National Parks of ChinaOverview
| Designation | National Park of China (fourth batch) |
| Province | Hunan |
| Location | West bank of the Xiang River, Changsha, Hunan |
| Latitude, longitude | 28.2, 112.9 |
| Nearby cities | Changsha |
| Highlights | Mountain of culture |
| Top sights | The Yuelu Academy |
| Area | 36 km² |
| Highest point | 300 m |
| Nearby sites | Shaoshan, Mount Heng (Southern Sacred Mountain), Yueyang Tower and Dongting Lake, Mount Wugong, Peach Blossom Land (Taohuayuan), Jinggangshan, Weishan, Yangqi Mountain, Fairy Lake (Xiannü Lake) |
| Themes | Mountains, Hills, Cities, Culture & history, Taoism, Buddhism, Rivers |
About
The Yuelu scenic area on the west bank of the Xiang River in Changsha, Hunan, is an urban mountain landscape of five parts, Lushan, Tianma, Taohualing, Shijialing and Orange Island, plus the former New People’s Study Society site and the Tuchengtou ruins, about 36 km² with Lushan as the core.
Yuelu Mountain, 300 m, also called Linglu Peak, is a mountain of culture where Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism coexist. The Yuelu Academy, founded in the Song, is one of China’s four great academies and the most famous. The Taoist Yunlu Palace stands on Yunlu Peak. Other sights are the Sarira Pagoda, the Aiwan Pavilion, the Yu the Great stele, White Crane Spring and the Ernan poem inscriptions.
The climate is mild and rainy and the cultural heritage rich. Between Yunlu Peak, White Crane Spring and Qingfeng Gorge large tracts of secondary evergreen broadleaf forest survive, with rare and endangered trees such as the honey locust, gingko and magnolia; the oldest is a podocarp more than 1,700 years old.