Hiking Louqi Peak | The "Heavenly City" under dark clouds.

After hiking the "MacLehose Trail of Eastern Zhejiang" with a few friends from out of town, we were still unsatisfied and felt like we hadn't had enough. I suggested climbing another small mountain, Louqi Peak, which I had always wanted to climb. Louqi Peak is a relatively unknown local mountain, but it has a very famous nickname: "The Potala Palace of Taizhou" or "The Heavenly City of Wenling." In one day, we went from the sunny "MacLehose Trail" to the "Potala Palace" under dark clouds.

Previously, when I was at the top of Fang Mountain or driving on the highway in Wenling, I had seen a huge temple standing alone on top of a very steep mountain peak, which was extremely impressive. Later, I found out that this was Louqi Peak, probably named because it looks like a flag unfurled on the mountain top. We drove from Shuitong'ao directly to the parking lot at the foot of Louqi Peak. On the way, the bright sunshine by the sea was already covered by dark clouds, with only a few gaps showing the spectacular Tyndall effect. By the time we reached the parking lot at the foot of the mountain at 3:30 pm, the sky was already very oppressive.

From the parking lot to the top of Louqi Peak, there are about 1,700 steps, only 2.6 km, with an elevation gain of about 260 meters. Normally, it takes about an hour and a half to go back and forth.

After walking a section of steps, you will reach Tianhou Palace, which was built in the first year of the Daoguang period of the Qing Dynasty. After leaving Tianhou Palace, you will walk all the way up until you see a beautifully decorated corridor near the top of the mountain. Just as we reached the top, the oppressive sky could no longer hold, and a torrential rain came pouring down. The entire Wenhuang Plain and the distant Fang Mountain and Baoshan were all shrouded in the storm, and Louqi Peak seemed to have really turned into a battle flag in the "Havoc in Heaven."

Fortunately, we had already reached the top. There are three temples on the top: Guanyin Pavilion in the east, Tianbo Mansion in the south, and Hu Gong Temple in the north. Together with Tianhou Palace halfway up the mountain, except for Guanyin Pavilion, the temples on Louqi Peak mainly worship folk beliefs. Even in Guanyin Pavilion, you will find that the statues and other decorations are full of strong folk style. We waited on the top of the mountain until the rain subsided before heading down.

Tips: Navigate to Louqi Peak Scenic Area. Parking on the roadside at the foot of the mountain is free, with about 2,000 steps. Parking at Tianhou Palace parking lot is charged, I forgot if it's 5 or 10 yuan, with about 1,700 steps. Choose where to park based on your knees.

Post by AmeliaMcAllister92 | Nov 24, 2024