Peaks of Yellow Mountain in Eastern China

Mount Huangshan of the Chinese Anhui Province in Asia

Jun 14, 2009 Rachel Wills

Yellow Mountain is such a magical place, it is said that the ambition of every Chinese person is to climb its 1,300 steps.

Yellow Mountain is no ordinary mountain. At first glance, it has the appearance of palace turrets from a fairy tale sprouting up through swirling mists and clouds into a surreal heavenly blue.

The Peaks of Mount Huang Shan

Mount Huang (also known as Huangshan or Huang Shan) means Yellow Mountain. It was named after a Chinese sovereign, Huang Di otherwise known as the Yellow Emperor. According to legend, he lived like a hermit on the mountain searching for enlightenment and immortality. A magical place in Southern Anhui Province of Eastern China, this mountain is indeed like no other.

Yellow Mountain contains 72 peaks in total. Three of the tallest are over 5,900 feet (1,800 metres) tall. These are called Lianhua Feng, meaning “Lotus Flower Peak,” Guangming Ding, “Summit of Brightness” and Tiandu Feng, meaning “Heavenly Capital Peak.” Lianhua Feng is the highest of all. A rock at the summit is known as “Monkey Rock,” after a legendary monkey who fell in love with a girl from the village. (“Mount Huangshan”, World Heritage, UNESCO, 13 June 2009)

These bizarre formations of the mountain are actually the remnants of underground molten lava made from crystallized granite one hundred million years old. Water and wind eroded away the surrounding earth to leave behind these strange pinnacles made from more resistant material.

Sea of Clouds

Indeed, water is a main feature here, the landscape bringing 94 inches (2,400 millimetres) of rain, snow and sleet annually. The locals call the perpetual mists that cloak these mountains the “Sea of Clouds” ("Celestial Realm: The Yellow Mountains of China", Wang Wusheng, Abbeville Press, 2005).

Pine trees, some 1,000 years old sprout from the perilous peaks. A total of 60,000 stone steps, some 1,500 years old guide visitors to shrines, rock pools, hot springs and sacred revered pine trees. This mountain is well known for its steps. However some of these rock stairways require utmost skill in negotiation. The Heavenly Capital Peak, for instance requires the scaling of 1,300 steps and Carp’s Backbone to reach it. This perilous ridge is a mere 3 feet (1 metre) wide with a sheer drop.

Hongcun Village

Villages at the foot of the Yellow Mountain retain the aura of the Qing and Ming dynasties. One of these villages, Hongcun possesses a small-scale replica of Yellow Mountain decorated with Bonsai to represent the Huangshan Pines that cling onto the rock crevices. This village is also described as World Heritage Site.

China has five sacred mountains, but oddly, Yellow Mountain is not one of them. However it has been declared a site of scenic beauty and historic interest by the State Council of the People’s Republic of China. Artists and poets inspired by these peaks have identified Four Ultimate Beauties. These are: the unique rock formations, the imperious pines, the restorative hot springs and the sea of clouds.

Despite its huge rainfall, the numerous steps and the chill of the higher peaks, thousands of visitors flock to these enigmatic peaks ever year.

Magical Mount Yellow of East China

Huang Shan or Yellow Mountain is a magical place set in the Anhui Province of Eastern China. Bizarre pinnacle formations thrust up through a sea of clouds, many of which nurture ancient pines up to 1,000 years old. Although it is not a sacred mountain, it is said that the ambition of every Chinese person is the climb the numerous stone steps that have been carved in to the mountain slopes.

Further Information and Sources

UNESCO

Mount Huangshan

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