The Most Beautiful Autumn Colors of Baiyun Mountain in Central Plains: Dressed in a Seven-Colored Sacred Garment, Traveling Through Time to Accompany You This Autumn

Speaking of Luoyang, located in the central plains, on the south bank of the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River, it has been renowned for its pleasant scenery for a long time.\nBaiyun Mountain integrates mountains, rocks, water, caves, forests, grasses, flowers, birds, and beasts, with grandeur, danger, wonder, serenity, beauty, and charm complementing each other, forming distinctive scenic areas. It has become a composite tourist zone in the central plains that combines sightseeing, vacation retreat, scientific research internships, and historical exploration, hailed as a paradise on earth and a famous mountain in the central plains.\nAutumn is romantic and aesthetic, blending emotional colors with rational calmness. It has both mature charm and free-spirited Zen. It is poetry, painting, and flowing music. Savoring autumn at Baiyun Mountain is an enjoyment, an elevation of the soul; enjoying autumn at Baiyun Mountain is a happiness, a transcendent rewriting of life beyond nature.\n[About Photography]\nCamera: Canon 5D3\nLenses: Canon 16-35mm, Sigma 70-200mm\nAction camera: GoPro 6\nAerial drone: DJI Mavic 2\nPhone: iPhone X\nPost-processing: Photoshop\n[About Itinerary]\nTake the high-speed train from Beijing to Luoyang Longmen Station, then transfer to a car and arrive at Baiyun Renjia Hotel at 17:00\n07:00-08:30 Breakfast at Baiyun Renjia Resort Hotel\n08:40-11:40 Visit Luhua Valley Scenic Area\n12:00-14:30 Lunch at Baiyun Renjia\n14:50-16:50 Visit Jiulong Waterfall Scenic Area\n17:00 Return via Jiulong Cable Car\n17:30 Dinner at Baiyun Renjia Resort Hotel\n08:00-11:00 Take Yuhuang Summit Cable Car to the top of Yuhuang Summit\n11:20-12:00 Liu Hou Temple\n12:00-14:00 Lunch at Baiyun Renjia\n14:00-15:30 Take Jiulong Cable Car to Wumasi Thousand-Year Ginkgo Forest\n15:30-16:30 Baiyun Lake\n17:30 Dinner at Baiyun Renjia Hotel\nWake up in the morning, take a car to Luoyang Longmen High-Speed Rail Station, then take the high-speed train back to Beijing\n[Bus Routes]\nLuoyang to Baiyun Mountain\nDeparture point in Luoyang: Longmen Passenger Transport Center. Departure times: 7:40, 13:30\nDeparture point at Baiyun Mountain: Tonghe Tourist Service Center. Departure times: 8:00, 13:30\nZhengzhou to Baiyun Mountain\nDeparture point in Zhengzhou: Zhengzhou General Bus Terminal. Departure time: 8:30\nDeparture point at Baiyun Mountain: Checun Town. Departure time: 14:30\nEastern Henan: Ningluo Expressway - Zhengyao Expressway - Yaoshan - National Highway 311 - Checun - Tianqiaogou - Baiyun Mountain\nWestern Henan: Hushan Expressway - National Highway 311 - Heyu - Tianqiaogou - Baiyun Mountain\nSouthern Henan: Erguang Expressway - Zhengyao Expressway - Yaoshan - National Highway 311 - Checun - Tianqiaogou - Baiyun Mountain\nNorthern Henan: Erguang Expressway, Lianhuo Expressway - Luoyang - Luoluan Expressway - Jiuxian - Heyu - Tianqiaogou - Baiyun Mountain\n[Ticket Information]\nAdult ticket: 75 RMB; Concession ticket (children/elderly/students): 37.5 RMB (January 1 - December 31, Monday to Sunday)\nHalf-price ticket: Minors aged 6 (exclusive) to 18 (inclusive); full-time undergraduate and below students with student ID; elderly aged 60 (inclusive) to 69 (exclusive) with ID; disabled persons with disability certificate\nFree ticket: Height 1.4 meters (inclusive) or below, or age 6 (inclusive) or below; elderly aged 70 (inclusive) or above with ID; active military personnel (including armed police) with valid ID; disabled soldiers with valid ID; retired cadres with valid ID\n[Travel Tips]\n1. The scenic area is generally closed from November to March of the next year, during which it is not open to the public.\n2. The mountain is quite humid, and some hotel bedding may also be damp. When choosing accommodation, try to select rooms with air conditioning and electric blankets.\n3. Yuhuang Summit is over 2,000 meters above sea level, with temperatures much lower than at the foot. If you plan to watch the sunrise early in the morning, bring an extra jacket even in summer.\n[Exploring Baiyun Mountain]\n1. The most beautiful place in the world, the best autumn scenery in the central plains is in Luoyang. Baiyun Mountain's Luhua Valley rivals Jiuzhaigou.