Since the Song Dynasty (960-1279), Guangzhou of South China's Guangdong province has had a tradition of selecting its top eight scenic spots. The lush mountains and lucid waters from Baiyun, one of the districts in Guangzhou, have been included in the list of the city's top eight tourist attractions in different historical periods.

Such scenic spots and effects as Shimen sunrises and sunsets, Lianquan Fountain at Cattail Gully and cloudy scenes of Juhu Lake were among the top eight tourist attractions in Guangzhou during the Song Dynasty.

Shimen village of Baiyuan has long been one of the most popular tourist destinations in Guangzhou partly because of its sunrises and sunsets. The village was a major gateway for people to enter the city in ancient times and has become widely known for the upright and incorruptible character of Wu Yinzhi, a top official of Guangzhou during the Jin Dynasty (266-420). The relics of the incorruptible fountain stele and Shuiyue rock still bear great importance for people in modern times hoping to follow his fine conduct.

Lianquan Fountain at Cattail Gully of Baiyun Mountain is a picturesque place. It was hailed for its beauty by Su Shi, an iconic figure of ancient Chinese literature and fine arts in the Song Dynasty. A temple built on the mountain was named after the gully; its history dates back to the Tang Dynasty (618-907). It is believed that Zheng Anqi, a well-known doctor during the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC), selected the same location as that of the later temple to produce his immortal drugs.

It is said that Juhu Lake was situated in the north suburb of Guangzhou in the Song Dynasty. According to Qu Dajun, a reputed scholar and poet in the late Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and early Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), the lake was located at the foot of Yuexiu Mountain, opposite the Yuexi Brook. It has been confirmed that the lake is the lower reaches of the Wenxi Stream near the current Dashi Street. However, it became silted up and dried up during the Ming Dynasty and later houses were built on the land. Nowadays, no ruins remain of the former lake.

Together with the Shimen sunrise and sunset scenery and Lianquan Fountain at Cattail Gully, sights related to monks returning to the former Jingtai Temple at the Baiyun Mountain was on the list of top eight scenic spots in Guangzhou during the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368).

It is believed that at the invitation of the top official of Guangzhou with the Liang Kingdom during the turbulent Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period (907-960), Jingtai, a veteran monk, successfully found a place with water where he could build a temple on Baiyun Mountain. The temple was surrounded with brooks and trees. At dusk of each day, there were always dozens of monks coming back with food given as alms.

The pine forest that extends from Moxing Ridge to Mingzhu Tower in Baiyun Mountain, was listed as one of the top eight scenic areas in Guangzhou in 1963.

The Baiyun Mountain Scenic Area was the highest-ranked spot in the top eight scenic spots in Guangzhou unveiled in May 2011. The scenic area is made up of more than 30 hills and its famous tourist attractions include Lianquan Fountain at Cattail Gully, Baiyun’s dusk view and mountaintop park, the returning monks of Jingtai Temple, and the pine forest scenery.

Baiyun Mountain has been blessed with picturesque landscapes and rich cultural heritages. Thanks to its forest coverage, the mountain has become known as the "green lung" of Guangzhou and the only national AAAAA-level scenic spot in the downtown area of South China.