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Home Travel in Anhui Huangshan Mountain - King of All Mountains
Huangshan Mountain - King of All Mountains
Travel in Anhui

Huangshan Mountain

Huangshan Mountain Scenic Zone  (huáng shān fēng jǐng qū 黄山风景区) is located in Huangshan City  (huáng shān shì 黄山市), Anhui Province  (ān huī shěng 安徽省), 69 miles from Tunxi District (tún xī 屯溪), covering She County  (shè xiàn 歙县), Xiuning County  (xiū níng 休宁), Yi County  (yī xiàn 黟县), Huangshan District  (huáng shān qū 黄山区) and Huizhou District  (huī zhōu qū 徽州区). In 1985, it was classified as one of the 10 popularest scenic attractions in China and in 1990, it was officially placed in the "World Cultural and Natural Heritage".

 

Overview

Four Wonders of Huangshan MountainHuangshan Mountain  (huáng shān 黄山) features fresh air, clean water,exquisite environment and balanced ecological system. It is a fairyland on earth in reality as well as in name. Huangshan Mountain used to be called Yishan Mountain in ancient times because its colour is blue and black. According to the legend, Emperor Xuanyuan  (xuān yuán huáng dì 轩辕黄帝) made pills and became immortal on the mountain. Hence, Emperor Tang Xuanzong  (táng xuán zōng huáng dì 唐玄宗皇帝) who believed in Taoism changed the name to "Huangshan Mountain". From a wide ocean to the "King of All the Mountains", the whole procedure of the formation of Huangshan Mountain lasted more than three hundred million years. In addition to such splendid scenery, there are various kinds of precious plants and animals. What's more, there are more than twenty thousand poems and songs praising the mountain. The four unique scenic features on the mountain are remarkable pines growing on the rocks, a multitude of odd rocks, mysterious cloud sea and limpid hotspring full of bicarbonate. Furthermore, its beautiful and splendid scenery has earned many praises frpm film directors such as James Francis Cameron. In Avatar, the famous "Hallelujah Mountain" was just ispired by Huangshan Mountain.

 

Attractions

Guest-Greeting Pine

Guest-Greeting Pine in Heavy SnowThere are three kinds of pines, namely, "Guest-Greeting Pine"  (yíng kè sōng 迎客松), "Guest-Accompanying Pine"  (péi kè sōng 陪客松) and "Guest-Sending Pine"  (sòng kè sōng 送客松). Local people show special preference to Guest-Greeting Pine. With beautiful posture, thick leaves and a long history of more than 800 years, the Guest-Greeting Pines, though having experienced years of wind and frost, like hospitable hosts, are always stretching their branches out as far as they can to welcome visitors who will be pleasured by these pines and willing to take photos with them. In addition, it is regarded as the representative of Huangshan Mountain and treasure of the country. The pines are so famous that nearly everywhere in China you can find their shadows. The painting "Guest-Greeting Pine" hanging in Anhui Hall  (ān huī tīng 安徽厅) in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing  (běi jīng rén mín dà huì táng 北京人民大会堂) is just originated from the pines on Huangshan Mountain. In 1961, it got its scientific name—Pinus taiwanensis.

 

Guniujiang Mountain

Guniujiang MountainGuniujiang Mountain  (gǔ niú jiàng 牯牛降), located between Qimen County  (qí mén xiàn 祁门县) and Shitai County  (shí tái xiàn 石台县), is regarded as "the West Huangshan Mountain". The whole scenery is not only magnificent but also tranquil and elegant. Being chaste and graceful, the forest there is regarded as the only virgin forest in eastern China. Therefore, it has been always as well known as Huangshan Mountain. Enjoying a long history, the rare species have also made it "A Green Natural Museum". The lucid water and changeable fog are putting a harmonious statement in the green mountains. The branches of the thick pines growing at the peak of the mountain are stretching far away like tercels about to fly. Due to the heavy fog, visitors are likely to meet a new kind of weather every ten miles such as rainy, windy, shiny and so forth. It is also the birthplace of traditional Chinese doctors. On the mountain there is a nunnery dedicated to the Goddess of Mercy. What is surprising is that, all the bamboos surrounding the building are bending toward it. Beside the nunnery lies a limpid lake which is called Guniu Lake  (gǔ niú hú 牯牛湖). This is such a crystal-like lake that visitors would have never seen before. Deep in another valley nearby is Fairy Pool  (xiān nǚ tán 仙女潭) which is thought to be the basin of the Seven Fairies  (qī xiān nǚ 七仙女).

