Lishutai Amidst Green Mountains and Flowing Streams

We stayed at a hotel within the Lishutai Scenic Area. While other tourists were leaving, we began our ascent up the mountain, enjoying what felt like having the entire place to ourselves. 【Recommended to Purchase Shuttle Tickets】Walking the entire way is exhausting. The shuttle only covers a short stretch of less than 4 kilometers, and you’ll still need to hike another 4 kilometers uphill. On our way down, we took the slide—totally worth it, as it saved us a lot of energy. 【Scenic Stops Along the Way】The landscape features rolling green mountains and cascading waterfalls. The streams are filled with small goldfish, so bring a net if visiting with kids. There are plenty of scenic rest stops, along with mountain-side water bars and vending machines. Along the path, we spotted mulberries, wild peaches, apricots, hawthorns… and unripe fruits. Come autumn, you can even gather chestnuts—truly a wild and delightful experience. We also learned about plants like aconite, mugwort, Adenophora polyantha, Deutzia parviflora, and Lespedeza bicolor. The labeled herbs made the hike both fun and educational. 【Watch Out for Insects】A particular type of tiny insect kept flying into my eyes—it happened twice before I started wearing sunglasses. Also, be cautious of the long, worm-like "horse-road" insects on the ground.