Mt Huangshan: The Height of Beauty

Mt Huangshan: a fairyland with changing colours in the 4 seasons

“IF you have seen the Great Wall, cruised the Yangtze River, marvelled at Xian’s Terracotta Solders and been awed into silence by Quilin Caves, a visit to Mount Huangshan will make your tour of China complete,” teased a pretty sales agent at the Malaysian Association of Travel and Tour Agents (Matta) Fair recently.

            Many friends have extolled the beauty of Mt. Huangshan with its 72 named peaks, two waterfalls and 24 streams.  The comments from the pretty lady caused my adrenalin to flow.  I edged closer to listen as she lowered her voice, “But the climb will be tough, involving many hours of climbing!”

Was she trying to say: But you eh, a senior citizen, may not be able to make it!  A senior citizen cannot surmount Mt. Huangshan? Well, I deduced that if I could not do it then, I would never be able to do it years down the road.  My mind was made up  - I was going to climb Mt. Huangshan!

There and then, my husband and I booked an eight-day holiday to Huangshan, the “number one peculiar mountain under heaven” in China. The tour included a brief visit to neighbouring cities of Shanghai, Hangzhou, Suzhou and Wuxi.  

Huangshan, literally "Yellow Mountain" is a mountain range in Anhui province in Eastern China. It is one of the most famous and beautiful mountains in China. Huangshan is a frequent subject of traditional Chinese paintings and literature as well as modern photography.


Mt Huangshan is a "fairyland" with changing colours in the four seasons. To really appreciate its beauty, it is recommended to go there at different seasons.We visited Huangshan in Spring but found out that it was not a good time as it was not only cold but misty and wet. Other seasons would be better, like in Summer with rainbow colours or in Winter with snowy white features.

The tour started with visits to Shanghai, Hangzhou, Suzhou and Wuxi. Finally we arrived at Tunxi, a town at the foot of Mt Huangshan.  A cable car took us up the slopes of Mt Huangshan where we checked into a hotel below the summit.

 Next morning, 16 of us - six senior citizens and 10 younger folk - assembled at the lobby, eager and excited.  Listed by UNESCO as a World Cultural and Natural Heritage, Huangshan attracts travellers from all parts of the globe.  We met visitors from Europe like England, Germany and France. Many came from Taiwan, Indonesia, Thailand and Singapore.  The local Chinese made up the rest of the climbers.  

I noticed that while we tried to cover ourselves with layers of warm clothing, the groups from Europe were clad only in shorts.

“Please wear your raincoats and bring your umbrellas along for the trek,” announced Hung, our tour guide.  “The weather forecast predicted rain and the  temperature is down to 4°C.”    

 

Covered from top to toe in our multicoloured raincoats, with only our faces exposed, we looked like a battalion from outer space.  Some of us were armed with walking sticks, bought at the souvenir shop.  We followed Hung like toy tin soldiers.

 “The whole journey will take three hours,” informed Hung.  As we marched along, I shivered uncontrollably from the cold. My fingers felt numb and stiff, so I placed one hand alternately inside my pocket to keep warm, while the other held the walking stick.

The ascent was tiring. Our steps became slower and our voices became softer.  Hung had to stop very often to wait for laggards - like me.  We huffed and we puffed, we panted and struggled with every step upwards.

Compared to many other mountains, Mt. Huangshan is people-friendly.  Man-made steps of granite stones paved the way.  However, there were no railings on either side. My walking stick proved useful as it gave me support for every step I took. Unlike the steps of Batu Caves in Malaysia, the steps in Huangshan had a break – a five feet flat landing – for every five steps. That was just ideal for senior citizens to catch their breath. 

After about half an hour, one elderly couple in our group found that the climb was too taxing.  They decided to go back to the hotel with our Malaysian tour leader.   

During the ascent, I took time to admire the surroundings. The mountain tops were truly like islands in a sea of cloud. The foggy mist was like a shimmering veil covering the natural landscapes, ready to reveal the magnificence within whenever it cleared.

