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We finally arrived in Huangshan city, a 1.8 million-strong provincial center where ample tourism facilities ensure visitor comfort. After a relaxed night we left the sophisticated city in the morning for the drive to Tangkou, a small town at the foot of the mountain noted for its hot springs. Smaller shuttle buses continued on to the Yungu Cable Car Station where I boarded a modern unit which then set off up the lengthy cableway. Without this conveyance it would have been an arduous multi hour climb – some claim it’s a mere three hour leisurely amble - that I most certainly would never have made!
Two misconceptions were immediately dispelled upon reaching the mountain: it’s not yellow nor is there a solitary summit. The name, I learned, came about because of an imperial decree in 747 AD. From that year onward, Mount Yi became known as Huangshan Mountain to honour Huang Di, a legendary Chinese ruler known as the Yellow Emperor.
As for a solitary summit, some 75 peaks, in fact, vie for supremacy, each soaring higher than the next. Three major pinnacles are the most noted. Lotus Peak is the loftiest at 1864 metres with Bright Summit Peak and Celestial Peak rounding out the trio. Huangshan Mountain, then, is actually a mountain range and a significant one at that as it extends over 1200 sq. km with a core area of some 154 sq. km. The base of the mountain is 250 km in circumference.
The range was formed around 100 million years ago when an ancient sea disappeared due to a rise in the land. The hunk of Mesozoic granite was later shaped and smoothed by glacial action. Over time, fissures and fractures appeared on exposed surfaces. Miraculously, a robust plant found this to be an ideal location to survive and thrive. Huangshan pine known as Pinus hwangshanensis is indigenous to the mountain.
Thousands of pines have already crossed the century mark with one gnarled veteran I saw having celebrated an estimated 1200 summers! While the named – only one of a few – Black Tiger Pine is also revered for its age, there is added interest. Though it’s just 7.5 metres high its crown spreads out in the clean fresh air to – somewhat - resemble a tiger. An even odder characteristic is that the pine when viewed from particular angles looks like the Chinese character for tiger.
Huangshan Mountain’s bulk shelters a veritable botanical garden with more than 1450 recorded varieties of plants including endemic pines and Chinese hemlock. As well, the mountain is home to more than 550 types of mammals including Tibetan macaques. I saw plenty of pines but no primates as I initially ventured at an energetic pace along some of the 50 km of footpaths that link peaks with canyons and limpid pools with thundering waterfalls.
An estimated 60,000 stone steps have been carved into the mountain. Some of the dizzying pathways and solid staircases are believed to be over 1500 years old. Many scholars of old walked on the same stones I did when they came to the mountain to be awed by its enchanting landscape, compose poems, create paintings or make pilgrimages to sacred sites.
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