My Impressions of Mount Huangshan
Suitable for (going up the back mountain, coming down the front mountain):
- Departing from Nanjing, family trip with kids, 2 days 1 night, not too afraid of heights (if you are afraid of heights but don't care about appearances, it's also fine, will explain later 😊)
- Regarding the question of how old the child should be, originally I thought the child needs a certain amount of stamina, but now I have changed my mind because I saw a small child being carried up the mountain by a strong father, either on his back or in his arms!
- Picture 1 is the route map drawn by a friend. Picture 2 is the official route map; you can refer to both. You can use Baidu Maps on the mountain; it is very accurate.
Route (up the back mountain, down the front mountain):
- Day 1: At the South Gate transfer point, take the bus heading to Yungu Temple direction (just at 10:00 AM) to Yungu Temple cable car station, then take the Yungu Temple up cable car to the top. Walk along Shixin New Trail, passing through Woyun Peak, Shixin Peak, Black Tiger Pine, Beihai Scenic Area, Monkey Gazing at the Sea, then through Paiyun Pavilion, First Ring and Second Ring to the bottom of West Sea Grand Canyon, take the canyon cable car back up, then follow the blue route via Baiyun Hotel to Guangmingding Mountain Villa Hotel to check in. Rest a bit, then go downstairs to watch the sunset (around 5:52 PM).
- Day 2: Watch the sunrise (around 6:02 AM), have breakfast at the hotel, then go light to see the Flying Rock. Return to the hotel to check out, go down the mountain again via Baiyun Hotel to Aoyu Peak, Aoyu Cave (going down through Aoyu Cave, going up through Yixian Tian – one-way. You can go down Aoyu Cave and walk forward to the place without railings, then turn back up to see Yixian Tian, but then you can only go up to Aoyu Peak and come down again. It's too tiring, so we didn't see Yixian Tian. Can plan it for the next Huangshan trip 😊), Hundred Step Ladder, Lotus Peak (Lotus Peak was capacity-limited that day, but if you walk a bit further you could also enter; we were too tired and didn't go up Lotus Peak), Yupinglou Hotel, Welcoming Pine, then follow the signs to Yuping Cable Car to take the down cable car (around 3:00 PM). After getting off the cable car, buy bus tickets on-site to the South Gate Multi-story Parking Lot. The South Gate Multi-story Parking Lot is the bus terminal (I emphasize this to avoid getting off early mistaking it for the South Gate – believe me, after two days of suffering legs, you can't afford to get off at the wrong stop 😊. If your car is parked elsewhere, you can ask the driver on the bus).
According to the itinerary, book tickets in advance and confirm the date, location, and number of people before departure.
Water: one bottle of Mizone and one bottle of Nongfu Spring per person. There is hot water supply near the restrooms on the mountain; don't throw away all empty bottles. Water on the mountain is expensive: 8 yuan for a bottle of purified water, 15 for a can of Coke.
Lunch on Day 1: one can of eight-treasure porridge per person, two corn sausages, share one chicken among the group. Dinner on Day 1 at the hotel: one self-heating hot pot per person, share grape juice, fish fillets, melon seeds, beef jerky.
Day 2: Breakfast at the hotel – eat until full. Lunch on Day 2: milk brick, red bean bread, eight-treasure porridge, fish tofu. Dinner on Day 2: you can eat whatever you want at the foot of the mountain. We had Dijiao chicken, hairy tofu, dried bamboo shoot braised pork at a restaurant in the scenic area. I didn't find it particularly special; the kid is happy as long as there is meat. Slightly expensive but not too outrageous – after all, it's in the scenic area. For three people, three dishes, 200 yuan, enough to fill the stomach.
Trekking poles and knee pads are very useful. Some people buy wooden "Huangshan old man canes" at the foot of the mountain; they should be good too, but you can't retract them when not in use, which might be inconvenient at the First Ring and Second Ring of West Sea Grand Canyon and the Hundred Step Ladder. But if you're not afraid of heights, don't worry. For me, who is afraid of heights, at those places I either moved down step by step on my butt, or climbed up clinging to the inner cliff with both hands and feet, and my trekking poles were held by my companions. Thanks to the knee pads, otherwise I might not have been able to come down the mountain the next day. It was 26°C on the mountain when we went, sunny, so short sleeves were enough. When going to Flying Rock in the morning, wear a thin jacket; for sunset and stargazing in the evening and sunrise in the morning, wear the hotel's down jacket. The hotel's down jacket was quite clean.
