Huangshan

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East China (华东) » Anhui (安徽) » Huangshan (黄山)

Anhui Province

[edit] Overview

"No need to see any other mountains after Huangshan", as the old saying goes. Huangshan (黄山) or literally Yellow Mountain, is known for its breathtaking views, and incredible landscapes. It covers an area of 1,200 square kms (about 470 sq miles), stretching 40 kms (25 miles) from north to south and 30 kms (about 19 miles) from east to west.

Huangshan (黄山) is famous for its four unique scenes: queer pine trees, shaped rocks, hot springs, and sea of clouds. The exquisite scenery varies with the four seasons. Most spectacular ones are blossoms in spring, waterfalls in summer, forest in fall and snow in winter.

[edit] History

Mt. Huangshan was formed as a result of the movement of the earth's crust in ancient times. It was originally known as Yishan (黟山) because of the dark green color of the peaks and rocks from the distance. In 747 AD, Tang Dynasty's Emperor Li Longji renamed the mountain as Huangshan (Yellow Mountain) because he believed that the Yellow Emperor (Huang Di), who was venerated as the ancestor of the Chinese people, became an immortal here.

Mt. Huangshan havs a long history to which numerous books, poems and paintings as well as carved inscriptions all bear witness. You can find many poetic phrases in intriguing calligraphy along the 72 peak mountain ranges. Some of them have become the fascinating scenes themselves.

[edit] Weather

Current Conditions (2008-11-21 11:00:00, local time)

Huangshan

Mostly Cloudy

Temp: 44°F (7°C)
Wind: NW at 4 mph
Humidity: 11%

Huangshan Weather Forecast

Today
Clear
Clear

37/30°F

Saturday

Mostly Sunny

42/35°F

Sunday

Chance of Rain

37/32°F

Monday
Clear
Clear

39/30°F

Below is the weather averages for Huangshan Xianyuan Town (黄山市仙源镇):

Weather averages for Huangshan
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Average high °C (°F)	1 (34)	2 (36)	6 (43)	12 (54)	15 (59)	18 (64)	20 (68)	20 (68)	17 (63)	13 (55)	8 (46)	4 (39)
Average low °C (°F)	-5 (23)	-4 (25)	0 (32)	5 (41)	10 (50)	13 (55)	16 (61)	15 (59)	12 (54)	7 (45)	2 (36)	-3 (27)
Rain cm (inches)	6.97 (2.7)	7.82 (3.1)	12.93 (5.1)	16.57 (6.5)	19.72 (7.8)	33.55 (13.2)	22.05 (8.7)	22.09 (8.7)	9.41 (3.7)	6.34 (2.5)	6.09 (2.4)	4.13 (1.6)
Source: per MSN 2008

Huangshan (黄山)

[edit] Getting in & Getting out

[edit] By Air, Train, or Bus

You can get to Huangshan by bus from Hangzhou via Thousand Island Lake in Zhejiang province; from Nanjing for about 8 hours; from Hefei for 6.5 hours; from Shanghai for about 12 hours. The closest airport and train station are about 68 km away at Tunxi. When you take train to Tunxi, and then change to bus to Huangshan, it takes about the same time as by bus from the above main cities.

You can look up the trains stopped at Huangshan and their time schedule at Huangshan Tunxi Train Schedule.

There are buses going from Huangshan Railway Station to Tanghou (汤口), right at the foothill of Huangshan. The buses leave the train station every 5 minutes, and it costs about 13 RMB and takes about 1.5 hours to get to Huangshan. After that, the Huangshan tour buses will take you to the scenic areas for a cost of about 26 RMB.

[edit] Getting Around

[edit] By cable car

There are cable cars in Huangshan scenic area:

Yungu Cable Car (云谷索道)

Yungu Temple (云谷寺) -- White Goose Ridge (白鹅岭). Total distance: 2,804 m; Gross head: 773 m; Run time: 8 min; Open time: 07:30-16:30; One way ticket: 66RMB (off-peak season 56RMB).

Yuping Cable Car (玉屏索道)

Ciguang Pavilion (慈光阁) -- Jade Screen Pavilion (玉屏楼). Total distance: 2,012m; Gross head: 750 m; Run time: 6 min; Open time: 08:00-16:00 (Monday through Thursday) and 07:30-16:30 (Friday through Sunday); One way ticket: 66RMB (off-peak season 56RMB).

