Yishui, A Town Immersed in Nature and Culture

Sunset time. The beautiful Yi River meanders forward. Boats sailing on the Neon-lit River along Sanqiao Scenic Spot, children playing in the sand across the “Golden Beach” … The “Night Tour of Yi River” has become a big attraction of the tourism economy in Yishui in Shandong Province. Yachts, speedboats, pleasure boats and other cruise ships are around. Locals and tourists are around, sightseeing, dining and wining with guests.

As a 3A tourist attraction and a national wetland park, Yi River’s Three-Bridge-Scenic-Spot is a lively and bustling area. With Zhengyang Bridge, Qiyang Bridge and Yihe Corridor Bridge as the core, the area is integrating the Yi River Wetland Park, Dragon Boat Island, Love Island and other landscapes, creating a series of comprehensive urban tourism highlights.

“The scenery is right next to my home. I come here for a run in the evening and my children play basketball there. We breathe the fresh air and enjoy the beautiful scenery. So comfortable there!” said Chen Qian, a local inhabitant who called the area a “natural gym”.

“Underground wonders” is another symbol of Yishui tourism. The soft starlight in the dark cave is a welcome by the fireflies. Taking a boat through the water, the “sky” is full of shining “stars”. In the first quarter of 2024, the water cave of the underground grand canyon firefly scenic spot has made a good start with a total of nearly 300,000 tourists being received.

Yishui County has a long ancient history. Its landscape has been an inspiration for poesie since long time Yi River collects eight arms on the left and six arms on the right, winding around the mountains with the majestic town Yishui sitting on the bank. A favorite tourist resort, Yishui is popular with tourists from near and far.  

“We have successively optimized study tours, held cultural and tourism festivals, and organized high-level outbound promotion activities, which injected vitality into the county’s spring tourism market,” said Sun Changwen, director of the Yishui County Cultural Tourism Promotion Center.

In order to better meet the changing tourism needs of the modern market, Yishui County has enriched the forms of tourism programmes, including Han Costume experience, handmade art pieces belonging to intangible cultural heritage, opera performances, camping and picnics in scenic spots.

“The performance of the Nine Guests Ceremony in the Heavenly King City remains vivid in our minds. It was a ‘time-travel’ experience which enriched our historical and cultural knowledge,” said Dong Zile, a tourist from Rizhao.

In recent years, the Yishui County Government have closely focused on the tourism idea of ​​“leading green with red, and reflecting the past through the present”.  The big thinking is “revitalizing the county through culture and tourism”. The so-called boutique tourism system of “Royal City in Heaven, Rainbow on Earth, Wonders Underground” is being well implemented. Currently, there is one 5A-level scenic spot, five 4A-level scenic spots, and 23 3A-level scenic spots, covering the whole county with scenery around every corner.