I have climbed Mount Emei, Mount Huang, Mount Tai, Mount Wutai, Mount Taihang, Mount Sanqing, etc., but I have never found any mountain more interesting than Mount Huashan in Xiyue.
The majestic granite landforms of Huashan Mountain look like an ink painting. Walking on the cliffs of Huashan Mountain and overlooking the cliffs and abyss is a thrill that people will never forget.
What kind of fun and excitement can you experience when climbing Mount Huashan in Xiyue? On a cloudless and sunny day, I had the honor to visit this famous mountain and visited it carefully from the foot of the mountain to the top of the mountain.
1. Departure from Huashan
The transportation to Huashan is very convenient. It takes an hour's drive from Xi'an to reach the foot of Huashan. Huashan has a long history, has both natural and cultural landscapes, and is a very mature scenic spot with WiFi coverage throughout the mountain.
Before coming to Huashan Mountain, I read a lot of introductions and knew that Huashan Mountain has five peaks: southeast, northwest, and middle. After seeing a lot of pictures of Mount Huashan, I’m still wondering, what does it feel like to stand on the dangerous top of the mountain? The weather is very clear today. Standing at the gate at the foot of Huashan Mountain, you can already see the cliff of the west peak of Huashan Mountain.
In the square at the main gate of Huashan, there lies the statue of the Sleeping Immortal Chen Tuan. I feel that the gate of this scenic spot has a sense of life, and there are actually people drying their quilts here.
Yuquanyuan at the foot of Huashan Mountain is the main entrance to the mountain climbing. The sun shines through the emerald green leaves in the yard, making it refreshing and pleasant to walk under. Seeing this exquisite scene, I almost thought I was in the wrong place.
There is the Wulong Bridge at the foot of Huashan Mountain. After crossing this bridge, the mountain climbing officially begins.
Looking up at the cliff at the west peak of Huashan Mountain at the foot of the mountain, it is rare to see such a vertical drop of more than 1,000 meters. Even in Tibet, it is difficult to see such majestic cliffs.
At the beginning of the mountain climbing, you first feel the geological wonders of Huashan Mountain and the powerful stratigraphic fractures. Are these layer-by-layer cracks called joints?
There are three dangerous slopes on the way to the first peak of Huashan Mountain: Qianchitong, Baichixia, and Laojun Furou. The picture below shows the first steep slope - Qianchitong. The slope is said to be around 70 degrees. Climbing Huashan requires the use of both hands and feet, so wearing a pair of gloves is essential.
I like climbing mountains not because I like to exercise or want to conquer mountains. What I like is the continuous feeling of the mountain road. Walking along it is like walking in an endless scroll. I feel excited when I see this kind of mountain road.
The second dangerous slope is Baichi Gorge. These small stone steps are the most special scenery of Huashan Mountain.
Take a closer look at the texture of Huashan Mountain, which is composed of typical granite. Many beautiful mountains in China are granite mountains, such as Huangshan Mountain, Sanqing Mountain, Laoshan Mountain, Taishan Mountain, Tianzhu Mountain... If you think carefully, you will find that most of the landscapes in Chinese ink paintings are created based on granite mountains.
Stop and look at the west peak cliff of Huashan Mountain. The circular depression in the center of the picture is called the longan of Huashan Mountain. Because the Huashan Mountains are like a dragon, and Xifeng is located at one end of the mountains.
The third danger - Laojun's Furrow, is also the last steep slope to climb the first mountain, with 570 steps. In fact, Huashan Mountain is not too difficult to climb. If you go faster, you can reach the top in 5 to 6 hours. However, compared with Mount Emei and Mount Tai, the Huashan Mountain Road is narrower and looks more dangerous.
The mountain carrier is moving on a narrow and steep mountain road.
Seeing these high mountains, does it look like there is a monster coming out?
We were almost at the top of the climb, and when we looked down at the bottom of the mountain, we found that there were so many beautiful mountains and rivers...my legs suddenly felt weak. A cool breeze blows here, which is very comfortable.
Visitors to Huashan Mountain are shaking their legs on the edge of the cliff and taking photos!
2. North Peak of Huashan Mountain
Climb the first mountain, North Peak of Huashan Mountain. Standing on the North Peak and looking at the ridge of Huashan Mountain, this is the most iconic perspective of Huashan Mountain.
The top of the North Peak looks like a stone gourd.
This picture more clearly shows the direction of the Huashan Mountains. The dead tree in the lower right corner has been photographed by many tourists.
Looking at the mountain road opposite, isn't this the sloping green mountain stone path commonly seen in landscape paintings?
Why do many people choose to climb Huashan Mountain at night? I guess it's just to save time. However, if you want to see the scenery, it feels better to climb during the day.