My notes 😊
On the evening of September 30, we went to do a nucleic acid test. Because of the epidemic, a 48-hour nucleic acid test was required. To avoid the test result coming out too late during the holiday, we did it a day earlier.
On the morning of October 1, the kid did homework; in the afternoon, while the kid went to painting class, we went shopping. Since the snacks we bought online hadn't arrived, I was contacting the courier all day. In the afternoon, the risk of not getting the snacks was too high, so I decided to go to the supermarket to buy again. On the way, we passed Ziyan Baiwei Chicken and bought another chicken. Maybe it's a matter of personal taste; when traveling, I prefer savory snacks. Thanks to buying that chicken, next to the Harp Pine at Woyun Peak, we experienced the joy and satisfaction of eating chicken on Mount Huangshan (and the envious glances of others, hehe). It was so delicious~~~~
On October 2, we got up very early and set off from home at 5:30. The journey was relatively smooth. When exiting the expressway, we followed the staff's instructions to do a local nucleic acid test at Huangshan. The nucleic acid test site was at the South Gate Multi-story Parking Lot; it was quite orderly, waiting time was short, about 5 minutes to get it done. We could park the car there, or after the test, drive to the adjacent parking lot (the name is forgotten; you can check in advance on Ctrip if there are 2-day or 3-day parking coupons). We weren't sure where we would park, so we didn't buy a coupon in advance. Just for two days, the parking fee was 155 yuan – really expensive. The South Gate transfer point is diagonally across the street from the multi-story parking lot. Walking from the multi-story parking lot, you also pass the adjacent indoor parking lot. At 10 o'clock, we took the bus from the South Gate transfer point to Yungu Temple cable car. Because of National Day, the queue at Yungu Temple cable car entrance was long; we waited about 20 minutes to get on. The cable car ride was about 12 minutes, definitely worth experiencing. The cliffs and canyons below, the strange pines on the rock walls – amidst the kid's excitement and my terror, the Huangshan trip officially began~~~
After getting off the cable car, we followed the Shixin New Trail, moving with the crowd towards Shisun Gang and Shixin Peak. Not long after, we reached a viewing platform, where we rested a bit and had some snacks. Since breakfast was very early, and to lighten the load, we ate the eight-treasure porridge that was originally planned for lunch. Walking along Shixin New Trail, we saw many signs introducing Huangshan-specific plants like Huangshan oak and Huangshan pine. At a corner where the path started to climb, there was a famous Huangshan Fengwei (Phoenix Tail) Pine, named because its branches grow on one side, resembling a standing phoenix spreading its tail feathers. It is said there are over 1,700 plant species on Huangshan, which made the kid very excited.
Around noon, we reached Woyun Peak. The kid and my companion went up to the viewing platform of Woyun Peak, while I, afraid of heights, stayed at the rest platform on the left of Woyun Peak to watch the luggage. There was a Harp Pine on the platform, named for its shape resembling a harp. After viewing Woyun Peak, we rested briefly next to the Harp Pine, enjoying the roast chicken we carried up from the foot of the mountain. Sitting on the steps, our tired legs got some relief. Basking in the sun, with the mountain breeze, admiring the strange rocks and pines around, we raised chicken legs and wings to toast, feeling very satisfied. The aroma of roast chicken attracted envious glances from other tourists. There were quite a few people here, but further on, the crowd thinned out significantly. Probably because there were many side trails, so people dispersed.
Next was Shixin Peak. After going down Shixin Peak, we headed to Black Tiger Pine, and from there to Mengbi Shenghua (Dream Pen Flowers). At Mengbi Shenghua, there is a viewing platform for photos, where you can see a huge rock shaped like an upside-down brush tip, with a small pine tree growing at the tip. It is said that the original tree had died and for a time there was a plastic tree, and later this real pine was planted artificially and has survived to this day. We couldn't help but marvel at how dangerous and difficult it must be to plant and maintain a tree at the top of such a steep cliff.
The next famous spot is Monkey Gazing at the Sea at the top of Lion Peak in Beihai Scenic Area. Actually, on the way to Monkey Gazing at the Sea, you can already see it from afar, a bit small, but because it's far, the shape is more vivid. At Monkey Gazing at the Sea, because the viewing platform can only hold two people, the crowd gathers there. A small rock stands on the top of Lion Peak, shaped like a little monkey squatting and watching the sea of clouds.
