Mt. Huangshan [Huangshan]

"One of Top Ten Most Beautiful Mountains in China"
Ranked by China National Geoegraphy Magazin

MT.Huangshan in east China's Anhui province is one of Chinas ten best-known scenic spots, It is characterized by the four wonders, namely, odd-shaped pines, grotesque rock formation, seas of clouds and crystal- clear hot springs. Mount Huangshan is celebrated for having all the features of mountain scenery. Known as the No. 1 Mountain Under heaven, it features numerous imposing peaks(77 exceed an altitude of 1,000m), forests of stone pillars and evergreen sturdy pines; other features include grotesquely-shaped rocks (many of which are individually named, such as "pig-headed monk eating water melon"), waterfalls, pools and hot springs. Because of its mists and clouds, natural scenery in the area changes beyond prediction. Xu Xiake, a noted Chinese geologist and traveler in Ming Dynasty, praised MT.Huangshan as the best of all mountains. Mount Huangshan was listed as one of the World Natural and Cultural Heritages in 1990.

Mount Huangshan extends 40 kilometers from south to north and 30 kilometers from east to west, covering an area of 1200 square kilometers, the highlights of which occupy 154 square kilometers. MT.Huangshan is a marvel: within an area of 154 square kilometers there is a crowd of peaks, 72 of which have names indicating the shapes they resemble. Lotus, Brightness Top and Celestial Capital are the three major ones, all rising above 1,800 meters above sea level. The mountains are a body of granite, often with vertical joints. Erosion and fracture contributed to shape the rocks into huge columns, giving rise to lofty peaks and deep ravines. When it is cloudy the pinnacles loom in mists as if they were illusionary, while the sun is shining they unfold in all their majesty and splendor. MT.Huangshan change its color and appearance with the alternation of seasons. In spring blooming flowers decorate the slopes in a riot of color and fill the valleys with fragrance; in summer you see verdure peaks rising one upon another and hear springs gurgling merrily. Autumn dresses the mountains in red and purple as maples and some other trees are blazing-red; winter turns them into a world of frost and ice with silver boughs and rocks everywhere. Here in Huangshan, pines and rocks are intimately involved with each other, almost every rock has a pine tree growing out of the crevice, and every tree has tortuous and gnarled roots and branches.The still sea of snow-white cloud can suddenly begin to roll and toss, rise or fall, gather or disperse while the peaks emerge and disappear in the clouds like isles in the ocean. So from ancient times it has been frequented by tourists seeking their mystery and admiring their frequented by tourists seeking their mystery and admiring their scenery They come to the conclusion that the fantastic pines, the grotesque rocks , the sea of clouds and the hot springs are the four major attractions of the MT.Huangshans. As a matter of fact there are marvels almost everywhere, especially in the following scenic areas: Wenquan (Hot pring) , Yupinglou (Jade Screen Tower), Xihai ( West Sea), Beihai (North Sea), Yungusi (Cloud Valley Temple) and Songgu'an (Pine Valley Nunnery).

There is plentiful rainfall in MT.Huangshan. Therefore there are thick forests.Owing to the peculiar terrain, the MT.Huangshan's climate is marked by a vertical change, and the vertical distribution of vegetation is also distinctive: plants on the summit, on the middle levels and at the foot belong to the frigid, temperate and subtropical zones respectively. There are more than 1500 species of plants, of which trees comprise one third. So the MT.Huangshan occupy an important place in China's botanical research. Here you will find century-old pines, firs, ginkgoes, actinidia, Chinese torreyas and camphor woods, remnants of the glacial era. A number of trees are celebrated on account of their age, grotesque shape, or precipitously perched position. Mount Huangshan abound in flowering plants; many of them are rare ones, such as Huangshan Rhododendron, magnolia as well as azalea, camellia, plum, lily, orchid, and so on. It has a rich store of the medicinal herbs;more than 300 kinds are found here; the notable ones being glossy ganoderma ginseng, Chinese gold thread rhizome and Chinese cinnamon. Maofeng tea of Huangshan is well known at home and abroad.