\nAutumn is romantic and aesthetic, blending emotional colors with rational calmness. It has both mature charm and free-spirited Zen. It is poetry, painting, and flowing music. Savoring autumn at Baiyun Mountain is an enjoyment, an elevation of the soul; enjoying autumn at Baiyun Mountain is a happiness, a transcendent rewriting of life beyond nature.\nSome say that in spring and summer, the lush green and babbling water of Luhua Valley make many remember this fairyland, but autumn Luhua Valley has the most charm. When the valley's reeds begin to turn white, the autumn wind blows, and the reed catkins sway like falling snow. Walking through the winding forest and reed marshes feels romantic and beautiful, offering a stunning visual feast.\nThe valley is 3,000 meters long, with babbling streams and clusters of reeds along the banks. The path is shaded by dense trees, and the river valley is filled with connected pools and waterfalls. The environment is serene and the scenery is beautiful. When the reeds bloom in autumn, the valley turns silvery white, hence the name Luhua Valley.\nWalking along the trail under the green trees beside the stream, listening to the cicadas singing from time to time, a good mood will spread involuntarily.\nIn autumn, Luoyang's Baiyun Mountain is poetic and romantic. Every scenic spot is a poem. Hidden deep within the white clouds are stunning intoxicating autumn colors. The mountains are covered with patches of color, with layers of forests dyed in hues. Baiyun Mountain looks as if God has overturned a paint box, with colorful and mottled colors spreading all over the mountains.\nStep into autumn to find your own mood, marveling at the colors and tranquility that autumn brings to nature. Autumn means maturity. After a long autumn rain, the wind carries the fresh smell of soil and the fragrance of ripe fruits, wafting in the slightly dry air, making people feel especially refreshed.\nThe hillsides are dyed in layers of colors, colorful and bright. Those striking red patches are the eye-catching red leaves. Standing in the canyon scenery, watching the red leaves covering the mountains, I feel as happy as during the New Year.\nLuhua Valley is named after reeds. In the right season, watching the reeds against the setting sun, blurry and drifting, gives a leisurely feeling. The reed leaves grow in dense clumps, impenetrable. They are placed along the water flow; as the path twists and turns, the scenery changes.\nSome say that listening to the sound of autumn and watching leaves fall one by one is a series of farewells, the withering and disappearance of life. The feeling of desolation, reluctance, and helplessness suddenly lingers in my mind.\nPerhaps it is a yearning, perhaps a tacit understanding. I deeply feel that my heart is communicating with autumn, and my emotions are connecting with dreams. This is an infinite ethereal beauty that intoxicates me. Everything around is very quiet, and the whole world appears and disappears before my eyes, hazy.\nLook, touch, and smell. The red leaves sway gracefully in the breeze, as if thanking you for your affection. Red leaves are the angels of autumn, adding a touch of brilliance to the autumn scenery where the wind sweeps fallen leaves, making this autumn no longer so lackluster.\nHere, the sky is blue, clouds are white, mountains are green, and water is clear. Clouds drift in the sky, water flows on the ground, trees stand silently by the lake, their shadows reflected on the mirror-like lake surface, quietly keeping each other company.\nThe water of Black Dragon Pool is very clear, flowing slowly and gathering here to form a pool. When the water flow is gentle, it reflects the blue sky and trees like a mirror, making it very photogenic for aerial shots.\nWhat attracts us most to Baiyun Mountain in late autumn is its colors. Stepping deep into the forest, we are greeted by bold and vivid impressionist paintings splashed across the mountains and valleys.\nSome say autumn is a sentimental season. Trees sprout in spring, thrive in summer, and wither or disappear in autumn. Time flies, youth flows like water, and one is infatuated with the autumn sunlight, light and cool.\n2. Luoyang's sky road hanging on a cliff: Baiyun Mountain's high-altitude glass suspension bridge. 90% of people dare not look down.\nHere, you feel your heart race and adrenaline surge. It flies over the Jiulong Grand Canyon. The reflection of blue sky and white clouds fills the entire plank road, making people tremble at the transparent ground beneath their feet while enjoying the thrill of walking on clouds.