Returning to Baiyun Mountain 15 Years Later: The Scenery Remains as Beautiful as Ever
I visited Baiyun Mountain once shortly after my marriage. My impression was that the mountain was very high and remote. As the scenic area shuttle bus climbed up, looking out the window, on one side was a steep cliff, very dangerous. On overcast days, it felt like clouds were right beside you, as if you were traveling through the clouds — an unforgettable memory.
15 years have passed, and this time I brought my children to visit again. We drove there. At the entrance near the ticket office, there are many parking lots, some paid and some free. Private cars are not allowed up the mountain unless you have booked a hotel on the mountain that includes tickets and shuttle bus tickets. We booked a relatively affordable inn on the mountain online, without tickets. There are also many hotels and inns near the ticket office at lower prices, but you have to take the shuttle bus up the mountain every day, which is inconvenient if you want to watch the sunrise. The ticket for Baiyun Mountain is 75 yuan; online it's 145 yuan including the shuttle bus and sightseeing car. Online booking for tickets and accommodation is very convenient, with a small discount.
From the ticket hall, we entered the shuttle bus boarding area. The shuttle buses are like small city buses. They depart once full. It takes about 40 minutes. The bus doesn't go fast because one side is a cliff and the road is dangerous. I would be pretty timid driving up myself, though there are many skilled drivers. After the shuttle bus arrives at the transfer station square, to go to the scenic spots you need to take a small electric sightseeing car. There are signs at the square indicating which direction to take for each attraction. The planning is much clearer than when I came over a decade ago. We arrived at noon, first found our inn to rest. We booked Baiyun Mountain Xiangyun Hotel online, a quadruple room for the four of us. The room was very clean, reasonably priced, and had good online reviews. Most importantly, the inn was very close to the transfer square, just a few steps away. At 2 p.m., we went to Jiulong Waterfall. The scenery along the way was beautiful, and the scenic area was very clean. The route is a loop, passing Jiulong Sky Bridge, cliff caves, glass plank road, Qinglong Waterfall, Jiulong Waterfall, and a suspension bridge. The glass plank road is a paid attraction. If you are tired, you can take the cable car or slide on the return trip. The whole walk took us over 3 hours. The kids experienced the glass plank road and the slide. The glass plank road is embedded in the cliff; looking up from below it looks thrilling. I really felt that the workers who built it had a tough job! After finishing the loop, it felt just right, except that the water flow seemed smaller than before. It was already past 6 p.m. when we returned to the inn. There is a restaurant in the inn that serves meals. The entire scenic area has a unified menu and pricing. The portions and taste were moderate. I heard that the "diguo chicken" (clay pot chicken) is good, but we didn't order it because we were afraid we couldn't finish it. The mountain is a bit cool at night. The inn was quite thoughtful — since the quilts were damp, they added an electric blanket to each bed. We turned it on for a while before sleeping, and it was quite comfortable.
The next morning at 8 a.m., we set off for Yuhuang Peak. We took the small sightseeing car to the square, passing by Forest Oxygen Bar on the way, planning to go there tomorrow. Today's itinerary was Yuhuang Peak. We had plenty of time and originally planned to hike up and down. But the shuttle took us all the way to the cable car station. We remembered that there used to be a road leading to the top. After asking, we learned that now everyone takes the cable car halfway up the mountain and then walks to the summit. For the return, you can either go back the same way or take a different path downhill, depending on your stamina. The round-trip cable car ticket is 100 yuan, single trip up 60/person, down 50/person. We discussed and decided not to take the same path back: we took the cable car up and walked down. When I came over a decade ago, there was no cable car; the path up and down was the same road, and the scenery was also beautiful. After taking the cable car to the midway point, I realized that a new path had been carved along the ridge. The path was narrow and dangerous, but the mountain scenery was beautiful — you could see far into the distance. The weather was fine, the mountains majestic, though it was a bit shaky — I have a bit of a fear of heights, haha. There were several porters waiting to carry guests who weren't physically strong. They could enjoy the beautiful views while saving energy. But even walking carefully on this mountain path, it's hard to imagine carrying someone up. Life is tough. Near the summit, there is a Taoist temple called Yuhuang Pavilion (Jade Emperor Pavilion), which seems quite old and has strong incense offerings. We rested there and enjoyed the beautiful scenery, feeling it was worth the trip. But that's not the top yet — there is still a section to reach Yuhuang Peak. Many people give up there and go down, which is a pity because the best scenery is at Yuhuang Peak. A lot of people climb Yuhuang Peak in the middle of the night to watch the sunrise. It's too cold on the mountain; the inn rents out coats. Those who watched the sunrise had already descended by 8 a.m. when we started climbing. Climbing at midnight to see the sunrise takes courage; we'll have to leave that as an unfulfilled wish. So far, I haven't experienced the beauty of sunrise. However, the view from Yuhuang Peak during the day was still impressive. Yuhuang Peak is 2,216 meters above sea level, the highest peak of Baiyun Mountain. We've been there twice: once it was overcast with light rain, standing at the top felt like being above the clouds, surrounded by mist — we were like a tiny boat drifting among the clouds, shivering a bit from the cold. This time it was sunny with clear skies, so blue that there were no clouds. The distant mountains were clearly visible, giving a sense of "overlooking all the other mountains." Of course, the photos were beautiful. After enjoying the summit scenery, we did not return the same way but took another path downhill. Not many people took this path. This path also has a slide (divided into three sections). We walked down — since we came, we wanted to fully experience the natural beauty. Near the halfway point, there was a small shop run by an aunt selling her own grilled wild vegetable pancakes. They looked very tempting, and being hungry, everyone passing by rushed to buy; the aunt couldn't keep up with the demand. They were really delicious, especially with chili oil — the fragrance of wild mountain vegetables filled the mouth. Such an experience is a rare satisfaction in the city. After eating our fill, we continued downhill. This path was also beautiful, with a stream beside the trail. It wasn't dangerous or tiring; it was the original path up the mountain. I don't know why fewer people take it now. In my opinion, when you come to enjoy the mountains and water, you should fully experience the joy of the mountain. Hurrying through the sights — what's the difference from the busy city life? This is just my personal view, for reference. At the foot of the mountain, we took the small sightseeing car back to the inn. The cars run every few minutes; the fare is included in the tickets we bought earlier, so it was quite cost-effective. We returned to the inn at around 4 p.m., having played for 8 hours from 8 a.m. Since we weren't in a hurry, it was a leisurely trip.
On the final day, the morning itinerary was to visit Forest Oxygen Bar. It was close and small. Last time we missed it due to time constraints, so this time we had to see it. The oxygen bar was much more beautiful than I imagined. The morning air was fresh, the trees tall and straight, giving a real forest feeling. The environment was excellent; a white oxygen bar cabin was built, very modern. There were also some small facilities for children to play. The kids had a great time. It took about 2 hours to walk the full loop. Very comfortable. We took tons of photos. Satisfied, we headed back.
More than ten years have passed, and the scenery of Baiyun Mountain remains. The scenic area is better planned now. May the scenery be even more beautiful in another 20 or 30 years.
