The Yellow Mountains

Dotted throughout eastern China are spectacular mountain ranges of pinnacles and spires, often with hanging temples perched above the highest points that has drawn inspiration of poets, artists, emperors and locals for thousands of years. One of these most striking ranges lies in the heart of China, not far from the flow of the Yangtze River, known as Huangshan, or the Yellow Mountains. In the 8th century, the Emperor of China, Huang Di, claimed Haungshan as a place of long sought-after immortality, placing the mountain in the minds of every Chinese and giving its name.

The journey to the top consists of thousands of stone-carved steps hugging and carving through the natural granitic rock, often with precarious drop offs. Weather dances back and forth between thunderstorms and sunshine, with clouds rolling in and out, hiding and then revealing amazing geologic formations. The area also harbors many botanical wonders such as the Huangshan pine that gracefully grows on the steepest slopes, giving the appearance of a Chinese painting brought to life. Thousands of Chinese tourists ascend these mountains today, spurred by legends created thousands of years ago and the glimpse of China’s “loveliest mountain.” A modern cable car takes visitors up and down in a quick yet scenic fashion, but there is something intriguing about stepping on the ancient stones and retracing the same steps that countless people have done before me. It is an inspirational natural wonder, especially considering that Hangzhou and the end of the Silk Roads is only a short journey away.