After Monkey Gazing at the Sea, we passed by Beihai Hotel, Shilin Hotel, Dawang Pine (didn't notice), Xihai Hotel, Paiyunlou Hotel, then went down from Paiyun Pavilion to the bottom of West Sea Grand Canyon. There is a viewing platform at Paiyun Pavilion from which you can see the entire view of West Sea Grand Canyon. Deep valleys, knife-cut cliffs standing in the valley, and what's more strange, these peaks have fragmented patterns, looking like giant stone blocks piled up, mysterious and unfathomable. At that moment, I thought, when will I have a chance to wander freely in the valley without being restricted by the mountain paths? Would that plant-collecting kid be excited? But now I think it's a bit fanciful – in this mysterious canyon, who knows what lives there, and whether it would be dangerous~~~
Not far from Paiyun Pavilion, we reached the First Ring and Second Ring, the two steepest and scariest sections of mountain path on the first day (in my opinion; my husband said it's all psychological, with railings on the side, what was I afraid of ☹). Before going, a friend recommended the right side of the First Ring and the left side of the Second Ring, saying that these sides are longer and the scenery is more magnificent and magical. So we decisively chose the right side of the First Ring and the left side of the Second Ring. I have to admit the friend's recommendation was very reliable, but what he didn't tell us is that these two sections are so steep and narrow that your legs go weak, and many places have cliffs on one side. Those afraid of heights, be cautious. Because the right side of the First Ring and the left side of the Second Ring are longer and more dangerous, tour groups are advised to take the other side. Also, the tourists were already dispersed at various forks, so the side we chose was very sparsely populated, and for quite a long time, it was only our family of three. So, if you are afraid of heights but, like me, don't care about appearances, it is still quite worthwhile. On particularly steep parts, you can sit on the steps and move down one step at a time on your bottom, without worrying about blocking people behind because there are hardly any. Haha. But because of fear, I didn't dare to look at the scenery, so I didn't experience the many strange rocks on the right side of the First Ring mentioned on the map. My companion is not afraid of heights; he often stood by the railing and looked out, but whenever he got close to the railing, I screamed in terror (I don't know why). So later he said, "Why won't you let me see the scenery?" In this section, we found a very interesting rock that looked like a person with a square head raising two fingers in a "yeah" gesture. The kid, who had refused to take photos all the way, asked to take a picture with the same pose and named it "My World Huangshan Yeah Rock." See the left side, middle-bottom of the picture.
After the Second Ring, there was a long, long, long downhill path. For me, the First and Second Rings were terrifying to the point of collapse, and this long downhill was exhausting to the point of breaking my legs. Fortunately, I had trekking poles and knee pads. Here is just one sentence: Cheers, brothers, you are all great~~~! We finally reached the bottom, queued up for the popular small train, and took it from the bottom to Tianhai Station. I didn't find the small train particularly special; maybe because we were in the middle carriage. If you are brave, try sitting in the front row. From Tianhai Station, we walked via Baiyun Hotel to Guangmingding. This section was generally easy to walk, though climbing from Baiyun Hotel to Guangmingding was a bit tiring for the legs. We arrived at Guangming Hotel around 5:30 and checked in. After a short rest, we went downstairs at 5:45 and waited at the west side of Guangmingding viewing platform for the sunset at 5:52. The sky was full of sunset clouds, and we watched the sun slowly disappear into the clouds. It lasted about five or six minutes, making me truly feel the rotation speed of the Earth (huh, shouldn't it be romantic temperature? Why speed?). After watching the sunset, we returned to the hotel, ate self-heating hot pot, cracked sunflower seeds, looked out the window at the magnificent peaks, poured grape juice, and cheers~~~~
After dinner, we took a shower, which greatly relieved the day's fatigue. We put on the hotel's down jackets and went downstairs to watch the stars. I thought it would be ordinary stargazing, but it turned out to be the highlight of the first day. We happened to meet a researcher from the weather station, Teacher Liu from the University of Science and Technology of China. He let the kid see the very clear surface of the moon and the rings of Jupiter through his astronomical telescope. He told us that the best meteor shower in the northern hemisphere every December is the Geminids, and the biggest one this year should be on the early morning of December 14. He also patiently introduced the meteorological observation work, explaining that the white spherical shell is to protect the radar inside, and underneath the spherical shell is the office area for forecasting and research. The kid eagerly asked if we could visit; haha, Teacher Liu told us that although he couldn't take us for a tour now, every year on March 23 is World Meteorological Day, and weather stations in all provinces open to the public. He also introduced the changes since the establishment of Huangshan Weather Station in 1955. Thanks to the country's development, the station's work has progressed from initially only being able to collect rainwater for daily use to now having water and electricity. He mentioned that early high-speed computers were always prioritized for meteorological forecasting because if calculations took too long, the predictions would become history; that would be hindsight. The kid's interest and excitement were fully aroused. He chatted with Teacher Liu about math, quantum communication, and quantum computing. Teacher Liu encouraged the kid to study hard if he was interested, so that he could have the opportunity to explore the mysteries of the world with lovely and excellent people. I deeply admire Teacher Liu's patience; he talked with the kid until 9:30. I couldn't think of a more beautiful and appropriate word to describe him; I can only say that he is truly a lovely and excellent person. And I sincerely realized that the weather forecasts and climate predictions we take for granted actually involve their dedication and sacrifice. Because of their work, they cannot go home every day to reunite with their families. Some equipment was even brought up by themselves via cable car and then carried on their backs. I also sincerely wish the motherland prosperity and strength.
