Being characterized by the five wonders, namely, oddly-shaped pines, fantastic rocks, sea of clouds, hot springs and winter snow, the Yellow Mountain (also known as Huangshan Mountain or Huangshan Scenic Area) in east China’s Anhui Province is one of China’s top ten best scenic spots and listed as a World Cultural Heritage Site, World Natural Heritages Site, and World Geo-park. The scenic area covers 1,200 square kilometers including a 154-square-km elite scenic area. Huangshan Mountain has many beautiful peak, 77 of which are over 1,000 meters above sea level, 36 of which characterized as lofty and precipitous, 36 of which are deemed refined and elegant. Lotus Peak, Brightness Summit and Heavenly Capital Peak are the three major ones, all rising above 1,800 meters above sea level.

The Yellow Mountain is often praised as a picture painted by nature. It changes color and appearance with the alternation of seasons. In spring blooming flowers decorate the slopes in a riot of color and fill the valleys with fragrance; in summer you can see verdure peaks rising one upon another ran hear springs gurgling merrily. Autumn dresses the mountains in red and purple as maples and some other trees are blazing-red; winter turns them into a world of frost and ice with silver boughs and rocks everywhere. The spectacular pine trees on the cliffs, the exquisite rocks on the peaks, the fogs between the peaks, and the rosy clouds reflected upon the cliffs all make one admire the magic of nature.

Xu Xiake, the great traveler in Ming Dynasty (1368 – 1644) who twice visited the Yellow Mountain, once said that no mountain near or far is comparable to Huangshan Mountain and after a visit to it, no other mountain is worth visiting. Today Huangshan Mountain has become a world-famous tourist attraction. It attracts millions of visitors both from home and abroad. Seeing is believing. Come to Huangshan and you will have an unforgettable experience in this fantastic mountain.

Main Scenic Areas in the Yellow Mountain

There are eight scenic area in the Yellow Mountain including: Grand Canyon of West Sea, Hot Springs Scenic Area, Jade Screen Scenic Area,  Pine Valley Scenic Area, White Cloud Scenic Area, North Sea Scenic Area, West Sea Scenic Area, Cloud Valley Scenic Area

[Grand Canyon of West Sea]

This newly-developed scenic area allows tourists to linger half way up the cliff to view this magic world. West Sea Scenic Area, Bright Summit, Heaven Sea and White Cloud Scenic Area make a small circle to divert the tourist flow and to allow for better angles to enjoy the fantastic views. Also this is a passage leading to the west ate of the mountain to Three Water Mouth, Hook Bridge Nunnery, Jiaocun Town, and is a quiet and pretty world of its own.

[Hot Spring Scenic Area]

Here you can see One Thousand Feet Spring, Inverted V-shaped Waterfall, Peach Blossom Brook, Sword Testing Rock and Intoxicated Rock. The hot springs water is good for drinking, bathing and is beneficial for good health. The area is linked with Mercy Light Pavilion by 1.5 km road, and is further linked with Jade Screen Scenic Area by a cable car.

[Jade Screen Scenic Area]

Called “Palace in Heaven”,  the Jade Screen Scenic Area is as high as cloud with Greeting Pine and Farewell Pine standing in front. The three highest peaks, Bright Summit, Lotus Flower Peak and Heavenly Capital Peak are all in view. Heavenly Capital Peak is very dangerously steep. Standing here, you are greeted by a panorama of numerous peaks and rocks half hidden in the clouds.

[Pine Valley Scenic Area]

This area is everlasting green. The water and the mountain are in great harmony. Along the brook, you can find Aged Dragon Pool, Black Dragon Pool, White Dragon Pool, Jadeite Pool, Elegant Lotus Nunnery and Pine Valley Temple. The inscriptions on the cliff enhance tourists’ interests. Listening to the pine soughing during monsoon season is a great attraction to tourists.

[White Cloud Scenic Area]

It is located west of the mountain and is also called Hook Bridge Nunnery. Along Hook Bridge, Three Water Mouth, Immortal Walking on the Stilts, Buxian Bridge, Stone Bed Peak, Botanical Garden and the center of the Heavenly Sea, there are more than 20 scenic spots in 10 kilometers with an altitude difference of 1,000 meters. All these make up a fantastic view.

[North Sea Scenic Area]

This is the center of Huangshan Scenic Area with many attractions close by such as Cooling Terrace, Monkey Gazing at Sea, Immortals Playing Chess, 18 Arharts Pray to the South Sea, Brush Pen Peak and Dawn Pavilion. Cooling Terrace on  the Lion Peak is the best site to enjoy the sunrise and view a sea of clouds. Beginning-to-Bellieve Peak convinces tourists the Yellow Mountain is the most marvelous mountain in the world. Oddly shaped pines like Black Tiger Pine and Lover’s Pine are found mainly in the area.

