The Yellow Mountains is one of the most famous and beautiful mountains in China. It was enlisted as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1990.
Location
The Yellow Mountain area lies in Anhui Province, Eastern China, about 300 km (200 miles) west of Hangzhou and 500 km (300 miles) southwest of Shanghai. The scenic area is about 50 km (30 miles) north of Huangshan City. All of our Huangshan Tour Packages include a tour to the Yellow Mountains.Features
The glow of the sunrise and sunset draws the crowds to popular viewing spots. Buddha's Light (an optical phenomenon like a halo surrounding the observer's shadow, once thought to show the observer’s enlightenment) may be witnessed.
Compactness means more mountain scenery for less walking. Huangshan Scenic Area is a mountainous area of 154 square kilometers (59 square miles).The main attractions are in a corridor 6km from west to east and 12km from south to north. It’s about 500m above sea level at the south gate and the highest peak, Lotus Peak, is 1873m (6145ft) high. The 1400m+ peaks are all within 6km. The 1200m+ zone is about 10km in diameter, beyond which the mountains tail off rapidly in height. Although Huangshan is not very impressive in its dimensions, its features are extremely rugged and sheer.
There are hundreds of peaks and thousands of ravines in the Yellow Mountains, 72 of which have been named. Heavenly Capital Peak (1800m), Lotus Flower Peak and Bright Summit (1841m/6040ft) are the three major peaks, all rising more than 1,800 meters (5,900 feet) above sea level. They often have their heads above the clouds, giving them a majestic appearance. Yellow Mountain Scenic Area has two lakes, three waterfalls, 16 springs and 24 brooks all noted for their outstanding beauty.
There are only two sizeable mountain chains in Anhui, which line up from tail to head, from west to east. Huangshan represents the head of the taller eastern chain, facing east towards the Pacific. Huangshan owes its magnificent and regionally best propensity for collecting clouds to its favorable location and suitable size, making it the first to really catch moist Pacific air drifting in from 300+ km (200+ miles) away, past Hangzhou. If Huangshan was less elevated or further from the open ocean it would not act like the cloud-catching hand, peaks raised like fingers for mortals to stand on and view from, that it does.
History
The Yellow Mountains are not so called because the mountains are yellow, but because it was named after the legendary Yellow Emperor (Huang Di) in 747 AD. After that Huangshan began its ascent to fame. Many Buddhist temples have been built there and, more recently, it has become a major tourist attraction, because of its scenic qualities.It is said that Huangshan is the place where the Yellow Emperor, the mythical ancestor of the Chinese, lived, refined precious medicines and became a supernatural being. Xu Xiake, a noted Chinese geologist in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), who visited the Yellow Mountains twice, left his praise in this quote: "You don’t need to see any more mountains after seeing 'the Five Mountains', and you don't need to see the other four mountains after seeing Huangshan".
On November 8, 1982, Huangshan was ratified into the list of Key National-Level Scenic Spots by the State Council of the People's Republic of China. In 1990, the Yellow Mountains were added to the list of World Natural Heritage Sites by UNESCO. It is now protected as a treasure for all mankind to enjoy for all time.
Activities
The most popular activity on Huangshan is hiking around to see the scenery, but there are also sunsets, sunrises and the hot springs to enjoy. There are cable cars (telphers) to take the effort out of the ascent and descent. Below is a summary of the hiking options. There are two routes up to the mountaintop hotels from the main south gate: the Yuping (Jade Screen) Telpher route and the Yungu (Cloud Valley) Telpher route. Huangshan Scenic Area can also be entered from the north. See Huangshan Maps for a map showing walking times.The Foot of the Mountain - Hot Springs and Waterfalls
The hot springs, some waterfalls and low level scenic walks can be found 40 minutes walk (or a short taxi ride) in from the main gate at the south of Huangshan. There are several hotels in this area, in whose grounds are the hot springs. The hot springs are a great place to go to relax the muscles after a day or two’s hiking on the mountain.South Route 1: The Yuping Telpher to Bright Summit Ascent
The Yuping (Jade Screen) Telpher route to Bright Summit is the less recommended route up, because there’s more walking and tourists, but it gives the chance to take in the tallest peaks. Yuping Telpher’s south station is known as Kind Light Pagoda (Ci Guang Ge) Station. The telpher takes 10 minutes to take visitors up to Yuping Telpher’s north station, near Jade Screen Pavilion. This saves 1 hour 15 minutes of walking. Jade Screen Pavilion is an excellent viewing spot.A short distance from Jade Screen Pavilion, past Welcoming Guest Pine, is Heaven’s Capital. This peak is a steep climb (an estimated 1 hour 30 minutes to-the-top-and-back diversion, not counting breaks), but the views and rock formations near the summit, not to mention fewer tourists (deterred by its steepness), make it worthwhile. The busiest place on the mountain must be around the famous Welcoming Guest Pine (between Yuping Telpher Station and Heaven’s Capital), where tourists from all over China take it in turns to have their photo taken with this well-known tree.