MT.Huangshans also provide the natural habitat for a wide variety of fauna. Among the animals there are monkeys, goats, deer, pangolin and squirrels. There are rare birds such as the red-billed leiothrix, the silver pheasant, the octave-tone bird and the oriole, all good singers. The red-billed leiothrix (called "love birds" in Chinese) are so lovely that they have become favorites of foreign tourists and are exported by pairs. Besides, chukkar(stone frog) from the streams is good to make delicious dishes with.

Mt. Huangshan's climate is mild and humid, neither too hot in summer nor too cold in winter, the temperature is agreeable all the year round .

It is cool in summer, averaging 70 °F at the North Sea Area ( 1 ,630 meters above sea) and 80 °F at Hot Spring Area (630 meters above sea) in July (the hottest month). As clouds often shut out the sun, hot weather never stays long, and this makes MT.Huangshans an ideal summer resort. Mt.Huangshan lies in subtropical zones, so it's not quiet cold in winter, at least, not so cold as some people expected. The temperature ranges from 25 °F to 40 °F, but it's enough to result in a fantastic snow scenery and a silver world with pines and precipitous peaks covered with snow and decorated with icicles.

Today Mt. Huangshan has become a world-famous tourist attraction. With its convenient facilities: three cable lines, four three-star hotels on the top, all the paths paved with flat stones, it lures millions of visitors both from home and abroad. Seeing is believing. Welcome to Mount Huangshan.

Best time to go
Anytime especially Spring, Summer and Autumn.
An average annual temperature is 46F. July is the hottest month of the year, when the average temperature is about 77F. January is the coldest month, when the average temperature is about 32F. The temperature declines sharply from the top to the foot of Mt. Huangshan. It decreases by around 33F in July and by 32.7F in January. The annual mean temperature is as low as 46F and its annual rang 69.4F only.
There is an annual precipitation of 2,395 mm and 183 precipitation days and annual frost-free period of 258 days.
The relative humidity culminates in July and August and reaches the lowest point in December and January with discrepancy of 30% between them.

Ticket
High season from 1 March to 30 November: RMB 200/person, Ropeway to Clouds Valley or Jade Screen: RMB 65/person one way.
Low Season from 1 December to 30 February: RMB 120/person, Ropeway to Clouds Valley or Jade Screen: RMB 55/person one way, Insurance: RMB 2/person

Around Landscape
Jiuhua Mountain, The Qiandao (Thousand Islets) Lake, Wuyuan Old Town, Jinde Old Town, Hongcun Village, Xidi Village.

Local Snacks and Specialties
Mushroom, Glossy Ganoderma, Golden Orange, Pear, Gooseberry, and Walnut, the Scholar’s Four Treasures, Tunxi Green Tea and Huangshan Maofeng tea, etc.

Travel Tips
The fantastic pines, the grotesque rocks, the sea of clouds and the hot springs are the four major attractions of the Mountain Huangshan.
Greeting Pine, on the left side of Jade Screen Tower, is a symbol of Huangshan scenery.
If you want to see the sunrise, we suggest you get accommodation on top of Huangshan. Please book hotel in advance in high season especially July and August. In winter there come forth much sea-cloud but part of landscape will be sealed a mountains pass.
Please take raincoat not umbrella, sunbonnet, sunglass, and suntan oil in summer.
Please buy enough necessity especially foods before climbing mountain.

Flight
Huangshan Airport is situated in the west suburb of Tunxi of Huangshan city, 71 km from Mt. Huangshan scenic area. It covers an area of 75 hectares with runways 2,200 meters long and 45 meters wide. Nowadays, it is up to the state second-class airport standard, competent for taking-off and landing for medium airliners like Boeing 737. So far, there are 21 air routes linking up Huangshan and Beijing, Shanghai, Xiamen, Xi'an, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Shenzhen, Hefei, etc. respectively. There