Penglai Pavilion

Penglai Pavilion was built in 1061 on a cliff above the Bohai Strait and is counted among the four great towers of China. It attaches to two traditions. Penglai was the mythical island of the immortals that Qin Shi Huang sent expeditions to find, and the Eight Immortals are said to have crossed the sea from here, an episode that gave Chinese a proverb about each showing their own skill. Second, mirages: atmospheric conditions over the strait occasionally produce fata morgana, cities and mountains appearing above the horizon, recorded here for centuries and photographed in modern times. A Ming naval fortress and a maritime museum stand alongside.

What you actually see

• The clifftop pavilion - the 1061 tower above the Bohai Strait.
• The Eight Immortals associations - shrines and imagery through the complex.
• The Ming water fortress - the naval base and harbour below.
• The mirage tradition - interpretation of the fata morgana recorded here.

When to go

May to October for mild weather and calm seas; mirages are rare, unpredictable and most often reported in summer after particular temperature conditions. Winter on this coast is cold and windy.

Honest expectations

Mirages cannot be planned for and almost no visitor sees one. Parts of the complex are reconstruction. Entry is charged and the site is a couple of hours. Penglai is a long bus ride from Yantai or Qingdao.

Nearby

Yantai lies southeast; the Changdao islands are offshore.