Autumn Trip to Mount Huangshan

In spring, my little one told me she wanted to go to Mount Huangshan to see the Welcoming Pine, because her teacher had shown the class a photo of it at school. I kept making excuses, not really wanting to take her. For her age, she wasn't yet at the stage to appreciate natural scenery. So I took her to Disneyland, to amusement parks, to dinosaur parks. A while ago, she started mentioning Mount Huangshan again. Well then, in the most beautiful season, I decided to take her to see the Welcoming Pine she'd been longing for, while I would enjoy the colorful autumn of Huangshan.

Once the trip was set, it was time to plan. I spent a whole week researching, considering both my daughter's stamina and the lesser-known spots I wanted to visit. I planned the route, bought supplies, booked hotels—everything was ready.

October 28, 2023

Set off at 9 a.m.

At 2:30 p.m., we passed a stone bridge. I was first amazed by the reflection in the water, then saw a sign by the roadside that read: "Cloud Ascending Bridge" (Dengyun Bridge). What a beautiful name. So I pulled over and walked onto the bridge to take a look.

Driving through the mountains of southern Anhui, heading west into the sunset.

From the car speakers, Zhao Lei sang: "Long roads and vast seas, clear nights and open fields, crossing mountains to chase the setting sun; no miracles, no surprises, flowers in the dust will not weep."

We passed by the "Three Trees" of Mount Huangshan, where large fields of chrysanthemums were planted in yellow and white—the very time for picking tea chrysanthemums.

We stopped and went along the way, arriving at Tacun at 4:30 p.m.

Tacun, together with Kanas in Xinjiang and Jiuzhaigou in Sichuan, is known as one of China's top three autumn viewing spots, just a 40-minute drive from Mount Huangshan.

As a frequent traveler, I know that natural scenery is closely tied to the seasons, just as you can't see a waterfall during the dry season or a grassland in winter. The end of October was the timing I confirmed after checking various platforms—it was the best season for autumn views in Tacun. But what I actually saw left me very disappointed; its reputation far exceeded what it delivered.

October 29, 2023

Got up at 6 a.m., arrived at the South Gate ticket checkpoint of Mount Huangshan at 7 a.m. Took the resort shuttle, walked a bit after getting off, then took the Cloud Valley Cable Car up the mountain via the rear route. At 8 a.m., we got off the cable car and officially started the hike.

First stop: Beginning-to-Believe Peak (Shixin Peak)

Here, curious rocks compete in beauty, peculiar pines stand in abundance, three sides are open to the sky, cliffs plunge thousands of feet, with a unique charm. Legend has it that in the Ming dynasty, Huang Xiyuan traveled from Cloud Valley Temple to this peak, felt as if entering a painting—both dreamlike and real—and so believed in the extraordinary scenery of Huangshan, naming it "Beginning to Believe."

Second stop: Dream-Writing Brush (Mengbi Shenghua)

The viewing platform here is ordinary, but the "Dream Pen" and this "flower" are so famous that the platform was packed with tourists taking photos.

Third stop: Monkey Gazing at the Sea

Through the long years, it sits there quietly, without a word, watching the sun rise and set, the vicissitudes of the human world.

Time has borne fruit in the mountains, and autumn winds have colored it. Yes, autumn is a riot of colors.

None of the photos I took on Mount Huangshan were retouched or filtered; they are exactly as they looked. What the eyes saw was ten times more beautiful.

In front of Unity Pine (Tuanjie Song), my daughter took a picture of me.

Passing a fork in the road, a sign read: Danxia Peak. Danxia Peak is ordinary and wasn't on my plan for this trip, but when I saw the name "Danxia Peak," I was enchanted and inexplicably walked toward the summit. Ten years ago, in winter, when I first came to Mount Huangshan, I got up early, climbed in the dark to the top of Danxia Peak to see the sunrise, but thick fog covered everything; I froze for an hour and saw nothing.

At the top of Danxia Peak, my daughter asked me: "Mom, what are we looking at?" I said I didn't know. Maybe I came to see the self of ten years ago.

At Paiyun Pavilion (Cloud Dispersing Pavilion), we overlooked the West Sea Grand Canyon.

Flying Rock (Feilaishi), a curious stone on Mount Huangshan, is very famous, so I had to bring my daughter to check in.

