Posted 2016/7/22
As one of the five sacred mountains in China, Mount Huashan is located in the south of Huayin city, 120 kilometers east to Xi'an, Shaanxi province, with an altitude of 2200 meters. It connects Qinling Mountains in the south and overlooks the Yellow River and Weishui River to the north, guarding the path which connects the vast northwestern region with the Central Plains. Five major peaks stand towering in the south, north, east, west, and middle respectively that seen from afar, they look like five petals of a lotus flower; hence its name, Mount Huashan (meaning Mount of Flowers in ancient times).
Mount Huashan is famous for its breath-taking cliffs since the ancient times. It is formed by gigantic granite rocks, weathered by time, the mountain body looks just like a vast square column towering toward sky. Its awe-inspiring precipices entails it the fame that there is only one way to climb up to the summit. Climbing the mountains starts from Yuquan (Jade Spring) Temple, up with a murmuring and limpid stream, through Wuli Pass, Stone Gate, Saluo Ground, Maonv (Hairy Girl) Cave, and Cloud Gate to Qingke Ground. The journey from Qingke Ground to the Wuyun Peak, the north peak of the five peaks in Mount Huashan, is the most dangerous and strenuous one in climbing. Up to Huixin (Mind Changing) Rock one may find a crevice leading upward to the summit and people have no other choice but to ascend the mountain path which looks like the hanging ladder dropped from a helicopter. Those people with less courage may flinch back at this sight. That’s why it is called Mind Changing Rock. Mount Huashan features steep cliffs, rugged mountain paths like Qianchizhuang (Thousand-Foot Long Flag), Baichixia (Hundred-Foot Valley) that are cut through hard cliffs as well as the protruding Yaozifanshen (Sparrow hawk turning upside down). Natural beauty of steep cliffs, rugged rocks, waving clouds, tingling springs, and flying cascades and historic sites has attracted tourists and explorers from home and abroad.
The precipitous Mount Huashan is not only famous for its natural magnificence, but also renowned for cultural and historic importance. Great poets and scholars of dynasties like Li Bai, Du Fu and Gu Yanwu left their footsteps and stories here. Thousands of poems, inscriptions, and travel notes as well as rock carvings were devoted to this gorgeous mountain. The combination of cultural interests and natural beauties in Mount Huashan make it a fascinating attraction tourists cannot miss.
