Yellow Mountain

The most beautiful place that I ever went in China, is Yellow Mountain. It is a group of mountains located in the southeast part of China in the province of Anhui. One claims that it has 72 peaks, with many of them unexplored and not reachable by normal travelers.

Unlike most of the scenic areas in North America, most of the areas in Yellow Mountain can not be reached by car. That means you have to be able to hike most of the way.

There is a tram system in place to help, but only help you through about one-fourth of the whole common trails, and you still need to hike quite a distance to see 90% of the common view areas.

Although transportation is a "problem" in Yellow Mountain area, it still attracts millions of people every year, both inland tourists and outsea tourists. This says itself for the beauty of this mountain.

There are way too many viewpoints to mention, and they are all must-sees. I just want to summarize the four major types of viewpoints in Yellow Mountain area.

First is pine trees. Yellow Mountain area has subtropical weather and is very wet all year. The temperature is never too high or cold. This is perfect for pine to grow.

And because the mountains are kind of rocky, pine trees have to fight for the way up and in the middle of rocks. Some of the pines have the most beautiful shaped trunk I have ever see, and you will be amazed by where they could grow and how well they can grow. Pine trees are everywhere along the many trails.

Second are rocks. Rocks come in all shapes and positions in Yellow Mountain area. Some of the rocks are sitting at the edge of a platform, as if it will roll down the cliff any minute. One big round shape rock sit on a platform with no other hill nearby, and Chinese call it "Flying stone", for it was suspected flying there from another peak. And you can definitely play the naming game while you are climbing on a trail. One rock could shape like anything, your imagination is the limit.

Third is the waterfall. Waterfall comes at all kind of unexpected places in Yellow Mountain. Some are all year, some are seasonal. Sometimes just as you take a turn in the narrow trail, a waterfall appears along the peak on the other side of the canyon, and just as you take another turn, it will disappear in no time. With the waterfall, there are also springs in the area. Most of the already discovered ones are always crowded with people though. For people believe the spring water in the area has very good theraputical function.

Fourth is the sea of cloud. This, to me, is the most amazing view of Yellow Mountain. Again, probably due to the wetness all year long, clouds are constantly forming a sea of all shapes around the mountains. As you climb your way to the top of some of the mountains, you are essentially climbing from under the cloud to in the cloud and finally up on the top of the sea of clouds. Sometimes the clouds themselves form mountain top formation, and they can move to you as a group very fast, and just as you think the cloud mountain will hit you, it collapses in no time and you can see how the clouds spread out and form new shapes.

Even more amazing is to see the sunrise on the top of the mountain. For there is no lodging at the top of the mountain, and it normally takes about a hour to hike to the peak from the nearest lodge, you have to get up very early and hike in the dark. But to see the sun rises from the sea of cloud is such an amazing event, that I would recommend to everyone who visits Yellow Mountain.

One more amazing view comes at night on a full moon day. It's always cold at night on the top of the mountain. But if you have enough clothes to keep you warm, you can afford to sit at the edge of a cliff, listening to the wind blowing through the forest of pine trees, and the echo in the canyon below, and the moving sea of clouds under the moonlight. At night, the changing of the shape is more amazing than during the day. Darkness hides the secret of the movement of the clouds, until they suddenly form a beautiful shape right in front of your eyes.

I went to Yellow Mountain twice already. And it appears in my dreams many many more times. For everyone who loves nature, you are going to lose a little piece of you there, so you have to go back again and again to find your missing piece.