\nIn Henan, there are many hidden glass plank roads and glass bridges, each making you hesitate. Luoyang Baiyun Mountain's suspended glass bridge is at an altitude of over 1,900 meters, with a total length of 100 meters.\nThe bridge deck uses beams as the force transmission system, paved with tempered glass. The net length of the glass bridge is 190 meters. Walking on the glass bridge, there is a deep canyon beneath your feet.\nEven though your feet step on solid glass, you always feel that the next step will fall into the bottomless valley.\nThe moment many people step onto the glass plank road, they lose the romantic feeling of walking among clouds and the thrill of walking a tightrope. Strong fear makes them hesitate, walk and stop, always worrying about the sturdiness of the glass. The uneasy mood heightens the tension, and the air is filled with dangerous elements.\nWalking on the glass plank road and looking around, most of the Jiulong Grand Canyon will appear before your eyes. Those huge landscape paintings are extremely beautiful! It truly proves the saying that infinite scenery lies at dangerous peaks.\nStanding on the suspension bridge, as far as the eye can see, the forests are lush, the shadows of trees are like gauze, swaying with the new green of spring. Clouds and mist swirl around, and the peaks stand like immortals, beasts, swords, and pagodas, appearing and disappearing, very fantastical.\nThe glass plank road is built on the beautiful cliffs of Baiyun Mountain, with a drop of hundreds of meters. The cliff is as steep as if cut by a knife or axe. The plank road is suspended high against the rock wall.\nBaiyun Mountain scenic area spans the waters of the Yangtze River, Yellow River, and Huai River, gathering the essence of three rivers on one peak, unique in the central plains, and can be called the masterpiece of "Central Plains Landscape Grand View".\nA fine sword is honed from grinding, and plum blossom fragrance comes from bitter cold. What courage means, you can only truly understand through personal experience. Walking on the glass plank road not only challenges nature but also challenges the climber's courage, perseverance, and indomitable spirit.\n3. Jiulong Waterfall: A stunning scenic spot hidden in Baiyun Mountain.\nJiulong Waterfall is a stunning scenic spot hidden in Baiyun Mountain. Some say that Jiulong Waterfall is somewhat overshadowed by Baiyun Mountain, but it also adds brilliance to Baiyun Mountain. Without the spiritual beauty of water to set it off, the towering mountains would be abrupt and lack vitality. So on the steep cliffs, Jiulong Waterfall falls like a silver chain from a hundred meters high, so breathtaking.\nJiulong Waterfall is located in Jiulong Grand Canyon. The canyon is 3,000 meters long with a drop of 1,300 meters, creating many pool and waterfall landscapes, among which Jiulong Waterfall is the most spectacular. Jiulong Waterfall has a drop of 103 meters, like a white silk falling from the sky. It dances with a mighty body and pours down, spreading a magnificent picture of a bead curtain that cannot be rolled up and a white silk hanging from a distant peak, with a thunderous sound and majestic momentum.\nThe landform of White Dragon Waterfall: here the Jiulong River makes a big detour and sharp turn, rushing out a gap. The river water rushes down like a white dragon emerging from the valley, with tremendous momentum, hence the name White Dragon Waterfall.\nAlong the way from Thousand-Foot Cliff to Wufu Sky Road, you can enjoy many sights in the White Dragon Grand Canyon, including quiet streams, deep clear pools, dangerous canyons, and rushing waterfalls, together forming the magnificent wonders of Jiulong Waterfall. Each scenic spot has a beautiful legend.\nThe beauty of Baiyun Mountain lies in its mountains and water. The mountains are beautiful in their grandeur, ethereality, and majesty. The water is beautiful in its waterfalls. What is meant by "flying down three thousand feet"? The waterfalls of Baiyun Mountain perfectly interpret it.\nAn ancient said: "Places that are flat and near are visited by many; places that are dangerous and far are visited by few. But the world's marvelous, strange, and extraordinary sights often lie in dangerous and distant places..."