Another lovely researcher from the weather station used his tripod and my phone to take a photo of the starry sky above Lotus Peak. The sky was full of stars. Meeting so many lovely people still makes me very happy when I think about it.
On the second day, I was awakened by the noise from the viewing platform downstairs around 4:00 AM. Many tourists had come nearly two hours early to the viewing platform to watch the sunrise at 6:02. At 5:30, the kid woke up and said he wanted to go downstairs to watch the sunrise without even brushing his teeth, to experience the feel. I had to accompany him. Later, we couldn't find a spot; he was short, standing behind, and the tourists in front were taking pictures with their phones, blocking the view. After much persuasion, the kid agreed to go back to the room to watch. The view from the hotel's scenic room was very good; we could watch the sunrise from the room. At first, the sun seemed to appear from nothing, suddenly jumping out, then slowly rising until it completely emerged from the clouds, radiating golden light into the world. The shock, warmth, hope, mixed with peace and romance, lingered in my heart for a long time. The last time I came to Huangshan to watch the sunrise, I thought to myself that I must come with my companion to see it together. After watching the sunrise, we washed up, took two bottles of water, went downstairs for breakfast, and then went to see Flying Rock. Flying Rock is very close to the hotel, a one-hour round trip. Since it appears in textbooks, we definitely wanted to see it. On the way to Flying Rock, we encountered Huangshan porters. They are also described in primary school textbooks. From the cable car to the top of Huangshan, all supplies must be carried by human power, including bottled water, food, hotel sheets and quilts, etc. Their skin is dark with wrinkles, they carry a carrying pole on their shoulders, with two large heavy bags hanging from the ends. The heavy loads bend the pole into a crescent shape. They walk a bit, then rest, wiping their sweaty faces and necks with a towel hanging around their necks. Because the path is narrow, when they see pedestrians ahead, they shout loudly to ask people to make way. We always give way in time, first for safety, and second because we deeply understand their hardships and are very grateful for the supplies they bring up for tourists. Flying Rock has railings on one side and no railings on the other. Parents with children, please pay attention to safety. On the side with railings under Flying Rock, there is a small viewing platform with a great photo spot. My companion took the kid to climb Flying Rock, and I stood on the viewing platform below to take pictures of them.