 

Foggy mist like a shimmering veil

 "Mt Huangshan with its natural beauty has inspired poets, painters, travellers and photographers. The mountain tops offer views of the clouds from above, known as 'Sea of Clouds', because of the Cloud's resemblance to an ocean. One writer remarked that to enjoy the magnificence of a mountain, you generally look upwards. But to enjoy Mt Huangshan, you have to look downwards," explained Hung. 

 

Natural beauty of Mt Huangshan inspires poets, painters and photographers

Mt Huangshan's natural scenery includes massive granitic boulders and ancient pine trees which are enhanced by cloud and mist effects. This landscape includes formations of natural stone pillars, grotesquely-shaped rocks, waterfalls, caves, lakes and hotsprings formed by its complex geological history.

 The essence of Huangshan is in the clouds. As the clouds move around the wind, tier upon tier, the mountains appear and disappear, looking like numerous islands on a boundless sea. When the sun sinks below the horizon, the mountains are aglow with the sunset colours. As it was a misty day, we could not see such colours, but being up there was mystical and enchanting.

             As we climbed up, I was eager to view some of the mountain's highlights, as described by Hung. Along the way, Hung pointed out special landmarks. “Look at the special formation,” she said.  “Can you see a flying stone, a paint brush, a turtle, gods playing chess or a man eating a water-melon,” she said. We strained our eyes and stretched our imagination as she pointed out the various formations...some of them did look like what she had described!

Amusement: I strained my eyes and stretched my imagination 

Finally, after what seemed like two hours, we reached the top of Huangshan! Breathing in the cool crisp air, I took in the scenery with all my five senses.  As I gazed at the grotesque rocks and the queer pines hanging from the cliffs, I felt humbled. This was what we had come all the way for!  This was the scene many artists and poets have tried to portray.  This was it: a painting in 3D - live! Yes, it was a moment to savour!

A painting in 3D - live.

Grotesque rocks and bizarre pines

 

Unique pines

"Huangshan pines (Pinus hwangshanensis) commonly grow on alpine peaks which are from 800 to 1800 metres above sea level. They differ from other pines because they grow on steep cliffs, alpine peaks and steep ravines. They are thus sturdy and most can live well over 100 years. This is a symbol of vigour and vitality", elaborated Hung.

 Hung gave us some time to take pictures.  Like kiasu tourists, we posed unabashed, as we tried to freeze the moment in time, for posterity.  It was difficult though, to focus the lens in the cold, amidst the drizzle and the mobile crowd, but we managed to get some reasonably good shots.  

A reasonably good shot in one section where there was no mist

 Besides the beautiful scenery, I was amused to see an array of padlocks on the chains marking the edge of the viewing platform. Young lovers or couples lock two padlocks together and placed it on the chains on all sides of the top of the peak, to show they will love one another for ever.

Standing next to an array of padlocks on the chains

Soon, it was time to leave.  The descent was a breeze for me although the other seniors found it much more difficult.

Later we met up with the elderly couple from our group.  The woman told me that she had a memorable experience on a bamboo carriage.  Anyone who cannot walk up or down the steps of Mt. Huangshan, can have a ride on a bamboo chair carried by two guys.  It costs a cool RM 100 - one way.   

Huangshan's moist climate facilitates the growing of tea leaves. Mao feng cha (Fur Peak tea) a well-known local variety green tea takes its name from the downy tips of the tea leaves found in the Huangshan area. We bought this tea and found it very fragrant.

Climbing Mt. Huangshan was enriching. Although my muscles ached for a week after I returned home, I am glad I did it.  Yes, I climbed Mt. Huangshan and was drowned in its beauty.

Sometimes in quiet moments, three mountains would come to my mind: climbing Mt. Everest is an impossible dream, Mt. Kinabalu could have been conquered when I was in my prime, but reaching the summit of Mt. Huangshan is a dream that has come true.

             

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This article was published in the Star (Malaysian newspapaer) on  June 10, 2002. 
It is edited and photos are added here.