A1.Huangshan (Yellow Mountains)黄山
Huangshan is located in Southeast of the Anhui Province（安徽省〕. It boasts of 72 peaks,2 waterfalls and 24 streams. Its height is about 1,863m. The four wonders under heaven of Huangshan are rare pine （松〕 (see below picture for pine tree of Huangshan黄山松), grotesque rocks （怪石〕, sea of clouds（云海〕(you can watch the massive expanse of clouds covering the North sea. There are cable cars take you up there for about 8 minutes) and hot springs〔温泉〕.
I am showing you below the sunrise at Lion hill （狮子峰〕in Huangshan which I woke up 4.30 early in the morning and waited at Lion hill along with many local Chinese and some tourists. I managed to get the first shot for the sunrise.
2.Yu Long Xue Shan (Jade dragon snow mountain)玉龙雪山
How is it? An alluring sight! This picture was taken at Yunan province（云南省〕, 34 kms north of Lijiang (Lijiang is located in northwestern of Yunan. It is inhabited by Naxi tribe（纳西族〕. Yuelongxueshan (is translated as Jade Dragon snow mountain) is characterised as high topography, magnificent mountains, clear waters and beautiful landscape)（丽江〕.Lijiang sits at 2,415m and the mountain's summit soars to 5,596 m. Probably, some people feel queasy at this level. This picture was taken at the beautiful prairie of Yunshanping〔云杉坪〕. Cable car takes you to idyllic spots for the best view.
I am going to introduce you another mountain below, that is Huashan.
3. Huashan华山
Breathtaking! Isn't it? Huashan is one of the holy Toast mountains and since ancient times it has been the home of cave dwelling Toast and Buddhist hermits searching for the Buddhist and Taoist tradition of solitary contemplation.
It is situated at Shaanxi province（陕西省〕, near the border of Henan province（河南省〕. Its height is about 2,160m.Huashan is one of the wu yu五岳 (five sacred mountains, ie apart from Huashan, Taishan泰山(Shangdong province山东省) is 1,524m. Hengshan 衡山(Hunan Province湖南省) is 1,290m, Songshan嵩山 (Henan province河南省) is 1,440m, Huanshan 桓山(Shanxi province山西省) is about 2,017m. Although Taishan is preceding among the other four, but Huashan is the highest among the five. In fact, it is true the unique feature of Huashan is "xian险", meaning steepness.
Huangshan is located in Southeast of the Anhui Province（安徽省〕. It boasts of 72 peaks,2 waterfalls and 24 streams. Its height is about 1,863m. The four wonders under heaven of Huangshan are rare pine （松〕 (see below picture for pine tree of Huangshan黄山松), grotesque rocks （怪石〕, sea of clouds（云海〕(you can watch the massive expanse of clouds covering the North sea. There are cable cars take you up there for about 8 minutes) and hot springs〔温泉〕.I am showing you below the sunrise at Lion hill （狮子峰〕in Huangshan which I woke up 4.30 early in the morning and waited at Lion hill along with many local Chinese and some tourists. I managed to get the first shot for the sunrise.
2.Yu Long Xue Shan (Jade dragon snow mountain)玉龙雪山
How is it? An alluring sight! This picture was taken at Yunan province（云南省〕, 34 kms north of Lijiang (Lijiang is located in northwestern of Yunan. It is inhabited by Naxi tribe（纳西族〕. Yuelongxueshan (is translated as Jade Dragon snow mountain) is characterised as high topography, magnificent mountains, clear waters and beautiful landscape)（丽江〕.Lijiang sits at 2,415m and the mountain's summit soars to 5,596 m. Probably, some people feel queasy at this level. This picture was taken at the beautiful prairie of Yunshanping〔云杉坪〕. Cable car takes you to idyllic spots for the best view.I am going to introduce you another mountain below, that is Huashan.
3. Huashan华山
Breathtaking! Isn't it? Huashan is one of the holy Toast mountains and since ancient times it has been the home of cave dwelling Toast and Buddhist hermits searching for the Buddhist and Taoist tradition of solitary contemplation.It is situated at Shaanxi province（陕西省〕, near the border of Henan province（河南省〕. Its height is about 2,160m.Huashan is one of the wu yu五岳 (five sacred mountains, ie apart from Huashan, Taishan泰山(Shangdong province山东省) is 1,524m. Hengshan 衡山(Hunan Province湖南省) is 1,290m, Songshan嵩山 (Henan province河南省) is 1,440m, Huanshan 桓山(Shanxi province山西省) is about 2,017m. Although Taishan is preceding among the other four, but Huashan is the highest among the five. In fact, it is true the unique feature of Huashan is "xian险", meaning steepness.
There is a Chinese legend about wu yu五岳, in ancient times, there was someone called Pan Gu盘古. The story is surrounding Pan Gu picked up a hammer and Chisel and spent the remainder of his life knocking out the space between heaven and earth盘古开天地.It took him eighteen thousand years and finally he died, his body was transformed into five sacred mountains五岳. His head became eastern mountain; his arms the northern and southern mountains, His belly, the central mountains; and his feet , the western mountains. After several millennia of weathering. Pan Gu feet came to resemble a blossom rising from a foliage of stone, and the ancient Chinese named the western mountain Huashan meaning flower Mountain.