There are many such stone tablets on Huashan Mountain. Jin Yong’s novels should have contributed the most to increasing the popularity of Huashan, right?
Continue along the Huashan ridge! The scenery here is very good, and I am full of expectations for the scenery ahead.
Canglong Ridge, the road on this ridge is known as the Dragon Vein of Huashan Mountain. This section of the road is built on a ridge with cliffs on both sides. It is a famous dangerous road in Huashan. There are also many historical legends on this stretch of road, and I didn’t hear about those stories until I got here.
Legend has it that Han Yu was brought here by an immortal. The road to Canglong Ridge was so dangerous that Han Yu was scared to tears and dared not go down the mountain. Later, Han Yu wrote a letter asking for help and threw it off the cliff. The letter was picked up and he was later rescued.
Overlooking Canglong Ridge and looking back at the north peak of Huashan Mountain. After learning some unofficial history, I found this journey to be a lot more interesting.
Huashan pine trees don’t seem to be noticed much, but they are actually quite beautiful. Although the pine trees in Huashan Mountain are not as dense as those in Sanqing Mountain and Huangshan Mountain, many pine trees are still quite beautiful in shape.
There are many such ladders on Huashan Mountain, with 90-degree vertical paths. However, the ladder is no longer necessary and is only for entertainment purposes.
Arriving at the middle peak of Huashan Mountain, there seems to be no special scenery, so I took a photo.
3. Huashan East Peak
Climb to the top of Huashan East Peak and sit on the edge of the 100-foot cliff to take photos and have fun. This rock is called Eagle Beak Peak. In fact, I was quite scared when I sat on this rock, and my legs cramped from fear.
Sometimes when I look back at this picture, I still feel like my scalp is numb. But it’s rare to encounter a place like this, so I have to pretend!
The master who helped take pictures said, go out a little more, go out a little more, go out a little more! Change the position, change the position, change the position again!
I was still very nervous at the time, but after completing this difficult group of photos, I suddenly felt more and more fond of Huashan.
But in fact, when taking photos at Yingzuo Peak, everyone wears a seat belt around their waists. Don't be too pretentious and fall off the mountain, because some people have really fallen off the top.
Withdrawing from the cliff, standing on the top of the East Peak and looking into the distance, I suddenly felt a lot more relaxed. Looking at the steep peaks of Huashan Mountain, I felt much calmer.
Continuing to walk forward, I saw this cliff pavilion next to the east. Looking at this location, it looks like a place where immortals drink and practice.
Huashan sometimes looks like ink soaking out of rice paper. This scenery is absolutely top-notch in China.
The ridge is like a knife edge. It must be super exciting to stand on the top of the opposite mountain. When I walked to the edge of the cliff, I saw some people were scared to tears, which shows the intimidating power of Huashan.
4. South Peak of Mount Huashan
As we went deeper and deeper into Mount Huashan, we finally reached the southern peak of Mount Huashan. What you have to experience at the South Peak of Huashan Mountain is the famous "Long Sky Plank Road", a wooden plank road embedded in the cliff of the South Peak of Huashan Mountain.
It is said that the Changkong Plank Road has existed for 700 years, is more than 100 meters long and about a foot wide. Of course, seat belts are worn on the road leading to the Changkong Plank Road.
Walking on it actually didn't feel that scary. Be careful not to drop your phone under the cliff when taking pictures.
I would like to take this picture to prove that I have been to the Changkong Plank Road.
Looking down at the bottom of the cliff from the long sky plank road, this is the picture, lush and green, quite beautiful.
After playing on the Changkong Plank Road, we went up to the highest peak of Huashan Mountain - Nanfeng, with an altitude of 2154.9 meters.
5. Huashan West Peak
Head to the last peak - West Peak. The way to the west peak of Huashan Mountain is Xiaocanlong Ridge.
Follow this path to climb to the west peak and watch the sunset.
Huashan Mountain at dusk, the sun is warm.
My friend boldly challenged the "Turtle Exploring the Sea" on the top of the West Peak. This time, as a photographer, I felt weak in the legs.
Watch the sunset from the top of West Peak. The clouds were a bit thick, so we didn’t get to see a gorgeous sunset, but luckily at least it didn’t rain and the sky was full of stars at night.
6. Watch the sunrise from Dongfeng Peak
We stayed at the top of the East Peak that night. I didn’t stay in a hotel. I rented a coat at the top of the mountain, borrowed a sleeping mat from a fellow traveler, and lay out in the open all night.
If I remember correctly, this should be the only time in my life that I sleep under the stars. Literally lying on the top of the mountain, watching the stars and falling asleep. On a clear day, you can still see the brightly lit Huayin City at the foot of the mountain.
