Huabuzhu Hill is located in the northeastern suburb of Jinan, Shandong province. It may not be a well-known scenic spot for tourists, but it is an inalienable part of local life. Provided to China Daily

Huabuzhu Hill in the northeastern suburb of Jinan, in Shandong province, may not be a well-known scenic spot for tourists, but it is an inalienable part of local life.

"Although I grew up at the foot of the hill, I had not climbed it until the 1990s. It is a mysterious place," says Wang Qinghua, the writer of a book on Jinan's most famous hill: Huabuzhu.

The 192-meter tall circular-cone-shaped hill stands alone on a vast plain to the south of the Yellow River, and appears higher than its actual elevation.

For most of the time, from the 1940s to early 1990s, the isolated peak was used by the army－it had anti-aircraft guns on top and barbed wire along its perimeter at the bottom.

It is said that the hill, which is covered with huge earth-colored stones, had also been hollowed out to be used as an ammunition depot.

Wang recalled that his first visit to the hill in 1998 was like treasure-hunt, a view shared by many of the residents of the 17 villages who lived in the vicinity of the hill.

Describing his first visit, Huang Jianhua, a local villager, says: "We found dozens of broken stone tablets along a wild dirt path.

"The pieces were inscribed either with ancient Chinese characters or delicate patterns."

Now, many residents climb the mountain－h(huán)alf an hour to the top via neat stone steps.

At the top one can see the stone foundation of a temple.

There is also a large well-preserved Taoist temple dating back to the Song Dynasty (AD 960-1279) at the foot of the mountain, besides a small Taoist temple about halfway up.

The large temple is called Huayang and consists of 17 halls and several courtyards.