Taiping Cable Car (太平索道)

Furong Ridge (芙蓉岭) -- Paiyun Pavilion (排云楼). Total distance: 3709m; Gross head: 1,015 m; Run time: 8 min; Open time: 08:00-16:30 (Sunday through Thursday) and 07:30-16:30 (Friday and Saturday); One way ticket: 66RMB (off-peak season 56RMB). This is the longest distance cable car and there are more scenes to see when taking this cable car.

[edit] By hiking

You can walk and climb all the way from the entrance of Huangshan up to the Celestial Peak (天都峰), and then descend from there on the way down passing Jade Screen Pavilion (玉屏楼), Lotus Flower Peak (莲花峰), Bright Summit Peak (光明顶), West Sea (西海), East Sea (北海), and finally get down from the back of the mountain through Shixin Peak (始信峰), White Goose Ridge (白鹅岭), and Yungu Temple (云谷寺).

Or going the opposite direction of the first route. Start from Yungu Temple (云谷寺), passing White Goose Ridge (白鹅岭) and Shixin Peak (始信峰), and get to East Sea (北海), West Sea (西海), Bright Summit Peak (光明顶), Lotus Flower Peak (莲花峰), Jade Screen Pavilion (玉屏楼), Celestial Peak (天都峰), and then steep descending all the way down to the mountain entrance. This route is easier to climb than the first one, and the scenes get more attractive as you walk deep into the mountains.

[edit] Entry Fees

Peak season: 200 RMB (March through November) Slow season: 120 RMB (December through February)

50% discount is available for students with IDs and seniors. Optional fee of 2 RMB for an insurance policy.

[edit] Flora and fauna

Over 1400 types of plant and over 470 species of animals are found within the Park. The most spectacular trees are the unique pine trees which grow precariously clinging to rock faces. Squirrels and small skinks are the most often seen in Huangshan.

[edit] Climate

Cold at night and early morning. Tiandu Peak (天都峰) and White Cloud Creek (白云溪) are closed during the winter season due to the slippery ice on the paths. The sunrise times are 5:30~6:30 in spring, 4:40~5:20 in summer, 4:50~5:20 in fall and 5:30~6:00 in winter.

[edit] Attractions

Jade Screen scenic area (玉屏景区)

The most famous scenic area in Huangshan. Perching high into the clouds, the Jade Screen Pavilion is famed as the "imperial palace in heaven". The three famous main peaks of Lotus Flower Peak (莲花峰), Bright Summit Peak (光明顶), Celestial Peak (天都峰) are all near here, and you can see the famous Welcoming Guest Pine and Seeing-off Guest Pine from here as well.

North Sea scenic area (北海景区)

North Sea Scenic area is at the center of Huangshan. It boasts many famous scenes.

Hot Springs scenic area (温泉景区)

Known as one of the four wonders of Huangshan, the hot springs here are often referred as "the most famous hot springs under the sun".

Pine Valley scenic area (松谷景区)

Often called as the refreshing world of Huangshan, Pine Valley scenic area is famous for its exotic pine trees and other plants. The granite rocks and natural pools also highlight this area.

Cloud Valley scenic area (云谷景区)

Located in a relative lower terrain and open valley, Cloud Valley scenic area boasts many old trees, odd-shaped rocks, and stone inscriptions.

West Sea scenic area (西海景区)

The best place to see the clouds and the sunset.

Heaven Sea scenic area (天海景区)

Reputed as the God's backyard garden, over 160 species of plants can be found in this high basin.

White Cloud scenic area (白云景区)

The pines, the rocks, the ridges and peaks seem to be more colorful in this area than other places.

Lotus Flower Peak (莲花峰)

Lotus Flower Peak (1,873 meters above sea level) is the highest peak of Huangshan. The name is from its look resembling a lotus with the peak being surrounded by other smaller peaks.

Baieling (白鹅岭)

[edit] Photos

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[edit] Hotels

[edit] Budget

Luxury Shilin Hotel Huangshan has an adjacent bunk house where only very primitive facilities are provided for 50~80 RMB per bunk.

[edit] Luxury

[edit] Restaurants

Very limited options on the mountain although all the hotels come with restaurants.

[edit] Shopping

There are several small grocery stores selling food and drinks.

[edit] Tips & Practical Info

Take plenty of water as the price climbs steeply higher as you go higher up the peaks. (6 RMB for a small bottle).
Bring layered clothes. Morning and night are cold in Huangshan.
Be careful when feeding monkeys. They can be too aggressive for you to handle when you feed them.
Stay overnight at a hotel to watch the sunset and sunrise.
Buy an English map in Tangkou or other places.

[edit] External link

huangshan.com.cn