Panshan Mountain is located to the northwest of Jixian County in Tianjin and is a national 5A‑level scenic area. With a history dating back to the Han Dynasty, its pavilions were first built during the Tang Dynasty and reached their zenith in the Qing Dynasty, making it a renowned tourist destination where natural landscapes and historic sites coexist, and Buddhist monasteries mingle with elegant pavilions and groves. Throughout history, countless emperors, high officials, scholars, and artists have flocked here; the Qing Emperor Qianlong made no fewer than 32 imperial tours to Panshan, leaving behind 1,366 poems praising the mountain and famously remarking, “Had I known of Panshan, why would I have ventured south of the Yangtze?” It is proudly hailed as “the Number One Mountain of Eastern Jing.”
Before heading out, I did a bit of online research. I’d originally planned to visit Huangyaguan to see the Great Wall, but after coming across Qianlong’s famous line—“Had I known about Panshan, why would I have bothered to travel south?”—I decided to change my destination and make Panshan my next stop.
With the Golden Week holiday in full swing, the traffic was horrendous—no need to even mention it. As we exited the highway at the mountain pass, a massive gridlock set in, and we nearly turned around and headed home. Later, following the staff’s directions, we parked in a temporary lot, while the scenic‑area shuttle bus provided free transportation right to the entrance.
Earlier, I read online that the most effortless route to explore Panshan is as follows (see the map below): take the electric shuttle from point A to point B, ride the Guayue Cable Car up the mountain, reach the summit, then descend via the YunSong Cable Car to Wansong Temple, and finally hike down.
So, as planned, we headed to Spot A to ride the battery-powered tram. We had to climb all the way up to the top platform—there were tons of steps, and it wasn’t exactly a breeze for someone like me who doesn’t exercise much.
There are a lot of people climbing the mountain...
We’ve finally arrived at the destination—the battery station is right behind this building.
As a result, with the crowds during Golden Week and the long lines for the cable car, it looked like we wouldn’t be able to make it up in under two hours. After discussing it with my family, we decided against reaching the summit, opted to head down the same route, took the Rusheng Cable Car straight to C Wansong Temple, and then hiked down—essentially limiting our visit to the lower section of the mountain.
After waiting in line for more than half an hour, we finally made it up the mountain. On the way down, we walked at a leisurely pace, stopping to take photos and rest along the trail—totaling just over two hours. Along the way, we saw plenty of hikers climbing up, including elderly folks and children; I really admire their stamina.
We descended the mountain in silence all the way.
It feels like, with the climate growing increasingly dry, there’s less and less water up in the mountains. I’d guess the scenery today can’t compare to what it was during the Qianlong era—overall, it strikes me as just so-so. Maybe it’s also because the crowds have dampened my mood.
I didn’t take many proper photos, so I’ll just toss up a few.
