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Mt. Huangshan
Towering 1,873 metres
above sea level in the south of Anhui Province,
Mount Huangshan also called Yellow Mountain
used to be called Mount Yishan in the Qin
Dynasty (221-206 BC). It got its present
name in 747. Legend claims that the emperor
came here to cultivate his moral character
and try to
make pills of immortality (as a Taoist practice),
hence the name. Mount Huangshan encompasses
250 square kilometres, of which 154 square
kilometres are the quintessence. It is one
of the most magnificent scenic spots in
China and is also a well-known attraction
the world over.
Mount Huangshan is magnificent
for its beautiful peaks and rocks. Of all
the numerous peaks, 72 peaks are very famous,
and half of them are big ones, the rest
are small ones. The three biggest ones are
the Lotus Flower Peak (an elevation of 1,873
metres), the Bright Summit (an elevation
of 1,841 metres), and the Heavenly Capital
Peak (an elevation of 1,810 metres); The
highest Lotus Flower Peak towers in the
central part of Mount Huangshan. Clouds
veil the peaks all the year round, changing
the scenes of the mountains in a mysterious
atmosphere. With the elapsing of time, nearly
every peak composes of fantastic rocks.
Mount Huangshan is fantastic
for its strange pines growing everywhere
on peaks from 800 metres above sea level
to the heights with immensely various postures--sticking
out, sleeping, bowing, facing, upward, bending,
reaching out, coiling, and hanging. The
dark green and short needle-shaped
leaves, the flat and spreading cap, the
lopsided boughs and the stout and the grotesque
trunks are the results of struggling against
strong mists and storms. The "Cushion
Pine," "Phoenix Pine," "Chessboard
Pine," "Black Tiger Pine,""
Sleeping Dragon Pine," and the "Welcoming
Pine" all are tenaciously struggling
under the harshest conditions. The "Welcoming
Pine" spreading out all its branches
in one direction seems to embrace tourists
both from home and abroad Mount Huangshan
has a mysterious glamour for its spectacular
sea of clouds all the year round. Geographically
it is divided into five areas, which are
called Five Seas: Front Sea, Back Sea, East
Sea, West Sea, and Heavenly Sea. Once the
sea of cloud is formed, it is magnificent
and stretching to the horizon. Valleys and
peaks are all submerged in the great waves
of mists and clouds in the brightly sunny
days. Sometimes the mountains in the clouds
and fog, like islands in a raging sea, are
playing hide-and-seek with visitors.
Mount Huangshan has a
mysterious power of attraction for its world-famous
hot springs, which were exploited over 1,000
years ago. It neither dries up nor overflows.
Its temperature remains at 42 degrees celsius,
fit for both drink and bath. The water is
a rare spring of carbonated type with remarkable
curative effect on diseases of digestive
system, nervous system, blood system, and
the system of consciousness of motion. In
addition, the waterfalls, the harping spring,
limpid pools and clear streams are also
eye-catching and will be even more enchanting
after rain.
Mount Huangshan is not
only beautiful in scenery, but also rich
in natural resources. Profuse in medical
herbs and alive with rare birds and animals,
it is an ideal place for the study of flora
and fauna.
Mount Huangshan is one
of China's best scenic areas. Xu Xiake (1584-1641),
a famous writer of travel books of the Ming
Dynasty said: "Having toured the Five
Great Mountains, I wouldn't care to visit
other mountains; but I despised all the
Five Great Mountains after I came back from
Mount Huangshan. Indeed, Mount Huangshan
is everything: Mount Tai's grandeur, Mount
Hua's power, Mount Heng's clouds, Mount
Lu's waterfalls and Mount Emei's clarity
and cool.
Tourists can ascend to
the White Goose Ridge in a cable car jointly
managed by China and Japan. It takes only
8 minutes for a single trip. Tourists can
enjoy mountain view through the windows
of the cable car. The cableway goes up 773
metres above the ground, and tourists will
be filled with apprehension while looking
down at the steep cliffs and deep valleys.
The four ultimate beauties
of Mount Huangshan are oddly shaped pines,
its spectacular rocky peaks, sea of clouds,
and crystal-clear mountain hot springs.
The scenes of Mount Huangshan are the "the
most spectacular under heaven." Mount
Huangshan is worthy of such praise.
The Mount Huangshan National
Scenery Area won the Melina Mercouri Award
for conservation and management of cultural
scenery from the United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organization . A
ceremony was held early March 2000 in Beijing.
The mountain is said to be one of the most
famous natural scenic spots in China. In
1990, it was inscribed on the List of the
World Cultural and Natural Heritages of
UNESCO. Since then the local government
has made great efforts to protect and manage
the cultural and natural scenery of the
area.
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