Huashan has five peaks. I started to climb from Huashan Village leading up the mountain in the morning. From here it is a 6-kilometre walk up more than 3000 steps in 2 to 4 hours, depend on your stamina. The first 4 kilometers is rather easy, but along the remaining 2 kilometers the steps become steeper and the walk can be strenuous. The climb was once a daunting venture, with several fatalities allegedly occurring each year on the narrow mountain trails and vertical cliff paths and improvements made the climb now easier. But it is worth the effort. Along the way you will see beautiful scenery such as the photo posted above and some of the cave homes once inhabited by Taoist recluses. The five granite peaks are north peak (1,615m)(Yuntai feng)云台峰. You can save about three hours climbing from the ground to here by taking cable car to skip some of the steepest parts of Huashan. East peak(2,100m)(Zhaoyang feng朝阳峰) is where this picture was taken. West peak is Lianhua feng(莲花峰)is about 2,038m, South peak is Luoyan feng（落雁峰〕 is about 2,160m. Central peak is Jade lady feng （玉女峰〕is about 2,042m.
4.Taibaishan太白山
Taibaishan is located in the southern part of Shaanxi province（陕西省〕. It is about 10kms from Xi'an city（西安〕. It's height is 3,767m. The name Taibai is probably a remembrance of the poet of Tang Dynasty, Li Tai Bai（李太白）, after he visited here.
I did not manage to reach the peak. The climbing was the easiest among all as there was transport to pick me from entrance to somewhere near the peak called Shangbanshi 上板(Shangban temple) .And because that day was misty. It can be witnessed from the picture. You can hardly see from 50ms away especially at Shangbanshi. It is pointless to move to the peak as you can't see things around you.
I read one Taiwanese travel book said that climbing from the Southern part of Taibaishan, you can see most of beautiful spots along the way, but this route is not the official one. Going from the southern route, as Taibaishan is the main peak of Qinling秦岭, you can experience the magnificent of Qinling.
This picture was taken on the way to Shangbanshi. It is one of the scenic spots called Waterfall from Lotus peaks莲花瀑布.
5. Lushan卢山
Lushan is located at northern part of Jiangxi Province〔江西省〕. It has over 90 strange-looking peaks, and the highest is Hanyang peak（汉阳峰〕 which is about 1,474m in height. It also has many waterfalls crashing down from high cliffs like dazzling white silk or spraying foams in sequestered gorges like scattered white pearls. There are numerous ancient stone tablets and inscriptions and monasteries.
The centre of the whole Lushan mountain scenic area is Guling Town 牯岭镇nicknamed "Garden in the clouds". Other attractions include Huajing花径(Flora opath), Xianrendong仙人洞 (Fairy cave) and Jinxiugu (Beautiful valleys)锦绣谷.The place attracted many poets and artist, such as Tang Dynasty 唐朝famous poet Bai Ju Yi.〔白居易） It is also a conference place of historical significance. China communist party meeting was held here before. MT. Lushan is an ideal summer resort well-known throughout the world. Holiday villas and bangalows with typical architectural designs were built by foreign powers stationed in China. One of the most well-known villas is the Meilu that belong to Chiang Kai-shek蒋介石 and his wife- Song Meiling 宋美龄.
The picture looks like Chinese painting, it was taken at HanBokou含番þ口. One of the most famous scenic spots in Lushan.
6.Zhangjiajie张家界
Zhangjiajie is located in the northwestern of Hunan province湖南省. It is part of Wulingyuan武陵源. Zhangjiajie Scenic Area features the remarkably charming landscape in a landform of quartzite and hoodoos or needle karst, which is the result of the work of nature in a period of hundreds million years. There are over 85% forest coverage and more than 3000 species of the plants in Zhangjiajie. It has been called "treasure land of plants" With the fantastic peaks, amazing rocks, tranquil gullies, crystal clear waters and spectacular karst caves.
The picture above is Huangshi Stronghold黄石寨 It is about 1,035m in height and is the largest "sightseeing platform" in Zhangjiajie. You can view a marvelous fairyland formed by unusual peaks, rocks, streams, forests, rare animals and birds. There is a saying" if not going to Huangshi Stronghold, you will make a fruitless Zhangjiajie trip" You should visit Zhangjiajie during the end of winter time. You can see the snow covers on top of the greens, especially when the sun shines on the snow, the wonder is you are surrounded in a sparkling, tranquil world. The feelings are very soothing.