At 4 o'clock in the morning, many tourists who climbed Mount Huashan at night have arrived at the top of the East Peak. When I woke up and opened my eyes, I found that the surroundings were densely packed with people. In Huashan before sunrise, a crescent moon hangs in the sky.
At the beginning of sunrise, a red sun crawls out from the horizon. Although I have seen this scene many times, I still enjoy watching the sunrise.
Huashan Mountain at sunrise.
Huashan Mountain after sunrise.
At dawn, those who love excitement began to sit on the edge of the cliff and take pictures again.
After sunrise, tourists who climbed Huashan Mountain at night were so sleepy that they sat down to sleep. Therefore, I suggest you climb during the day if you have time, as it will be more difficult at night.
Does the color of Huashan Mountain in the morning light look different from that at noon?
In addition to the long sky plank road, Huashan also has another dangerous trail project - the kite turnover, which also involves climbing the cliff with a safety belt.
The kite turn over is not as exciting as the long sky plank road, but you can reach the viewing platform with great scenery - the chess pavilion.
The Chess Pavilion is where the immortals play games. Doesn’t it look delicious?
Standing in the chess pavilion and looking at the green pines and mountains of Huashan Mountain, you feel like you are in a fairyland.
A crow stands on the edge of a cliff looking at the scenery.
After a while, it flew to the tree again, imitating the dead crow on the old tree with dead vines.
I would like to take this picture to prove that I have been to the chess pavilion.
The small stone behind looks like a little squirrel looking at the mountains.
The scenery like an ink painting makes people feel refreshed and stop moving forward.
After returning from the chess pavilion, I was ready to go down the mountain. Suddenly I found that the steepness of Huashan Mountain can be seen better from this angle. No wonder there is a legend about splitting the mountain to save his mother. The mountain looks like it has been cut with a knife.
Let’s take a look at this hundred-foot cliff from beginning to end.
Is this the East Peak or the South Peak? I can't remember, it seems to be the cliff of East Peak.
Do you feel like you are welcoming guests?
8. Xianyu Valley
After descending the mountain, the trip to Huashan did not end there. Because I accidentally discovered that there is a unique secret place hidden under Huashan Mountain - Xianyu.
Yu is a little-known valley in the back mountain of Huashan Mountain. It can be reached by car in 20 minutes from the foot of Huashan Mountain. The scenery of this valley is excellent.
The valley is still made of granite. If I remember correctly, this should be the most beautiful granite canyon I have ever seen.
You can see many geological wonders in the valley, and the streams are clear and sparsely populated.
The rock patterns are clearly visible on the huge granite mountain. If I remember correctly, these white stripes seem to be called dykes, formed by magma intruding into rock cracks?
Look at the white granite in Xianyu Valley. There is no soil on the mountains made of granite. They are either pine trees or some small shrubs, so the mountains are quite textured.
There is a quiet little pavilion in Xianyu, on a protruding rock wall in the middle of the canyon, which is very fairy-like.
Look at the surrounding scenery from the small pavilion. I don’t know what the name of the mountain behind me is, but it looks quite steep.
The rock walls in the canyon are a unique geological landscape here. Are these layered rocks called joints?
Looking down from the small pavilion, the Xianyu Valley is different from the ordinary valleys overgrown with weeds. There is not much grass growing on the white stones, and there is no soil, so the water in the valley is very clear.
Looking up at the stone walls in the valley.
What you must do in Xianyu is play in the water. After climbing Huashan Mountain, it is quite comfortable to take a cold shower in the valley.
Suddenly I found two little frogs. I got closer and saw that they were motionless.
The ultraviolet rays on Huashan Mountain were too strong and my neck was sunburned. I found a shallow section of water and took a cool shower.
Many locals go to Xianyu to play in the water, enjoy the cool air, play cards and have picnics.
The plank road in the canyon is very good, enough to kill a lot of 5a scenic spots.
The clear current is fast and rapid. Although the mountain stream is small, it is said to be quite dangerous. Some people fell into the whirlpool formed by the rapids and were unable to climb out.
Are the stripes on it caused by water erosion? I really do not know this one.
Look at the small pavilion from the valley. Doesn’t it feel very deep?
Generally speaking, Xianyu can be completed in 2 hours. However, I had a lot of fun playing there that day, and I left leisurely after playing for a long time.
When you finally leave Xi'an, you must check in at Xi'an Big Wild Goose Pagoda. I traveled along with my elementary school Chinese textbook, and I remembered that the Big Wild Goose Pagoda in Xi'an was one of the eight scenic spots in China mentioned in the text.
(over)