\nQuiet river bends, deep clear pools, dangerous canyons, and rushing waterfalls form magnificent canyon wonders. Each scenic spot has a beautiful legend, and each legend makes us feel mystery.\nRight beside this earth-shaking torrent, there is another completely different scene. The water flows gently through the rugged canyon, so clear.\nThe sun shows half of its face. The brown rocks that were gently stretching in the misty rain now become charming, unpredictable, and ever-changing. Against the backdrop of green trees, they are colorful, misty, and dreamlike.\n4. The highest altitude Taoist sacred site in China: Yuhuang Pavilion.\nThe main peak of Baiyun Mountain, Yuhuang Summit, reaches 2,216 meters above sea level. It is not only the highest peak of Luoyang's Baiyun Mountain but also the main peak of the eight-hundred-mile Funiu Mountain in Henan Province, known as the "Central Plains Extreme Peak".\nBaiyun Mountain is serene, simple, and natural. Baiyun Mountain in Song County, Luoyang, is located in the hinterland of the Funiu Mountains, on the boundary between subtropical and temperate climates. It is a World Geopark, a National Forest Park, and a 5A-level scenic area, an ideal choice for leisure vacations, health preservation, and summer escape.\nThe vertical distribution of vegetation in this area is very distinct, representing the typical characteristics of the Funiu Mountain flora. Yuhuang Pavilion is located on the mountaintop, the highest Taoist sacred site in the country. The incense is strong and the spiritual energy is abundant.\nYuhuang Pavilion is the highest Taoist temple in Baiyun Mountain, covering an area of 246 square meters. The pillars on both sides are inscribed with a couplet: "The Jade Emperor rules the heavens, supreme and unique; the people pray for the utmost virtue and benevolence in the nine provinces." This couplet was written by Mr. Wang Meng, chairman of the National Writers Association, after he climbed Yuhuang Summit.\nThe plaque at the entrance of Baiyun Mountain, a paradise on earth, is a masterpiece by the famous calligrapher Mr. Qigong.\nSome say that urban people heavily polluted by foul air, upon arriving here, often can't help but stop and take a few deep breaths, exhaling the accumulated foul air in their chests, and letting the fresh air cleanse their internal organs. Between breaths, there is an indescribable sense of comfort and pleasure.\nLooking into the distance, there are layers of mountains and steep peaks everywhere. Among them, the tallest mountain is the most eye-catching: it is the "First Peak of the Central Plains" at 2,216 meters above sea level — Yuhuang Summit. Yuhuang Summit is the best viewing point for sunrise and sea of clouds in the central plains, covering a total area of 168 square kilometers.\nThe maple leaves on the mountains have already turned yellow. If you come to Baiyun Mountain in late autumn, you will definitely see red leaves covering the mountains like colorful clouds.\nThe entire scenic area integrates mountains, rocks, water, caves, forests, grasses, flowers, birds, and beasts, with grandeur, danger, wonder, serenity, beauty, and charm complementing each other. It has now become a composite tourist zone in the central plains that combines sightseeing, vacation retreat, scientific research internships, and historical exploration.\n5. The seclusion place of Zhang Liang from the Han Dynasty: Luoyang Liu Hou Temple.\nThe Taoist culture of China for thousands of years can be summarized in one sentence: harmony between heaven and man, following the way of nature. The paradise on earth, Baiyun Mountain, is a perfect manifestation of following the way of nature and the unity of heaven and man. Its landscape is transcendent and ethereal. Immersed in the wonderful artistic conception of Baiyun Mountain's scenery, you can also hear the morning bells and evening drums of Taoism and the sound of chanting sutras. Every sound is heavenly, truly a fairyland.\nCulture is the soul of tourism, and tourism is the carrier of culture. Luoyang's Baiyun Mountain not only boasts natural scenery that is unmatched in the central plains, praised by experts and scholars as a "Natural Museum," "Paradise on Earth," and "Famous Mountain of the Central Plains," but also has many cultural and historical landscapes such as Yuhuang Pavilion, Liu Hou Temple, and calligraphy inscriptions by famous figures in the forest oxygen bar, which evoke infinite reverie.