Beside Huangshi Stronghold, other scenic spots are Mt.Tianzi 天子山(Emperor hill) (Mt.Tianzi has been given a sobriquet "King of Hoodoos". It is characteristic of the area to have high and dense hoodoos, Shilihualang十里画廊 (Ten- mile Art Gallery) (Ten-mile Art Gallery is famous for its steep slope), and Golden Whip Stream金鞭溪 which is named after Golden Whip Crag. There are numerous impressive sights along the stretch of 5 km of the stream. Along the stream, you will see a lot of fantastic sceneries, Flowers and Fruit hill花果山. Purple Grass Pool, Meeting from a Thousand Miles away千里来相会 and etc. To the end of the Golden Whip Stream is the village of Shuirao Simen 水绕四门(Water surround the four sides). It is so called because a stream surrounds the village. The picture below is Golden Whip Stream.
7. Snow mountain along Qinghai highway雪山沿着青海公路
For detail description of Qinghai you can refer to last page Qinghai lake. This picture was taken on the way to Qinghai lake.
4.Taibaishan太白山
Taibaishan is located in the southern part of Shaanxi province（陕西省〕. It is about 10kms from Xi'an city（西安〕. It's height is 3,767m. The name Taibai is probably a remembrance of the poet of Tang Dynasty, Li Tai Bai（李太白）, after he visited here.I did not manage to reach the peak. The climbing was the easiest among all as there was transport to pick me from entrance to somewhere near the peak called Shangbanshi 上板(Shangban temple) .And because that day was misty. It can be witnessed from the picture. You can hardly see from 50ms away especially at Shangbanshi. It is pointless to move to the peak as you can't see things around you.
I read one Taiwanese travel book said that climbing from the Southern part of Taibaishan, you can see most of beautiful spots along the way, but this route is not the official one. Going from the southern route, as Taibaishan is the main peak of Qinling秦岭, you can experience the magnificent of Qinling.
This picture was taken on the way to Shangbanshi. It is one of the scenic spots called Waterfall from Lotus peaks莲花瀑布.
5. Lushan卢山
Lushan is located at northern part of Jiangxi Province〔江西省〕. It has over 90 strange-looking peaks, and the highest is Hanyang peak（汉阳峰〕 which is about 1,474m in height. It also has many waterfalls crashing down from high cliffs like dazzling white silk or spraying foams in sequestered gorges like scattered white pearls. There are numerous ancient stone tablets and inscriptions and monasteries.The centre of the whole Lushan mountain scenic area is Guling Town 牯岭镇nicknamed "Garden in the clouds". Other attractions include Huajing花径(Flora opath), Xianrendong仙人洞 (Fairy cave) and Jinxiugu (Beautiful valleys)锦绣谷.The place attracted many poets and artist, such as Tang Dynasty 唐朝famous poet Bai Ju Yi.〔白居易） It is also a conference place of historical significance. China communist party meeting was held here before. MT. Lushan is an ideal summer resort well-known throughout the world. Holiday villas and bangalows with typical architectural designs were built by foreign powers stationed in China. One of the most well-known villas is the Meilu that belong to Chiang Kai-shek蒋介石 and his wife- Song Meiling 宋美龄.
The picture looks like Chinese painting, it was taken at HanBokou含番þ口. One of the most famous scenic spots in Lushan.
6.Zhangjiajie张家界
Zhangjiajie is located in the northwestern of Hunan province湖南省. It is part of Wulingyuan武陵源. Zhangjiajie Scenic Area features the remarkably charming landscape in a landform of quartzite and hoodoos or needle karst, which is the result of the work of nature in a period of hundreds million years. There are over 85% forest coverage and more than 3000 species of the plants in Zhangjiajie. It has been called "treasure land of plants" With the fantastic peaks, amazing rocks, tranquil gullies, crystal clear waters and spectacular karst caves.
The picture above is Huangshi Stronghold黄石寨 It is about 1,035m in height and is the largest "sightseeing platform" in Zhangjiajie. You can view a marvelous fairyland formed by unusual peaks, rocks, streams, forests, rare animals and birds. There is a saying" if not going to Huangshi Stronghold, you will make a fruitless Zhangjiajie trip" You should visit Zhangjiajie during the end of winter time. You can see the snow covers on top of the greens, especially when the sun shines on the snow, the wonder is you are surrounded in a sparkling, tranquil world. The feelings are very soothing.
Beside Huangshi Stronghold, other scenic spots are Mt.Tianzi 天子山(Emperor hill) (Mt.Tianzi has been given a sobriquet "King of Hoodoos". It is characteristic of the area to have high and dense hoodoos, Shilihualang十里画廊 (Ten- mile Art Gallery) (Ten-mile Art Gallery is famous for its steep slope), and Golden Whip Stream金鞭溪 which is named after Golden Whip Crag. There are numerous impressive sights along the stretch of 5 km of the stream. Along the stream, you will see a lot of fantastic sceneries, Flowers and Fruit hill花果山. Purple Grass Pool, Meeting from a Thousand Miles away千里来相会 and etc. To the end of the Golden Whip Stream is the village of Shuirao Simen 水绕四门(Water surround the four sides). It is so called because a stream surrounds the village. The picture below is Golden Whip Stream.
7. Snow mountain along Qinghai highway雪山沿着青海公路
For detail description of Qinghai you can refer to last page Qinghai lake. This picture was taken on the way to Qinghai lake.