[West Sea Scenic Area]

In this area you can enjoy Double Bamboo Peak, Sharp Knife Peak, Stone Bed Peak, Upside Turned Book Rock, Embroidery Girl Rock, Wusong Fighting Tiger Rock, Flying-from-Afar Peak shapes like a peach. The Cloud Dispelling Pavilion is an ideal place to enjoy a sea of clouds, sunset and grotesque rock formations.

[Cloud Valley Scenic Area]

In order to reach the Cloud Valley (Yungu)Scenic Area, you needs to turn left from the North Sea Hotel and go eastwards. Passing the Black Tiger Pine, you'll reach the White Goose Ridge. White Goose Ridge is the terminal of the 2803.96 meter long cable car route between the Cloud Valley Temple and the North Sea. Traveling on the telpher, you can have a a bird's-eye view of the East Sea. There is also the more physically demanding option of a pleasant hike. Descending White Goose Ridge, you're greeted by numerous rocks of bizarre shapes around the brook as well as picturesque valley scenes of wood and springs. Passing the Fascination Pavilion, the Cloud Valley Temple is in sight.

Situated between Arhat Peak and Incense Burner Peak, the 890 meter high Cloud Valley Temple is located between the North Sea and the Hot Springs where tourists may lodge at either the Cloud Valley Hotel of traditional Ming Dynasty architecture. Here, one can also see both the rare yellow Chinese fir and iron Chinese firs while enjoying the world famous Yellow Mountain Maofeng tea that hails from the mountain. Descending the mountain through the bamboo grove, tourists can see the Nine Dragon Falls four kilometers away.

Before concluding the trip to the Cloud Valley Temple, you can stop to watch the pouring and thunderous Hundred Feet Warerfall at close distance before returning to the Hot Springs.

Cable Cars in the Yellow Mountain

[Yungu Cable Car]

Yungu (Cloud Valley) Cable Car is 2,666 meters long from Yungu Temple at the bottom up Beginning-to-believe Peak on the top, with 777-meter vertical height difference. It is a single-rope automatically circulating cableway with 49 cable cars. It only takes passengers 10 minutes to reach the top. The views outside are beyond your imagination. The carrying capacity is about 1,000 passengers per hour for a one-way trip either up or down.

[Taiping Cable Car]

Taiping (Peace) Cable Car is 3,709 meters long from Pine Valley Nunnery up to Ping Forest Peak with 1,104.5 vertical height difference. The carrying capacity per cable car is 100+1 passengers and the one-way running time is 8 minutes, the one-way passenger carrying capacity is about 600 persons per hour. The scenes out of the window are so beautiful that many tourists would try this cable service down and up just in order to get a different view.

[Yuping Cable Car]

Yuping (Jade Screen) Cable Car is 2,175 meters long from Benevolent Light Temple to Jade Screen Pavilion with 752-meter vertical height difference. It is a single-rope automatically circulating cableway with 40 cable cars. The carrying capacity per car is 6 persons and the one-way running time is 8 minutes, so the one-way passenger carrying capacity is 1,000 persons per hour.

Distances Between Different Spots in the Yellow Mountain

1. Gate of the Yellow Mountain -- Hot Spring    0.5Km

2. Hot Spring -- Mercy Light Tower    0.5Km

3. Mercy Light Pavillion -- Half-way Temple    2.5Km

4. Half-way Temple – Top of Heavenly Capital Peak    1.1Km

5. Top of Heavenly Capital Peak --Foot of Heavenly Capital Peak    6.5Km

6. Foot of Heavenly Capital Peak --Jade Screen Pavilion    1.0Km 

7. Jade Screen Pavilion --Foot of Lotus Peak    2.5Km 

8. Foot of Lotus Peak--Top of Lotus Peak --Heavenly Sea    2.5Km

9. Heavenly Sea --North Sea Guest House    2.5Km

10. North Sea Guest House--West Sea    1.5Km

11. Diaoqiao Nunnery--Haixin Pavilion    7.0Km

12. Haixin Pavilion--Peak Flying from Afar--Paiyun Pavilion    2.5Km

13. North Sea Guest House--Pine Valley Nunnery    10Km

14. North Sea Guest House--Cloud Valley Temple    0.5Km

15. Cloud Valley Temple--Nine Dragon Falls    4.0Km

16. Cloud Valley Temple--Hot Spring  7.5Km

Yellow Mountain Monthly Temperature Summary

The Yellow Mountain enjoys a subtropical climate with mild temperature and great humidity. But there is a big temperature difference between the top and the foot of the mountain. The temperature on the top is lower. The annual average temperature is 8 ℃.