The route from Jade Screen Pavilion to Bright Summit is very busy in peak times, which makes the narrow paths slow going. Tour guides with megaphones interrupt the eerie stillness of the mountainside. The path offers another diversion (1 hour 30 minutes) off to the highest summit, Lotus Peak, before reaching Bright Summit. Lotus Peak was closed recently (August ‘09), due to footpath repairs and because tourist numbers were too high.
South Route 2: The Yungu Telpher Ascent
The Yungu (Cloud Valley) Telpher route begins at the south station, near Cloud Valley Temple. Yungu Telpher takes 8 minutes to reach White Goose Ridge (Bai E Feng), the north station, compared to an estimated 1 hour 45 minutes of walking. The walking option doesn’t offer much, just a pavilion and a rock called Immortal Pointing The Way, and the company of local workers manually transporting bedding and other goods up and down the thousands of steps. From White Goose Ridge the path forks right to North Sea (Beihai) Hotel, or left to Bright Summit.The Mountaintop Loop
Bright Summit, Dispersing Cloud Pavilion, North Sea Hotel and White Goose Ridge form a loop at the top of the mountain. Bright Summit to Dispersing Cloud Pavilion (20 minutes down or 45 minutes climbing up), takes in the Flying Over Stone, a large tilting monolith. The loop goes past West Sea (Xihai) Hotel on to North Sea (Beihai) Hotel (10 minutes). The path from North Sea Hotel to White Goose Ridge (15 minutes down, 30 up) takes in a rock called Flower Growing Out Of A Writing Brush. Climb from White Goose Ridge to Bright Summit (35 minutes) to complete the loop.West Sea Grand Canyon
From Dispersing Cloud Pavilion, there is a path out west to West Sea Grand Canyon and Nine Dragons Peak. For a more peaceful way to enjoy the scenery of the Yellow Mountains, China Highlights recommend the circuit through the West Sea Canyon, with its less frequented trails and spectacular views. Note that every year from December till April of the next year, West Sea Grand Canyon is closed to tourists because of snow and maintenance.Eastern Routes
The peripheral routes from Flower Growing Out Of A Writing Brush go out east to Seeing Is Believing Peak (left fork, 20 minutes) past Pen Rack Peak, or (right fork) to Fairy Maiden Peak (30 minutes).The Northern Route
From North Sea Hotel there is a path north to the north gate of Huangshan Scenic Area, the less visited side. Along this path one can see Dawn Pavilion (it is popular to go up here or to Bright Summit to see the Sea Of Clouds and the Dawn), Refreshing Terrace and Monkey Watching the Sea (a curious boulder perched on a ridge), on the way down to Pine Valley Nunnery, where one could catch Taiping Telpher back up.Taiping Telpher is Asia’s longest telpher (3709m long), taking up to 100 passengers at a time from Dispersing Cloud Pavilion down to Pine Valley Nunnery (Songgu An), or probably more popularly up the approximately 1000m ascent. It can be incorporated in a loop via Beihai Hotel and Dawn Pavilion. A good early morning excursion would be to set off from one of the mountain top hotels to see the dawn at Dawn Pavilion, walk down to the nunnery (an hour’s walk from North Sea Hotel) and come up by telpher (much quicker than the walk which would be more like 2 hours because of the ascent).
