A bird's-eye view of the Shenxiu Valley, a pastoral complex located in Shuangquan town, Changqing district, Jinan. [Photo/iJinan app]

Located in Shuangquan town, Changqing district, Jinan, the pastoral complex Shenxiu Valley has many Radix isatidis, or banlangen in Chinese, in full bloom during April.

With an investment of over 200 million yuan ($29.1 million), the pastoral complex includes a 20-kilometer carriageway, a 30-km walkway, nine stone arch bridges, 12 ponds, five renovated mountainous springs, and water and electricity. The complex was opened to the public on March 30.

One can admire the magnificent Mount Tai and the crystal clear Bianque Lake, and listen to the sound of springs and birds in the valley.

The valley is also home to 59 kinds of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) ingredients, such as scutellaria, salvia miltiorrhiza, and polygonum multiflorum, and has total planting area of 333.33 hectares.

In addition to the stunning scenery in the valley, visitors can experience the fun of picking TCM ingredients and having a closer look at TCM processing.

The valley also grows a unique type of mulberries, which is about 20 centimeters long and weighs over 20 grams.

Clusters of long mulberries in Shenxiu Valley. [Photo/iJinan app]