After returning to the hotel from Flying Rock and checking out, it was time to go down the mountain. We passed through Baiyun Hotel to Aoyu Peak, then through Aoyu New Trail or Aoyu Cave to go up from Hundred Step Ladder to Lotus Pavilion. Aoyu New Trail is longer but relatively easy. This is a one-way route: going down through Aoyu Cave or Aoyu New Trail, going up through Yixian Tian. We asked the staff whether we could go down Aoyu Cave and then walk forward to the part without railings, then turn around and go up to see Yixian Tian, but that would mean going up to Aoyu Peak and then coming back down. Our original plan was to take a loop: first go down Aoyu New Trail, then go up Yixian Tian, then come down through Aoyu Cave. Later it proved too simple too naïve. From Aoyu New Trail down to the turning point where you could go up, first, there were so many people that it was blocked, and second, it was really, really far. So we went directly down Aoyu New Trail to Hundred Step Ladder. The crowd at Hundred Step Ladder made me wonder if all tourists on Huangshan were there. In general, most of the second day's itinerary was spent among crowds. There are pros and cons: the advantage is that with many people, when walking on the inside, the peripheral vision doesn't see the cliff edge, so I wasn't as scared. Also, because of the crowd, we couldn't stop, so the kid didn't have a chance to complain that he couldn't walk anymore. The disadvantage is that there were just too many people, so many that it was blocked! Hundred Step Ladder is a plank road on the cliff, going up, two people wide. There is no rope on the inside, so climbing on the inside, you can only touch the cliff wall. Even so, it was better than walking on the outside, because below is the cliff! From Hundred Step Ladder up to Lotus Pavilion, where you could go to Lotus Peak, but due to National Day capacity limits, it wasn't allowed. You could go to the rope a bit ahead and then change route to Lotus Peak. But we were too tired, and there were too many people, and the loudspeaker kept saying that queuing for Lotus Peak would take 3 hours, so we didn't go. Then we followed the route towards Welcoming Pine. Because of the people, we walked very slowly with many stops, which was not too tiring and gave us a chance to look carefully at the surrounding peaks and strange rocks. For example, there was a rock on the slope that looked exactly like a woodpecker; another on the top of a mountain looked like a pangolin or a crocodile hiding its tail; another had a pointed rock on the right side of the top, like a fist with the little finger sticking up; some looked like a foot. Very interesting. I think the people who can spot interesting scenery must also have interesting souls 😊.
At Welcoming Pine, there were so many people that we couldn't find a spot to take photos, so we just looked and took a couple of quick shots where we could. The kid's highlight there was finally buying the Huangshan ice cream that had been sold out at all shops along the way. It was 25 yuan each, definitely not cheap, but considering transportation and uniqueness, it was worth it. The kid held the Huangshan ice cream, and for the second time, voluntarily asked to take a photo with the mountain as background, but only allowed his hand and the ice cream to be in the photo, not his face, hahaha. Welcoming Pine was the last scenic spot. After seeing it, we went to Yuping Cable Car to go down the mountain. On the way to Yuping Cable Car, we saw a sanitation worker on the cliff wall. Again, we realized how many people silently work behind the scenes to maintain the beautiful scenery we see. As tourists, the more we care, the safer they are. We arrived at Yuping Cable Car around 3:00 PM. After getting off the cable car, we bought bus tickets on-site to the South Gate Multi-story Parking Lot. The South Gate Multi-story Parking Lot is the bus terminal; the bus passes through the South Gate first. (I emphasize this to avoid getting off early mistaking it for the South Gate – believe me, after two days of suffering legs, you can't afford to get off at the wrong stop 😊. If your car is parked elsewhere, you can ask the driver on the bus.)
After getting down the mountain, we randomly found a restaurant and ate Dijiao chicken, hairy tofu, and dried bamboo shoot braised pork. I didn't find it particularly special – after all, with modern logistics, nothing can really be called a local specialty. The kid was happy as long as there was meat. Slightly expensive but not too outrageous, after all, it's in the scenic area. For three people, three dishes, 200 yuan, enough to fill the stomach. After eating, we drove back to Nanjing. The road wasn't busy; we arrived home at 8:40 PM.
- Tiandu Peak was closed; I heard it will reopen in 2024. Tiandu Peak has the "Carp's Back", which is recognized as the most dangerous place. My father said that when he was young, he climbed the Carp's Back and witnessed the person in front of him pee their pants out of fear~. I think I probably won't go to Tiandu Peak~~~
- This route was up the back mountain and down the front, perfectly avoiding crowds on the first day, and contributing to the massive crowds on the second day in the front mountain (haha, I wonder if I can be found among the crowd in online Huangshan photos~~~). Because we were too tired, we didn't go to Lotus Peak or Yixian Tian. We saw the sunset and sunrise, and met excellent and lovely meteorological researchers. If I go again next time, I might choose a cloudy or even rainy day, go up the front mountain and down the back mountain, visit Lotus Peak and Yixian Tian, and see the sea of clouds. Would that mean I won't have the chance to meet the excellent, lovely, always gentle and refined Teacher Liu again? (A bit sad) And I won't see the starry sky either.
- Life is probably like a journey: nothing is perfect, you walk, look, and reflect. If you walk more and go farther, you will meet lovely and excellent people, and you will also want to become a lovely and excellent person.