\nLiu Hou Temple is the place where Zhang Liang, the founding hero of the Han Dynasty, lived in seclusion. In Gaodu River, Song County, there is a "Zhang Liang Stele" and a local gold mine called Zhang Liang Stele. Stories passed down orally say: "Zhang Liang panned for gold for eighteen years, earning a bucket of gold a day but not making a profit. Heaven did not support Zhang Liang, so the sky collapsed, and a hundred thousand soldiers were lost in an instant."\nLiu Hou Temple is the main carrier of Taoist culture in Baiyun Mountain and a spiritual habitat for many Taoist believers.\nTaoist health preservation is a microcosm of excellent traditional Chinese culture and a great contribution of Chinese culture to the world, with unique cultural charm and ideological charm.\nBaiyun Mountain, blessed by the creation of nature, has earned the reputation of the king of all mountains. It gathers the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, contains the great energy of the Tao, and is unparalleled in the world.\nIn the thousands of years of development in China, Taoism has formed its own unique culture. Taoist culture is extremely elegant and extremely popular. Some of it has evolved into folk customs, becoming part of the spiritual life of working people.\nTaoism emphasizes nature, quiet inaction, and the pursuit of freedom and ease. It pays strong attention to the individual's spiritual world and values the quality of life.\nLaozi said: The highest goodness is like water. Water nourishes all things, washes away filth, and helps them grow, but never competes with all things for superiority or inferiority. People who cultivate themselves should also be like water, adapting to circumstances. Even if one is in a low place, one can be calm like water. This should be the great realm of Tao.\n6. A great place to relax in Luoyang: The forest is green, the lake water is clear, like entering a paradise.\nBaiyun Lake was built in 1997, with a dam height of 17 meters, a length of 35 meters, a lake surface length of 500 meters, and a maximum storage capacity of 120,000 cubic meters. Here, the blue waves ripple, white mist lingers, and the scenery is picturesque. Below Baiyun Lake, there is also a Qingshan Lake with a capacity of 150,000 cubic meters, named for being embraced by green mountains, with mountain and water sharing colors and continuous peaks.\nThe lake surface is still very calm, strangely calm, worrisomely calm; of course, at the same time, it should be gratifying, isn't it meant to be like this?\nBaiyun Lake is an artificial lake, so there are walking trestles along the lakeside for sightseeing. The shore is an original ecological forest, with beautiful scenery as far as the eye can see. Rippling water and misty clouds make it a landscape painting by a master.\nStroll leisurely by the lake and appreciate the gifts of nature. Seen from a height, it looks like a flawless and beautiful emerald, dark green and tempting, truly pleasing to the eye.\nLooking down at Baiyun Lake from the top of Baiyun Mountain, it seems like a dragon soaring among the green mountains. The mountains around the lake stand tall, the forest is green, and the lake water is clear, as if entering a paradise.\nSince ancient times, how many literati and scholars have been intoxicated by this picturesque scenery, boating on the rippling water, feeling like in a world apart.\nThe lake water is clear and pure. Its texture and beauty seem to penetrate into your heart, moving with the slow flow, reflections, and the silence deep in the lake.\nOn the clear lake, small ripples blown by the wind gather in the center, rushing forward as if eager to say goodbye to the world, then silently disappear, waiting for the next ripple to appear.\nOne flower, one world; one leaf, one bodhi. Sentimental flowers, brilliant leaves, vigorous and magnificent, fall to the world, scattering and flowing with the water, stirring up the lake, playing with the soft wind, drunk on the mortal world — nothing compares to this scene.\n7. The thousand-year ginkgo trees at Wumasi in Baiyun Mountain, draped in golden armor and sacred robes, travel through time to accompany you this autumn.\nWhen the sea of green is frozen overnight by a cold wave, the thousand-year-old ginkgo trees, draped in golden armor and sacred robes, appear in breathtaking splendor, crossing a thousand years, stunning the world. Large patches of golden yellow, interwoven with green, form an incomparable picture that will bring you a visual impact.