Bijia Mountain () is an

island An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island ...

located in the

Liaodong Bay Liaodong Bay () is largest and longest of the three main bays (along with Laizhou Bay to the south and the Bohai Bay to the southwest) of the Bohai Sea, the innermost gulf of the Yellow Sea. Although named after the Liaodong Peninsula (which ...

of China's

Bohai Sea The Bohai Sea () is a marginal sea approximately in area on the east coast of Mainland China. It is the northwestern and innermost extension of the Yellow Sea, to which it connects to the east via the Bohai Strait. It has a mean depth of a ...

, south of the coast of the

Jinzhou Jinzhou (, ), formerly Chinchow, is a coastal prefecture-level city in central-west Liaoning province, China. It is a geographically strategic city located in the Liaoxi Corridor, which connects most of the land transports between North Chin ...

region of the

Liaoning Liaoning () is a coastal province in Northeast China that is the smallest, southernmost, and most populous province in the region. With its capital at Shenyang, it is located on the northern shore of the Yellow Sea, and is the northernmost ...

province, coastal China. During most times of the day, Bijiashan can only be accessed by boat. But when the sea recedes, a natural zigzagging cobblestone causeway (a

tombolo A tombolo is a sandy or shingle isthmus. A tombolo, from the Italian ', meaning 'pillow' or 'cushion', and sometimes translated incorrectly as ''ayre'' (an ayre is a shingle beach of any kind), is a deposition landform by which an island become ...

), over 10 metres wide, links the island to the mainland.

Location

The island is located in the Jinzhou

Economic and Technological Development Zone The National Economic and Technological Development Zones () are the special areas of the People's Republic of China where foreign direct investment is encouraged. They are usually called the "Economic and Technological Development Zones" or simp ...

Liaoning province Liaoning () is a coastal provinces of China, province in Northeast China that is the smallest, southernmost, and most populous province in the region. With its capital at Shenyang, it is located on the northern shore of the Yellow Sea, and i ...

, which is about 35 km from the city's downtown. It consists of the Bijia Mountain and the

Celestial Bridge Celestial may refer to: Science * Objects or events seen in the sky and the following astronomical terms: ** Astronomical object, a naturally occurring physical entity, association, or structure that exists in the observable universe ** Celes ...

Geography

The mountain is a small island facing the

with its peak of 78.3 meter and a total area of 1.2 square kilometers. The name is derived from its unique penholder shape. The northern side of the mountain faces the mainland and is relatively flat with paved winding stone steps for tourists’ climbing, while the southern side is secluded and contains fewer visitors. It is fraught with grotesque stones, deep clefts, and steep cliffs.

Architecture

The mountain has many cultural relics and historic sites. It is said to be the place of the

Pangu Pangu (, ) is a primordial being and creation figure in Chinese mythology who separated heaven and earth and became geographic features such as mountains and rivers. Legends The first writer to record the myth of Pangu was Xu Zheng during t ...

's Creation of the world and there are many pavilions and towers on it. Among them, the Sanqing Pavilion is one of the most distinctive buildings. It is well known for its complete stone structure. There are about 50 lifelike and vivid statues of the

Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a śramaṇa, wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist tradition, he was ...

and Taoist and Confucian saints within the pavilion. On the top floor there is a shrine to the God of the Creation— Pan'gu.Pan’gu was the first living being and the creator of all according to later Chinese mythology. It is the only one of its kind in China.

Transport

To access the island, an individual must either take a boat or wait for the sea to uncover the bridge (also called

Tiao Qiao Tiao may refer to: People * Diao or Tiao, a Chinese surname * Xie Tiao (464-499), Chinese poet * Tião (basketball) (1925-unknown), full name Sebastião Amorim Gimenez, Brazilian basketball player * Tião Macalé (comedian), Tião Macalé (1926-199 ...

in Chinese

Pinyin Hanyu Pinyin (), often shortened to just pinyin, is the official romanization system for Standard Mandarin Chinese in China, and to some extent, in Singapore and Malaysia. It is often used to teach Mandarin, normally written in Chinese for ...

) which links the island to the mainland. The ''bridge'', which is actually a 9-meter-wide stone path, is formed by the tides and is higher than the beach.

References

Mountains of Liaoning Islands of Liaoning Jinzhou {{Liaoning-geo-stub