Two Days and One Night Through a Millennium! Linyi "Heavenly King City" Travel Guide

Two days and one night through a millennium! Linyi "Heavenly King City" travel guide: explore the ancient city, watch the national show, enjoy the beautiful mountain and lake scenery, all for about 2700 RMB per person, 6000 RMB for an epic experience🏯🌄

📍 Destination Overview
Heavenly King City — located in Yishui County, Linyi City, Shandong Province, it is an immersive historical and cultural scenic area built on the site of an ancient Spring and Autumn period kingdom.
✅ Millennium-old city walls ✅ Cliff caves ✅ Mountain-top palace ✅ Stunning live performance "Divine Scepter"
📌 Combining history + nature + performance, perfect for families, couples, and culture lovers, two days and one night is just right!

📅 Itinerary Overview (2 days 1 night)
Travel time: weekends or short holidays
Number of people: 2
Total budget: kept within 6000 RMB, actual spending about 5680 RMB, easy and budget-friendly

🌞 Day 1: Climb the King’s City and watch a national show spanning a millennium

📍 Morning: Arrive at Yishui County, Linyi by high-speed train or self-driving
🚄 Recommended routes:
- Jinan → Yishui (about 2 hours by bullet train, second class seat ¥98/person)
- Qingdao → Yishui (about 3 hours, ticket ¥142/person)
🚗 Self-driving is more convenient: about 3.5 hours from Jinan, highway toll ¥180 round trip

🚌 After arrival, take a taxi or navigate to Heavenly King City Scenic Area (about 20 minutes from the county town)

🎫 First stop: Enter Heavenly King City Scenic Area
💰 Ticket 120 RMB/person (includes scenic area pass), student discount available
✨ Highlights:
🔹 Ruins of the Ji Kingdom capital city on the mountaintop | 🔸 Natural cliff caves (cool refuge in summer) | 🔸 Ancient war chariot experience | 🔸 Palace ruins overlooking the mountains

👣 Must-do route:
1. Walk around the ancient city walls and feel the strategic terrain of "one man guards the pass"
2. Explore the cliff caves — cool in summer and warm in winter, said to be an ancient soldier hiding place
3. Visit the Ji Marquis Palace ruins and imagine the Spring and Autumn period history among the ruins
4. Try the ancient catapult interactive project (¥30/person, kids love it)

🍽 Lunch: Simple meal inside the scenic area (farmhouse dishes + millet porridge + scallion pancake roll)
💰 About ¥80 for two, simple but authentic

🎬 4:30 PM, the main event — watch the large-scale live performance "Divine Scepter"
🔥 Performance highlights:
- Cast of 100 people | flame effects | galloping warhorses | stunning sound, light, and electric effects
- Tells the tragic story of the Ji Kingdom prince protecting the sacred artifact and resisting invaders
💰 Performance ticket included in the pass! Arrive early for good seats

🏨 Evening descent, recommended accommodation:
✅ Heavenly King City · Mountain Residence Boutique Inn or Yishui Pullman Resort Hotel
✨ Room highlights: mountain view balcony, private soaking tub, elegant Chinese-style decor
💰 Mid-to-high-end inns about ¥980 for two nights (discounts for early booking)

🌅 Evening: Stroll the nearby rural paths, listen to frogs and insects, fully relax

🍽 Dinner: Popular county restaurant "Yimeng Renjia"
✅ Must order: Yimeng stir-fried chicken, wild vegetable cornbread, tofu box, steamed buns with palm leaves
💰 About ¥160 for two, warm and satisfying

✅ Day 1 total cost (for two):
Transport 196 + Tickets 240 + Performance included + Accommodation 980 + Meals 240 = about 1656 RMB

🌞 Day 2: Get close to nature + red revolutionary memories + return fully loaded

🌅 Early morning: Sleep in naturally, enjoy mountain morning light and birdsong

🏞 Morning activity choice (based on interest):

✅ Option A: Visit the Underground Grand Canyon + rafting (recommended for families)
📍 Only 15 minutes by car from Heavenly King City
💰 Tickets 90 RMB/person, rafting extra 60 RMB/person
🌊 Features:
1000-meter dark river rafting, thrilling and refreshing
Cave wonders, diverse stalactites, dreamy lighting

✅ Option B: Visit the hometown of the Red Sister + Changshanzhuang Village film base (recommended for culture lovers)
📍 Also part of the Yimeng old revolutionary area, recreates wartime living scenes
🎥 Filming location for many red-themed films, wear military uniforms for photos
💰 Free admission (reservation required), deeply experience the Yimeng spirit

🍽 Lunch: Return to county town for "Old Brand San Guo Restaurant"
✅ Must try: Linyi specialty breakfast "San" (sá) — beef bone broth + barley + spices, perfect with fried dough sticks!
💰 Only ¥40 for two, a down-to-earth finale

🎁 Before leaving, buy souvenirs:
- Yimeng Mountain walnuts (¥68/jin)
- Handmade pancake gift box (vacuum packed, ¥35)
- Red Sister cultural bookmarks/embroidered sachets (¥25)
📦 Can be shipped home, travel light on return

🚄 Return before 2 PM from Yishui Station

✅ Day 2 cost (based on Underground Grand Canyon option):
Tickets 360 + Rafting 240 + Transport 60 + Lunch 40 + Shopping 150 = about 850 RMB

💰 Total detailed expenses (for two)
| Item | Cost |
| Round-trip transport | ¥376 (based on Jinan departure by high-speed train) |
| Accommodation | ¥980 |
| Tickets & experiences | ¥630 (including performance) |
| Meals | ¥280 |
| Local transport | ¥60 |
| Shopping & miscellaneous | ¥150 |
| Total | About 5676 RMB |

🎯 Fully controlled within the 6000 RMB budget, with room to upgrade accommodation or meals!

📌 Blogger’s thoughtful tips:
✅ Best season: **April–October**, pleasant climate, suitable for hiking + rafting
✅ Follow the "Heavenly King City Tourism" official account in advance to book tickets + check show times
✅ Want to save more? Stay in county town budget hotels (¥300/night) to save budget
✅ Want luxury? Upgrade to Yishui Dongchen Han Ting Hotel lake view suite (¥1200+/night) with hot springs

🌟 In one sentence
Don’t just visit the Confucius Temple in Qufu, come to Heavenly King City — it’s another key to unlocking Shandong culture.
When you stand on the ancient city walls at the mountaintop, the wind lifts your clothes, and you seem to hear the war drums from two thousand years ago—
At that moment, you are not a tourist, but a witness to history.

⛰ This trip is worth every penny!

Post by Grace Cook Grace64 | Oct 19, 2025