The east side of Qianfo Mountain contains a striking piece of Communist-era heritage: one of the largest surviving public statues of Mao Zedong in China, a colossal stone figure in Mao jacket extending his arm over the city below. The statue dates from the Cultural Revolution and has remained in place while most comparable monuments were dismantled. It commands views north over Jinan and is surrounded by formal gardens.
The east park also serves as the lower terminus of the cable car to the summit, making it the most practical approach for visitors who don't want to climb on foot. The combination of the Mao statue, the Tang Buddhist carvings on the cliff faces above, and the Song-era temple at the summit gives Qianfo Mountain an unusual concentration of political and religious layers.