Admission Fee: CNY 70 for adults; CNY 35 for children
Opening Hour: 8:00-17:30

 

Plants Grand View Garden

Plants Grand View GardenPlants Grand View Garden  (zhí wù dà guān yuán 植物大观园) possesses various kinds of precious plants such as dragon cypress, pine, palm, boxtree, osmanthus tree, garnet, cinnamomum hupehanum, red maple, crape myrtle, pittosporum and so on. All in all, the luxuriant fresh and green scenery will make visitors come alive as soon as they arrive there. Actually, except for being a hot attraction, the garden is also an significant base for implantation of seedbeds to improve the environment as well as to develop economy.

 

Temple River

Temple River  (tǎ chuān 塔川) is situated in Tachuan Village  (tǎ chuān cūn 塔川村). With the southwest of Huangshan Temple RiverMountain its background and facing a liquid river, the traditional residences whose layout is strewn at random, look like a big temple seen in the distance. At the gate of the village are the famous five kinds of trees soaring above with a long history. Since the trees are not of the same kind, the postures of the trees vary a lot. Although there is no stone benches or stone chairs in the forest, visitors can just sit on the foot of the huge trees to appreciating the beautiful scenery.

Admission Fee: CNY 30 for adults; CNY 15 for Children

 

Tunxi Antique Street

Tunxi Antique StreetTunxi Antique Street (tún xī lǎo jiē 屯溪老街), Antique Street for short, is located at the heart of Tunxi District. It is famous for the stores of traditional Chinese style which are in good condition. As the only protected national historic street, it appeals to near sixty million people to come there for sightseeing and shopping. Constructed in Song Dynasty  (sòng cháo 宋朝), the whole are became a goods distribution center in Ming Dynasty  (míng cháo 明朝) and Qing Dynasty  (qīng cháo 清朝). All the houses on the street are no higher than three floors with stores in front and residences at back. Being simple but elegant, Old Street is considered as an active "Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival  (qīng míng shàng hé tú 清明上河图)".

 

Huashan Mysterious Rock Cave

Huashan Mysterious Rock CaveHuashan Mysterious Rock Cave  (huā shān mí kū 花山谜窟) is located at the side of New Anjiang River  (xīn ān jiāng 新安江), a link between Huashan Mountain  (huā shān 花山) and Xiong County  (xióng cūn 雄村).The area is a combination of mountains, rivers, rock caves, stone inscriptions, temples and other antique building. Up to now, there are all together 36 caves having been explored. The expansion and ingeniousness of those caves are extremely rare in China. Just as Bermudu, Pyramids, Sphinx, the Dead Sea and Sahara, this scenic spot is also situated at a latitude of 30 degrees north. Besides appreciating the rare but magnificent scenery, visitors also like guessing the formation of these caves. They wonder where those lost rocks could be and how their ancestors moved them. Without any Budda statues or frescos, the cave became well known only for the sake of nature. According to experts, there are more than 50 puzzles about these caves.

Admission Fee: CNY 70 for adults; CNY 35 for children
Opening Hour: 8:00-17:00

 

Emerald Valley

Emerald ValleyColourful PoolEmerald Valley  (fěi cuì gǔ 翡翠谷) belongs to the World Cultural and Natural Heritage. The name of the valley derives from the Colourful Pool  (cǎi chí 彩池) which is as crystal as jade. It is also called Lovers' Valley. Because in 1988 when the transportation there is not well developed, 20 of 36 visitors became couples after a hard trip in the valley. Besides it is also called the fifth major scenic spot of Huangshan Mountain. Furthermore, those fighting scenes on bamboos, flirting scenes beside the river and sword finding in deep pool in the film "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon  (wò hǔ cáng lóng 卧虎藏龙)" were just shoot in the valley. It is the harmony between hard stones, limpid river and shiny colours that put such a mysterious statement in this area. The sounds of the flowing river and the howling wind in the forest are composing a wonderful song haunting in the valley. When confronted with such a captivating site, even Shakespeare couldn't make it out even in sonnet.

Admission Fee: CNY 70 for adults; CNY 35 for children
Opening Hour: 6:30-18:00

 

Peace Lake

Peace LakePeace Lake  (tài píng hú 太平湖) is one of the key attractions in the zone, 143 miles from Tunxi District, between Huangshan Mountain and Jiuhua Mountain  (jiǔ huá shān 九华山). Enjoying limpid water, a range of green mountains and pearls-like distribution of islands, Peace Lake is regarded as the lover of Huangshan Mountain. The lake is used to controlling flood, watering, generating and shipping. The upper and lower reaches of the lake is rather circumlocutory while the middle area us much more spacious. It is really regretful to only visiting Huangshan Mountain except Peace Lake. Visitors can take either sightseeing boat of ferry boat to appreciate such an innate emerald.

Admission Fee: CNY 55 for adults; CNY 25 for children
Opening Hour: 8:00-19:00