The last section was steep and narrow, with no steps, and there were many tourists, shoulder to shoulder. With one hand holding my child and the other gripping my hiking pole, I struggled to climb up. Coming down was even harder with no footholds; my daughter nearly had to slide on the ground. Seeing me alone with such a young child, many people reached out to help, one after another passing my daughter down. This was the warmest moment of the Mount Huangshan trip.

Passing by Bright Summit Peak (Guangming Ding), we encountered Lotus Peak.

At 3 p.m., we arrived at Baiyun Hotel (White Cloud Hotel).

My daughter complained of sore feet, and the hotel butler timely brought out a foot-soaking bucket. I had booked the hotel half a month ago; the room cost over 1,000 yuan, which made me wince for a long time. At the moment my daughter soaked her feet, I felt that over 1,000 was really worth it.

After soaking her feet, my daughter took a nap. At 4:30 p.m., we went out to Mandarinfish Peak (Aoyu Feng) to watch the sunset. The clouds were too thick; we didn't see the sunset, only faint rosy clouds.

The climb to the top of Mandarinfish Peak was very steep, without steps. The scenic area had a rope on the north and south sides of the peak to help visitors up and down. My daughter was amazed to see me moving up and down easily. I used this opportunity to tell her: "What you see as effortless in front of others comes from tremendous effort behind the scenes. In places you don't see, Mom has also fallen, cried, and felt despair just like you." Encouraged by my words, my daughter started practicing climbing, from initially needing my pull and support to eventually pulling the rope and going up and down on her own. This process of gaining a skill through constant practice gave her a great sense of achievement.

At the top of Mandarinfish Peak, across from us was Lotus Peak.

After dinner, I bathed my daughter and settled her in the room to watch TV. I went out alone with a flashlight to Bright Summit Peak to see the moon.

It was the fifteenth day of the lunar month; the moon was big and round. But there were many clouds at night, and the sky wasn't clear enough, so the moon looked hazy.

Sitting alone on the peak, breathing the cold mountain wind, I quietly enjoyed the moon. Under the night sky, Celestial Capital Peak (Tiandu Feng) and Lotus Peak formed a backdrop—the sky as a curtain, the mountains as a scene, like a splash-ink landscape painting, full of artistic conception.

Suddenly a strong wind blew away the clouds. The moonlight was bright and clear, pouring down on the land.

At 9 p.m., the best spot at Bright Summit Peak to view the sunrise was already occupied. College students ("special forces" tourists) sat or lay down, staying on the peak all night. Tents are not allowed on Mount Huangshan, and they weren't wearing down jackets. At night, the temperature in the mountains was only a few degrees. I couldn't help but sigh: youth is wonderful.

Ten years ago, when I came to Mount Huangshan, I didn't book accommodation on the mountain either; I stayed in the hotel lobby all night, cold and sleepy. A few hundred yuan per night for a room was too much for me, who had just started working. Watching the students sitting on the peak overnight, I reflected: ten years passed in a flash.

October 30, 2023

Got up at 5:20 a.m., brewed a cup of hot coffee, and went to Bright Summit Peak to see the sunrise. From Baiyun Hotel to Bright Summit Peak is a 15-minute walk.

Walking on the way to Bright Summit Peak. The night was hazy; the moon still hung in the sky.

Distant mountains in the morning mist.

Arrived at Bright Summit Peak at 6 a.m. All the sunrise viewing spots were packed with layers upon layers of people. Holding my child, I looked for gaps to squeeze her to the front, but the crowd was like an impenetrable wall. Seeing the eastern sky getting redder, my child asked with a sad face: "Mom, am I not going to see the sunrise today?"

I circled Bright Summit Peak again and finally found a window sill about one meter high. I struggled to lift my child onto it. As soon as she stood steady, I heard a stir in the crowd. I turned around and saw the sun coming out. I glanced at my phone; it was 6:19 a.m.

My daughter photographed the sunrise.

I stood at the back of the crowd, jumping up every few seconds to take a look: the sun had peeked out; a few seconds later: a third of the sun was visible; another few seconds: half the sun was out... In just a minute or two, the sun had fully risen from the clouds.

As soon as the sun appeared, the crowd dispersed quickly. I took my daughter and climbed to the best sunrise viewing spot.