Yellow Mountain Tourist Map
Yellow Mountain Sunrises
Watching the sunrise over Huangshan is a very popular and highly recommended activity. Many people make the early morning trek up to Bright Summit, but Refreshing Pavilion (Qingliang Ting), a short walk from North Sea Hotel is also a good place. The following is the general time-table for the sunrise time on the Yellow Mountains. Each month is divided into three periods (period one from 1 to 10, period two from 11 to 20 and period three from 21 to 30 or 31), and these three periods have little different sunrise time.Sunrise Time on the Yellow Mountains
| Month | Date | Time | Month | Date | Time | Month | Date | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan. |
1
|
07: 30
|
May |
1
|
05: 24
|
Sep. |
1
|
05: 44
|
11
|
07: 40
|
11
|
05: 16
|
11
|
05: 49
|
|||
21
|
07: 30
|
21
|
05: 11
|
21
|
05: 55
|
|||
| Feb. |
1
|
06: 58
|
Jun. |
1
|
05: 07
|
Oct. |
1
|
06: 00
|
11
|
06: 50
|
11
|
05: 05
|
11
|
06: 06
|
|||
21
|
06: 42
|
21
|
05: 06
|
21
|
06: 12
|
|||
| Mar. |
1
|
06: 33
|
Jul. |
1
|
05: 10
|
Nov. |
1
|
06: 21
|
11
|
06: 23
|
11
|
05: 14
|
11
|
06: 29
|
|||
21
|
06: 10
|
21
|
05: 19
|
21
|
06: 37
|
|||
| Apr. |
1
|
05: 57
|
Aug. |
1
|
05: 26
|
Dec. |
1
|
06: 46
|
11
|
05: 45
|
11
|
05: 32
|
11
|
06: 53
|
|||
21
|
05: 35
|
21
|
05: 38
|
21
|
06: 59
|
Travel Essentials
Getting to the Yellow Mountains
The usual way to get to the mountains is to first go to Huangshan City by bus, train or plane. There is a daily bus service from Hangzhou, making the 2.5 hour journey to the city or a 3.5 hour journey to the mountains. A train from Shanghai (K8418/K8419, 17:49-09:05) takes 15 hours, and a train to Shanghai (K8417/K8420 19:15-09:39) takes 14 hours. There is a small airport 10 minutes drive from Huangshan City and daily flights to and from Shanghai. A bus from the city to Huangshan Scenic Area takes about 1.5 hours.Getting Up the Yellow Mountains
Getting up the mountains is not too difficult, despite the precipitous valleys. There are an estimated 60 000 steps and paved paths leading to all the main points of interest (a common feature on China’s popular mountains). It’s worth noting that the average July temperature is 18oC (64oF) and the average January Temperature is -3oC (27oF) on the mountain. See Huangshan Weather.
There are 3 telphers (cableways with enclosed cars) to take the time and effort out of the middle part of the climb to the summits, and minibuses that will take you as far as the telpher stations. The prices for the 3 telphers (Yungu, Yuping, and Taiping) are the same. The one way price is 105 yuan per person. Every year during the low season from November till January of the next year, the three telphers will take turn to stop operation for annual maintenance.
Note: from October 8th, 2014 to April 30th, 2015, Yuping telpher will
stop operation for its rebuilding work. The specific date to recover
the opening time has not been released.
The Annual Temperature on the Top of the Yellow Mountains
| Temperature | Jan. | Feb. | Mar. | Apr. | May. | Jun. | Jul. | Aug. | Sep. | Oct. | Nov. | Dec. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average (°C or °F) | -3 or 27 | -2 or 29 | 3 or 37 | 8 or 46 | 12 or 53 | 15 or 59 | 18 or 64 | 17 or 63 | 14 or 57 | 9 or 48 | 4 or 39 | -1 or 31 |
| Highest (°C or °F) | 1 or 33 | 2 or 36 | 6 or 43 | 11 or 52 | 15 or 59 | 18 or 64 | 21 or 69 | 21 or 69 | 17 or 62 | 12 or 54 | 7 or 45 | 3 or 37 |
| Lowest (°C or °F) | -6 or 21 | -5 or 23 | -1 or 31 | 5 or 41 | 9 or 48 | 13 or 55 | 15 or 60 | 15 or 60 | 12 or 53 | 6 or 43 | 1 or 34 | -4 or 25 |
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