JINAN · QUFU · QINGDAO · SHANDONG
Shandong is where travellers come for Confucius in Qufu, Mount Tai and the coast at Qingdao. The places here that take foreign adults for a stay are kung fu schools in the hills of the south-west. This page lists the three we have checked, the high-speed trains that reach them, and the temples worth a quiet half day.
Mount Ni, Qufu Photo credits
Updated ·
Shandong’s residential stays are Shaolin kung fu schools for foreign adults: Qufu Shaolin Kung Fu School, 30 minutes by bus from Qufu, from US$360 a week with an English translator; Yu Kung Fu Academy in a temple near Tengzhou; and Tianmeng Academy near Feixian at US$55 a day. Qufu East is 29 minutes by train from Jinan West.
Ask us about a stay near Shandong| Place | Type | Getting there from Shandong | Price | English |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Qufu Shaolin Kung Fu School | Shaolin kung fu school with residence | Shimen Mountain, Qufu; the school says it is 30 minutes by bus from Qufu and picks up free at Qufu East station and Jining airport. High-speed trains reach Qufu East from Jinan West in 29 to 55 minutes (57 trains on 14 November 2026), from Beijing South in 2 hours 4 to 2 hours 51 (G1 at 06:30 arrives 08:34) and from Shanghai Hongqiao in 2 hours 43 or more. | US$60 a day, US$360 a week, US$600 for two weeks, US$810 a month, with training five days a week, three meals and a bed in a twin room; US$100 application fee; a single room is US$150 a month extra. | Yes: an English translator in all training and cultural classes. |
| Yu Kung Fu Academy, Tengzhou | Kung fu academy in a working Buddhist temple | Lianqing Mountain near Tengzhou. Trains reach Tengzhou East from Qufu East in 16 to 17 minutes and from Jinan West in 39 minutes to 1 hour 4 (26 trains on 14 November 2026); the academy arranges pickup at Tengzhou East but gives no journey time. | Registration RMB 700; packages from RMB 4,000 in a school room or RMB 3,500 in the courtyard house (the period is not stated), with six hours of training on weekdays, lodging and three meals; one week minimum, adults 18 and over. | Not stated; the site is in English, so ask about the teaching language. |
| Place | Type | Getting there from Shandong | Price | English |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tianmeng Kung Fu and Qigong Academy, Feixian | Kung fu and qigong academy with residence | Nanzhangzhuang, Feixian county, Linyi; the academy gives 25 km from Feixian and 70 km from Linyi, but no journey time. Trains reach Feixian North from Qufu East in 28 to 42 minutes (9 trains on 14 November 2026) and from Jinan West in 1 hour 9 to 1 hour 20 (3 trains); the academy offers pickup at the Feixian and Linyi stations and Linyi airport, though one of its pages limits free pickup to stays of a month or more. | Up to seven days US$55 a day; one month US$969, three months US$2,499; up to six hours of training a day, five days a week, a single room and three meals; a non-refundable deposit or US$100 application fee (its pages differ). | Yes: an English translator; the academy says its qigong teacher teaches in English. |
The great temple at the foot of Mount Tai, at 191 Dongyue Street in Tai’an. The Tai’an Museum gives hours of 8:00–17:00 from 1 November to the end of February (last entry 16:30) and a CNY 20 ticket. Mount Tai itself costs CNY 115, valid three days, under a price notice that runs to 31 December 2026. Trains reach Tai’an from Jinan West in 16 to 19 minutes and from Qufu East in 18 to 20 minutes (14 November 2026). Checked 12 November 2026.
The Daoist temple on the Laoshan coast east of Qingdao, founded in the Song dynasty and home to some twenty Daoists today. The scenic area charges CNY 90 for its southern area until 31 December and CNY 60 from January to March, and Taiqing Palace sells its own CNY 27 ticket; take Metro line 4 to Dahedong, then the scenic-area bus. The Taiqing cable car is suspended and the paths beside it have been closed since 5 September 2026. We found no official opening hours. Checked 12 November 2026.
A historic Buddhist monastery in Changqing district, south of Jinan. Jinan’s price notice set the ticket at CNY 40 from 1 October 2024 for three years; we found no official opening hours, so confirm them before going. Checked 12 November 2026.
Qufu East is the hub for the schools: Beijing South is 2 hours 4 to 2 hours 51 away and Qingdao North 2 hours 11 to 3 hours 25 (14 November 2026). The Shaolin Temple itself and the schools around Mount Song are on our Zhengzhou and Luoyang page. Compare more places to stay and practise in our guides:
We have not visited these places. Travel times are the timetable figures for the date shown; confirm dates, prices and admission with each host.