Yandang Mountain travel guide

Yandang Mountain lies in Wenzhou, so getting there naturally depends on Wenzhou, which has very convenient transport links. Wenzhou Airport and Wenzhou Railway Station have direct connections to major cities across China. Road transport within Wenzhou is also well connected in all directions.

Yandang Mountain is 80 km from Wenzhou Longwan Airport, a journey of under 2 hours; a chartered car costs ¥300–400. It is 60 km from Taizhou Luqiao Airport, under 1 hour by car, with a chartered car costing about ¥300. Flights from Huangyan to other destinations are a little cheaper than from Wenzhou.

Taizhou Luqiao Airport has daily flights to Guangzhou, Shanghai and Beijing. There are also flights to Chengdu, Chongqing, Fuzhou, Hefei, Kunming, Nanchang, Shenzhen, Taiyuan, Wuhan, Xiamen and Xi'an.

With the opening of the Yong-Tai-Wen Railway in 2009, Yandang Mountain Station also came into service. Today, it has high-speed and bullet trains to Xiamen, Ningbo, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Fuzhou, Nanjing and other cities across the country.

Opposite Wenzhou Railway Station, the South Long-Distance Bus Station runs six daily air-conditioned tourist coaches to Yandang Mountain, a journey of about 2 hours. Alternatively, take a bus to Anlan Pavilion Pier (安澜亭码头), cross by ferry to Oubei (瓯北), then take a minibus heading for Dajing (大荆) and Taizhou; the fare is ¥25 and it reaches Yandang Town (Baixi, 白溪) in about 2 hours. From there, transfer to a scenic-area shuttle to Xianglingtou (响岭头), the central area of Yandang Mountain, which is 10 minutes away.

The journey is 220 km and takes about 4 hours. Get off at Yandang Town (Baixi). Buses run very frequently.

Direct express buses run between Hangzhou East Bus Station and Yandang Mountain. The journey is 350 km and takes just over 4 hours, with a fare of ¥115.

Buses to Yueqing leave Shanghai daily at 18:00. The journey takes about 7 hours and the fare is ¥160.

Transport within Yandang Mountain is very convenient. Whether it is off-season or peak season, you need not worry about getting around; the only difference is the cost.

The Eight Famous Dishes of Yandang Mountain: Jimo Fragrant Fish, Coiled Dragon Playing with a Pearl, Yandang Stone Frog, Potato and Wild Game Casserole, Beautiful Yellow Croaker, Clam and Tofu Soup, Jade Shrimp, and Halal Sea Crab. Yandang's clams are especially renowned, and clams braised with tofu in a soup known as the “Finest Freshness Under Heaven.” This menu shows that seafood is the star ingredient of Yandang's cuisine, yet seafood is also the food you should never overindulge in. Only after visiting Yandang will you understand how much resolve it takes to resist.

Yandang's snacks are enough to whet your appetite just by looking at their colors and breathing in their aromas. Xiangluo (fragrant conch) is the most famous of them all. This shellfish resembles a freshwater snail, is smooth without being greasy, and leaves a lingering fragrance in the mouth. Other specialties include sweet potato noodle soup, Yandang griddle cakes, rice noodle noodles, five-spice dried tofu with fennel, and mung bean noodles, each with its own unique flavor.

To make sweet potato noodle soup, sweet potatoes are first processed into noodles, then the dried noodles are simmered with pork trotters or pork bones. When serving, add egg strands, celery, dried shrimp, seaweed, oyster meat, rice vinegar, soy sauce, MSG, and other toppings to the bowl. The result is soft, smooth, and refreshing. Those who like it spicy can add a little chili sauce for a different flavor. Locals serve fried sweet potato noodles at banquets, weddings, and funerals alike.

Specialties include xiangyu (fragrant fish), Yanming tea, shihu (dendrobium), red-heart plums, mung bean noodles, and more. Travel snacks such as sesame crisp, peanut crisp, winter rice candy, and black rice crisp also make good gifts for friends and family back home.

You can stay directly inside the scenic area. Staying outside it means you won't be able to see Yandang's famous night views. Independent travellers usually choose Xianglingtou, in the central part of the scenic area.

The Yandang supply and marketing shop charges high prices for goods of little appeal, and its food isn't worth the trip. The soy sauce used in its braised dishes is quite sour, so it's better to eat at a street stall.

Accommodation in Yandang Mountain is relatively expensive, but outside public holidays room rates can be discounted. Take Baile Hotel as an example: rates are not discounted on weekends, but at other times you can get 30% off. Other small inns follow the same pattern.

Yanming tea, xiangyu fish, guanyin bamboo, jinxing grass, and shanleguan are known together as the Five Treasures of Yandang.

Yanming refers to Baiyun tea. Xiangyu, a fish scientifically called Silurus, is known as the “King of Freshwater Fish.” Guanyin bamboo has slender stems and small leaves and grows about one metre tall; it is a refined ornamental plant that is now nearly extinct. Jinxing grass is a medicinal herb. Shanleguan is a bird that resembles a golden sparrow, and its calls rise and fall melodiously, like a mountain orchestra.

Do not miss the night view at Lingfeng. If you haven't seen the Lingfeng night view, you haven't really been to Yandang Mountain.