Bijia Mountain

Bijiashan is a small island about a kilometre and a half offshore in the Bohai Sea, named for a resemblance to a brush rest, and it is joined to the mainland by a natural ridge of gravel and shell known locally as the heavenly bridge. When the tide falls the ridge emerges as a walkable causeway; when it rises the island is separated again, and the twice-daily transformation is the reason people come. Temples of the Ming and Qing periods stand on the island, dedicated to a mixture of Buddhist, Daoist and folk deities. Tide tables govern everything, and visitors caught out have to wait for the next low water.

What you actually see

• The tidal causeway - the natural gravel ridge exposed at low water.
• The island temples - Ming and Qing shrines on the rock.
• The tide change - the causeway appearing and disappearing twice daily.
• The Bohai coast - the shallow sea and shoreline around the island.

When to go

May to October for comfortable weather; the causeway's exposure depends entirely on the tide, so timing is essential and tide tables are published at the entrance. Summer weekends are busy.

Honest expectations

Mistiming the tide means either a long wait or an unsafe crossing, and people are caught out regularly. The causeway is uneven gravel and slippery. The island is small and the temples modest.

Nearby

Jinzhou lies inland; Panjin and the red beach are northeast.