Mt. Huangshan (Huangshan City, Anhui Province)

Brief Introduction

Located in the south of Anhui Province, straddling Shexian, Yixian, Taiping and Xiuning counties. It was called Mt. Yishan in the Qin Dynasty, and got its current name in 747 during the Tang Dynasty.

The scenic area covers 154 sq. km, and is celebrated for its peaks, rocks, pines, clouds and springs. The renowned Four Wonders of Mt. Huangshan are the spectacular rocks, odd-shaped pines, hot springs and sea of clouds. Other attractions are lakes, waterfalls, streams, rare flowers and animals. Forests cover 83.4% of the area, with some 1,452 species of native plant which fall into 203 families. Mt Huangshan also has a rich cultural heritage. Xu Xiake, a famous traveler of the Ming Dynasty visited Huangshan twice, and described it in a poem, calling it best of all mountains in China.

Cultural Heritage

Mt. Huangshan has long been closely connected with religion. As early as in the Tang Dynasty, stories about Huangdi (the Yellow Emperor), and the alchemists Rongchengzi and Fuqiugong making pills of immortality on Mt. Huangshan were recorded. Many peaks are named after them, such as Xanyuan Peak, Fuqiu Peak and Pill-making Peak. Even the name Huangshan is related to the story of the Yellow Emperor's making of pills of immortality. Taoist temples built on Huangshan in the early days are Fuqiu Temple, Nine-Dragon Temple and so on. Since the end of the Ming Dynasty Buddhism has taken the place of Taoism in Huangshan culture. Buddhist monasteries have been built in large numbers, among which, Xiangfu, Ciguang, Cuiwei and Zhibo are called the Four Big Monasteries of Huangshan.