Huangshan
Huangshan, literally meaning the Yellow Mountain(s), is a mountain range in southern Anhui province in eastern China.
It was originally called "Yishan", and it was renamed because of a legend that the Yellow Emperor once made alchemy here. Vegetation on the range is thickest below 1,100 meters (3,600 ft), with trees growing up to the treeline at 1,800 meters (5,900 ft).
Getting to Huangshan
- 01Huangshan North
The nearest station is Huangshan North railway station, opened in 2015, with high-speed trains to Beijing, Fuzhou, Guangzhou, Nanchang, Qingdao, Shanghai and other cities in eastern China.
- 02Huangshan
In the town of Tunxi (Huangshan City), this station serves sleeper trains arriving from many major cities in eastern China.
Worth seeing
Huangshan. The main tourist destination is Huangshan (Yellow Mountain). From the Yuping Cable Car/Mercy Light Temple entrance, the "Western Steps" lead up for about 14 km over spectacular terrain. Allow 6-7 hours for the ascent. If you are fit and have a good head for heights, the steep ascent to Celestial Capital Peak is rewarding.
Things to do
Hiking. There are four trails up the mountain: two from the south, one from the north, and one from the northwest. From the south, the more scenic "western steps" start from
- 01Ciguang Pavilion
Where to eat
Food options are limited on the mountain. There are (expensive) restaurants in all the hotels but it is hard for a solo traveller to find cheap food. There are several small grocery stores selling snacks & drinks. Stinky tofu of a particularly stinky variety seems to be popular as well. On top of the mountain in peak season, water was ¥6-10, beer ¥10, meat sticks 3 for ¥10, instant noodles ¥10, cucumbers 2 for ¥6.
Text adapted from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: Wikimedia Commons (see file page), Wikimedia Commons.