Zhifu Island

• Area: 11.5 km²
• Coast line: 22.5 km
• Temperature: 11.40-13.50°C

Administratively, the Zhifu Island is a part of Datuan Village (大疃村), Xingfu Town (幸福镇), Zhifu District, Yantai City, Shandong Province. Datun has a part on the mainland, where the offices and most residents are.

Geography

Located in Bohai Sea, the island is 4 km away from Downtown Zhifu and is 10 km x 1 km. Part of Public Road No. 26 connects the western end of the island and the north of the Mainland District (north on the peninsula on the Mainland).

Originally, the island was disconnected from the mainland, but for a period of millennium of years, sand and soil in ocean floor built up to be a 600-metre wide pathway and is called in Chinese as the Mainland-connecting Island (陸連島) or even a small peninusula.

Largest mountain is Laoye Mountain (老爺山) at 294.1-metre. The Old Lady Stone (婆婆石 Popo Shi) is on a cliff, at 43.49 metres above sea level, named so like a woman hugging the ocean waves. Southern island is forested.

History

Archeological exhibitions discovered over 200 artifacts, including stone axes, and short axes (錛), pottery fragments, bone needles, and bone hairpin. These and C-14 dating indicated that the island has been settled since Neolithic period.

People were buried here during the Zhou Dynasty, including one of Lord Kang of Qi State (齊康公), who died on the island. The ruin of the cemetery still exists today. Lord Yang Temple (陽主廟 Yangzhu Miao) was built during early Zhou Dynasty by the State of Qi (齊) to worship Lord Yang, the fifth deity of the Eight Divine Generals (八神將).

Because of a legend of a Mountain of Immortality, Qin Shi Huangdi visited the island three times looking for the elixir. During his second visit in 218 BC, he left the inscription: "Arrived at Fu, and carved the stone" (登之罘，刻石). The last time (210 BC), "Came to Fu, saw enormous stone, and shot one fish" (至之罘，見巨石，射殺一魚). Today, there are places like Shihuang Way (始皇道), and Fish-shooting Tower (射魚台) named after the emperor.

Having failed to discover the elixir, he sent a Xu Fu (徐福) of Mainland Yantai, to sail away and find the Pill of Immortality with thousands of man and women.

Emperor Wudi[?] of Han Dynasty also left an inscription in 94 BC: "Arrived at Zhifu, which floats on Great Ocean. Mountains call out "Long live!" (登芝罘，浮大海，山稱萬歲), after performed a ceremony in the Yangzhu Temple.

Now, it's mainly a tourist attraction, although clams and abalones can be fished here in abundance.

Etymologies

Possibilities include:

1. "A Barrier in the Shape of a Magical Plant"
   • Zhi is a magical and powerful plant, which the island's shape resembles
   • Fu a barrier of ocean
2. A magical mountain name (significance unknown)
   • From Qin Dynasty's Zhifu (之罘), officially changed to the present character in late Qing Dynasty.

Miscellanea

The Zhifu District in which the island is administered is named after the island, not the reverse order.

External links

• Official page (http://www.china-zhifu.com/travel/jd-1.htm) from Zhifu District
• An aerial photo (http://big5.huaxia.com/ShenZhouLiaoWang/ChengShiDH/YanTai/YouLanJingGuan/GBK/31621)