, wrote verses about this mountain: At dawn I set off from the Grand Palace;

At dusk I arrive at Yuweilu Mountain.

Successive emperors regarded it as a geomantic treasure land and conferred noble titles upon it. During the Liao Dynasty, six emperors came here more than forty times to hunt, offer mountain sacrifices and hold ancestor worship ceremonies. Three Liao emperors, dozens of imperial concubines and more than twenty high-ranking ministers were buried here, including the Empress Dowager Xiao Yanyan and the wise minister Han Derang. For this reason, Yiwulu Mountain became the imperial sacred mountain of the Liao royal family. Emperors and senior officials of the Ming Dynasty praised it as comparable to Mount Tai and Huashan Mountain. The Qing royal family held the mountain in even higher esteem. Five emperors — Kangxi, Yongzheng, Qianlong, Jiaqing and Daoguang — made over ten trips here to offer sacrifices and admire the scenery, leaving behind more than fifty imperial poems. Emperor Qianlong visited Beizhen four times and climbed Yiwulu Mountain three times, composing ci poems and odes that went down in history.

Starting from Emperor Wencheng of the Northern Wei Dynasty, imperial courts of the Sui, Tang, Song, Liao, Jin, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties held sacrificial rituals here on major celebrations. In the 14th year of the Kaihuang reign of the Sui Dynasty, the mountain was officially titled "Northern Guardian Mountain", with shrines and ancestral temples built on its slopes. In the 10th year of the Tianbao reign of the Tang Dynasty, it was enfeoffed as Duke Guangning. The Song, Liao and Jin dynasties elevated its rank to King Guangning, and the Yuan Dynasty further conferred the title King Zhende Guangning. In the 3rd year of the Hongwu reign of the Ming Dynasty, it was renamed "God of Yiwulu Mountain", a title retained throughout the Qing Dynasty. The memorial tablet inscribed with "God of Yiwulu Mountain" is still displayed in the exhibition hall of the Temple of Earth in Beijing, renowned all over the world.

Yiwulu Mountain is endowed with abundant scenic resources. The magnificent peaks, dense forests and fruit orchards form breathtaking natural vistas. Ancient temples and hundreds of cliff carvings spread all over the mountain, forming scattered cultural relics. Natural scenery and historic sites blend perfectly together, embodying the unique charm of Yiwulu Mountain.

In 1986, Yiwulu Mountain Nature Reserve was approved as a national nature reserve, one of the first batch established in Liaoning Province and ratified by the State Council. In 2002, with the official approval of the State Council, Yiwulu Mountain was designated a national key scenic area and listed among China’s top tourist resorts.