Chongqing - Since probably longer ago than you could imagine, the northeastern county of Dianjiang has always enjoyed the honor of being the "hometown of peony flowers," attracting tons of visitors from across the country to appreciate the beautiful flowers every Spring. As a matter of fact, Dianjiang has been so famously known for its cliffside-grown peony flowers that its name has become a sort of synonym for peony flowers. There are currently more than 20,000 mu of plantation area for Dianjiang's cliffside peony flowers, with both the quality and quantity of its root bark of peony trees, which is widely considered as a Traditional Chinese Medicine for anti-inflammatory uses, leading the whole nation by a wide margin.

As one of Dianjiang's very two national AAAA level scenic spots, the Kaizhi Mountain scenic spot, which is sometimes also referred to as Kai's Peak, boasts a dozen recreational items for tourists to better enjoy themselves.

Other than the classical entertainment facilities such as "Jungle Trek," "Jungle Joy-Ride," "Rotating Swing," "Cliffside  Swing," "Century Peony Garden," "Peony Culture Square," "Rainbow Slide," there's now also a newly opened "Cliffside Glass Viewing Platform," which is a 41 million project leaning against the peak of Kaizhi Mountain with three transparent viewing platforms stretching outwards over the precipice.

Visitors can now take the uphill shuttle buses to the Glass Viewing Platform and get a panoramic view of the scenic spot on top of Kaizhi Mountain. You might find the glass viewing platform a bit similar to the cliffside glass corridor of Dream Ordovician Theme Park in Wansheng Economic and Technological Development Zone, but the main selling point of the former lies in the opportunity to view flowers. I mean, sure you can experience all this and that at Dream Ordovician, but can you also see the beautiful peony flowers there?

When you arrive at the top of the Kaizhi Mountain for the glass viewing platform, you'll find yourself surrounded by staff members dressed in traditional hanfu clothes, which creates a unique vibe blending modernity with tradition. There's also a "rent-a-pal" service for single female and male tourists, which allows you to scan the QR code and get a temporary "boyfriend" or "girlfriend" whose main purpose would be to take photos and chat with you, as well as accompany you during the whole trip there.

Another place of interest you mustn't miss is the Century Peony Garden, which is actually situated halfway down the Kaizhi Mountain peak, thus requires you to take another shuttle bus trip. The first thing you'll notice when you get there are the numerous peony flowers blooming all over the place as if they're greeting you with a big smile. And the contrast between the red flowers and the green leaves is so breathtakingly beautiful that simply no words could do a fair description. As someone has told me before I went there, "you'll never be able to truly appreciate the beauty of these 'National Flowers' until you see them with your own eyes."

Standing at a crossroad inside the Century Peony Garden is a personified tree trunk decoration, which automatically blinks eyes and waves hands at passing tourists. Many people will stop by the take pictures with it, though, you'll be lucky to find there isn't a long line of people waiting in front of you.

I'd recommend you bring enough food and drink before actually heading there, for the prices of snacks sold by vendors are a bit too expensive. But if that's not a problem with you, then I encourage you to try the street foods sold at the foot of the Kaizhi Mountain, the taste of which is much better.

The best time to visit Kaizhi Mountain is every March and April, according to an official with the scenic spot's management committee, and the entrance tickets are currently cold at 50 yuan per person. The entrance ticket does not include the shuttle bus fares and the other recreational items, you so might have to pay extra money on that. Bring your friends and family with you to visit this place in Spring, the 120-kilometer distance from downtown Chongqing isn't as scary as it sounds but is actually quite comfortable and ideal for self-drive tourists.

For those of you considering paying a brief visit to the Kaizhi Mountain scenic spot during the weekend, please dial the tourist hotline at (023) 7453-8666.