After watching the sunrise, we returned to the hotel for breakfast. Baiyun Hotel offers a buffet breakfast. On each table was a card that read: "Every bite you eat was carried up the mountain by porters on their shoulders; every bite you leave behind must also be carried down." My daughter, only in upper kindergarten, couldn't read all the characters, so she asked me to read it to her. Along the way, we had met many porters, and she had seen their hardships firsthand. At breakfast, my daughter finished a bowl of noodles, a piece of sweet potato, and half a sausage—nothing wasted. I looked around the dining room; almost everyone had clean plates; there was very little waste. I remembered that in ordinary buffets, waste is quite common. So, actions speak louder than words—this is the power of doing.

After breakfast, we rested a bit and then set off for the West Sea Grand Canyon.

Compared to the renowned scenic spots of Huangshan, the West Sea Grand Canyon was the place I personally most wanted to visit on this trip. Where there are crowds, there is no scenery; I always want to explore places less traveled.

The full hike of the West Sea Grand Canyon takes 7 to 8 hours. With my daughter, we couldn't complete such a long one-way hike. So I chose a round trip from Baiyun Hotel to Immortal's Bridge (Bu Xian Qiao), which takes only about three hours and covers the most quintessential scenery of the canyon.

We left our luggage at the hotel and went light. This section was the easiest part of the hike for me. On this Mount Huangshan trip, I carried a large backpack containing my daughter's change of clothes, warm layers, disposable raincoats, and various supplies. On particularly steep sections, I held my daughter with one hand and my hiking pole with the other. Sometimes my footing wasn't stable, and the big pack on my back would pull me backward.

Today the weather was excellent—clear skies and boundless. The sky was azure, clear and bright. Every casual shot looked like a masterpiece; no filter needed.

This section was very sparsely populated. We stopped and went, enjoying the scenery along the way.

On an unnamed hill, I sat on the steps with my daughter on my lap. We basked in the warm autumn sun, felt the gentle breeze from the valley, and gazed at the distant mountains.

Looking closely at the opposite mountain nearby, I saw two peaks that looked exactly like two monkeys—a big monkey holding a little monkey. My daughter shouted: "Mom, look! They are just like us now!" And we laughed together.

In this picturesque West Sea Grand Canyon, this was a warm moment just for the two of us mother and daughter.

My daughter had boundless enthusiasm for picking pinecones.

Look at this tree—is it inferior to the "Dream-Writing Brush"? It's just little known because it grows in a remote place.

Some sections of steps were very steep. My daughter didn't dare to stand upright and climbed on all fours.

This bridge was built between two vertical cliffs; below it was an abyss.

Walking in the quiet mountains, I followed behind my daughter, watching her small back. Sometimes I was absorbed in the scenery, sometimes lost in my own thoughts. When I came back to myself, there was already some distance between us, and I had to quicken my steps to catch up. This is also like life—she and I will eventually drift apart.

At 11:30 a.m., we returned to Baiyun Hotel. After lunch, my daughter took a short nap.

At 1 p.m., we set off to see the Welcoming Pine that my daughter had been longing for.

Back on the main trail of Mount Huangshan, it was packed with people, shoulder to shoulder. Even though it was Monday, there were tens of thousands of visitors in the scenic area. Walking the Hundred-Step Ladder (Bai Bu Yun Ti), we couldn't go fast or slow; we just mechanically moved forward with the crowd. In the crowd, many people gave my daughter a thumbs-up—such a young child completing the whole Mount Huangshan hike on her own was really impressive.

The famous Welcoming Pine

It's no exaggeration to say that several thousand people were gathered under the Welcoming Pine; we simply couldn't squeeze in.

At that moment, I had to use my "climbing walls and leaping over roofs" skills—find the right angle in the crowd, seize the moment, jump in, snap a photo, and slip away.

After seeing the Welcoming Pine, we took the cable car down the mountain.

It was a 6-hour drive; we got home at 10 p.m. Climbing Huangshan didn't feel that tiring, but driving after climbing made me drowsy the whole way.

I have traveled many roads and seen many landscapes. Mount Huangshan is the only mountain that I have visited and want to visit again. "After climbing Mount Huangshan, no other mountain is worth seeing"—this is not an exaggeration.

In another two years, when my child is a little older, I will bring her to Huangshan again to traverse the West Sea Grand Canyon. I hope my child reads ten thousand books, and even more, I hope she travels ten thousand miles. Life should be a wilderness, not confined to a fixed track. Run, climb, conquer—I hope she has a vast and boundless life.