\nThe thousand-year ginkgo trees at Wumasi in Luoyang's Baiyun Mountain: in late autumn, the sky is like water, clear and blue, pure without a trace of white cloud. Above the blue sky is still blue sky. The height of autumn is remeasured by the ginkgo trees.\nStrolling through Wumasi feels like entering a golden world. Pick up a fallen leaf, examine its beauty after landing, and can't help recalling its tender yellow, verdant green, and willow green.\nI have also stood under the golden ginkgo, looking up at the vast sky in reverie. I didn't expect that you only gave me empty poetry and full melancholy. Accompanied by a drizzling rain, it is another season of withered ginkgo yellow.\nGinkgo leaves are fan-shaped, with a shiny and lustrous surface. Many veins are drawn from the tip to the base, like the horizontal beams of a roof supporting countless tiles, sturdy yet decent.\nAutumn colors are gorgeous, autumn light is clear. The thousand-year-old ginkgo trees travel through time, waiting quietly, just to meet you in their most brilliant moment. Accompany you through this autumn, quietly watching your face.\nAs the autumn wind blows and frost intensifies, fallen leaves flutter like golden butterflies, spreading like a blanket under the trees, dazzling and splendid under the sunlight. Truly, a fall rain brings a chill, the autumn wind is bleak, and pedestrians shiver. As far as the eye can see, the ginkgo trees are golden, the willows are still green, yellow and green interwoven, scattered in an orderly way.\nGinkgo pays tribute to autumn with the most golden color, allowing beauty seekers to capture the most beautiful urban colors. In the season of ginkgo leaves falling, even on a cloudy day, the heart is bright. Under the ancient ginkgo trees, golden ginkgo leaves fall all over the ground, indescribably beautiful!\n[Accommodation and Dining at Baiyun Mountain]\nStay at Baiyun Renjia in the Baiyun Mountain scenic area, a single hotel under the management of Luoyang Baiyun Mountain Ruibeika Hotel Management Co., Ltd. The hotel faces water and leans against the mountain, with a babbling stream nearby and majestic mountains in the distance, fully showcasing the nature-returning characteristics of a mountain forest resort hotel.\nExquisite decoration, luxurious furnishings, unparalleled service, and advanced modern convenience facilities combine to create a unique and rich stay experience. On the basis of leisure and entertainment, art and life are organically combined, creating an extraordinary spark.\nThe room design and layout, thoughtful and personalized service, make you feel that they focus more on how to make guests stand out and be unique. Here you can get rid of the pressures of city work and life, get valuable comfort for your already exhausted soul, and more importantly, find the long-lost sense of belonging and the most beautiful version of yourself in memory.\nSometimes, we just need to be quiet for a while, a place to completely relax, a place to feel nature and culture, a relaxing atmosphere to escape from the mundane daily life. Preferably with a touch of romantic poetry, as if it were a place where dreams come true.\nAs the saying goes, "Food is the first necessity of the people." This is not false. The dishes at Baiyun Renjia restaurant are all delicious. Once upon a time, I had no concept of gourmet food, only the food I was partial to. Now, gourmet food, as a culture, has been completely magnified in this peaceful and beautiful era.\nWhen it gets cold, the craving for hot pot arises. Baiyun Renjia's fish hot pot: one side is spicy and numbing, the other is tomato. Both sides are very authentic, and the taste is not made from store-bought base; you can tell it's their own blend. Highly recommended.\n[Reflections on Baiyun Mountain]\nLife is like constantly climbing mountains: after climbing one and coming down, you look for another higher mountain to climb.\nThe clouds and mist floating on the top of Baiyun Mountain's Yuhuang Summit are a real and tangible existence. You feel it gently brushing your hair and slipping through your fingertips. You see the birds in the sky closer to you. You want to shout, "I made it!" You feel that all the hardships along the way are nothing. When you encounter difficulties later, you will remember this feeling.