Huashan Mountain is one of the Five Mountains in China, famous for its steepness. It is not only a very famous holiday resort but also a holy land for Taoism, thus regarded by Taoism as the Fourth Heavenly Abode.
Huashan Mountain has an altitude of 2154.9 meters, as a part of the Qinling Mountains. Huashan Mountain is famous for its magnificence, strangeness, steepness and handsomeness. Strange stones, ancient pines, dangerous passageways, cloud and mist especially add infinite beautiful sceneries to it.
Situated in Huayin City, Huashan Mountain is 120 kilometers (75 miles) from Xian. Its five peaks are the representative attractions and each has its distinctive charms: East Peak is the best place to enjoy the sunrise; South Peak has the highest altitude; West Peak is the most elegant; North Peak is famous as the Cloud Terrace Peak and Middle Peak is also called Jade Lady Peak.
The Mountain is also home to several influential Taoist temples, where many emperors of past dynasties took part in Taoist activities and sacrificed to the god of mountain, making ita holy land of Taoism. At its foot, Xiyue Temple and Jade Spring Temple are the representatives of its Taoist elements. Xiyue Temple was built to honor the god of the mountain during the reign of Emperor Wudi in the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC - 24 AD). Since then many emperors have made sacrifice here to the god of the mountain. As a must-pass place when visiting Huashan Mountain, Jade Spring Temple is consider as the door to the mountain. Belonging to a Taoist Temple, it functions to hold Taoist practices and activities.
Climbing Route
For many years most people have taken a traditional but efficient walking-ascending and cable-car-descending route for this mountain climbing. By taking this route, visitors can experience not only its danger, but also the major meaningful scenic spots. At the foot of the mountain, you can start your trip by visiting the Jade Spring Temple. After that, you can walk to the Memorial Archway in about 15 min, and then in 5 min you will get to Five Dragon Bridge, next to which is the ticket office.
Passing through the ticket office, you will see the scenic spots one by one:
walking about 30 min to Fish Stone – 20 min to Five-Mile Pass – 15 min to Stone Gate - 10 min to Shaluo Terrace – 10 min to Maonv Cave – 10 min to Qingke Terrace – 10 min to Mind Changing Stone (Huixin Stone) – 10 min to Thousand-Foot Precipice – 15 min to Hundred-Foot Crevice – 15 min to Taoist Temple of A Group of Immortals – 15 min to Laojun Furrow – 10 min to Ear-Touching Cliff – 5 min to Heavenward Ladder – 5 min to Black Dragon Ridge – 25 min to Golden Lock Pass – 10 min to Five-Cloud Peak – 15 min to Sunshine Welcoming Cave – 5 min to East Peak.
East Peak (Facing Sun Peak)
Climbing to the top of East Peak takes 4 to 6 hours. It has an altitude of 2,090 meters (6,857 feet), forming a platform for visitors to view the sunrise. An astronomical telescope is provided here. The reference time for sunrise is 5:00a.m.-6:00a.m. in spring, 4:30a.m.-5:20a.m. in summer, 5:00a.m.-5:20a.m. in autumn and 5:30a.m.-6:00a.m. in winter.
The Immortal's Palm Peak, ranked as one of the Eight Scenic Wonders of the Xian, is located on the East Peak. It refers to the natural rock veins of the cliff, which look like a giant palm-print.
The legend goes that on March 3rd of the Lunar Calendar a torrential flood destroyed the villages within the Huashan Mountain area. This disaster was caused by the Queen Mother of the West, who held her Flat Peach Carnival celebration that year. She carelessly spilled a little jade wine down from paradise, causing a serious flood below. This news was quickly reported by Deity Shaohao to the Jade Emperor in Celestial Paradise. He gave a prompt order to Deity Juling to go down to tame the flood. When Deity Juling, full of vigor and vitality, descended from the clouds, he arrived at the precipitous cliff of East Peak. At the moment that he laid his left hand on one side and his right leg on the other, he ripped the mountain into two halves and immediately a flood rushed out. This tale adds luster to East Peak.
After enjoying the sunrise at East peak, you can descend according to this route in case you have missed some scenic spots: East Peak – about 35 min to Heavenly South Gate – 5 min to Plank Road – 25 min to Heaven Watching Pool – 5 min to South Peak – 35 min to West Peak – 15 min to Middle Peak – 20 min back to Black Dragon Ridge – 25 min to Macaque Sorrow – 5 min to North Peak.
South Peak (Landing Wild Geese Peak)
The Shoushen Cliff on Huashan Mountain With an altitude of 2,160 meters (7,087 feet), the South Peak is regarded as the monarch of the mountain because it is the highest peak and also the highest peak among the Five Sacred Mountains of China. Visitors who summit South Peak are undoubtedly winners. Looking around when standing at the peak, the surrounding landscapes are luxuriantly green; the Yellow River wanders far below and everything seems small. A legend goes that the wild geese returning from the south often landed at South Peak, giving the area the name Landing Wild Geese Peak.
At the top of South Peak, the Black Dragon Pool at the summit and the Greeting Pines on the southwestern cliff are two attractive resorts. At each side of the Landing Wild Goose Peak there are two peaks, Songhui Peak (Pine and Juniper Peak) in the east and Xiaozi Peak (Filial Son Peak) in the west. The three peaks form a picture of a Titan sitting in a chair. The most dangerous place is Plank Road, a plank path built along the side of a vertical cliff, about 0.3 meters (1 foot) wide. Below is a bottomless gulf which makes visitors shake with fear. In addition, there is a Taoist temple called Baidi Temple or Jintian Palace, considered to be the host temple of Deity Shaohao.
West Peak (Lotus Flower Peak)
West Peak has very high cliffs standing erect with an altitude of 2,086.6 meters (6,845 feet). There is a Taoist temple called Cuiyun Palace, before which a huge rock looking like a lotus flower comes into view, hence the name Lotus Flower Peak. There are another seven rocks beside Cuiyun Palace, which is said to be the place where Chenxiang, a main character in the movie Lotus Lantern, ripped the mountain to save his mother, The Heavenly Goddess San Sheng Mu.
Middle Peak (Jade Maiden Peak)
Middle Peak clings to East Peak and is in the center of East, South and West Peaks. There is a Taoist temple on the peak named Jade Maiden Temple. Legend has it that the daughter of Qin Mugong (569 - 621 BC) loved a man who was good at playing Chinese tung-hsiao (vertical flute) and she gave up the royal life to become a hermit who cultivated her spirituality here, hence the name Jade Maiden Peak. Today Jade Maiden Temple and Jade Maiden Basin for Shampooing can be found on the peak. Other scenic spots in Middle Peak include Rootless Tree and Sacrificing Tree, which have beautiful stories and add to the supernatural atmosphere of Middle Peak.
North Peak (Cloud Terrace Peak)
There are precipitous cliffs on all sides of North Peak, making it look like a flat terrace in the clouds, hence the name Cloud Terrace Peak. It is 1,614 meters (5,295 feet) high. Three sides are cliffs and one side is to the Ear-Touching Cliff, which is the fourth precipitous path where visitors can climb up only by pressing an ear close to the cliff. Almost halfway up the North Peak trees are luxuriantly green, creating a good rest spot.
Upon arrival at the North Peak, you can walk to the Cableway Station in 3-5 min and take the cable car to descend.
Tip on Easy Climbing by Cable Car
Visiting the mountain by cable car is another good choice for visitors. On the east side of Yuquan Temple, Cable Car on Huashan Mountain there is an about 8 kilometer (5 miles) long concrete road leading up to Wamiaogou where you can take a cable car directly to the North Peak. The top station is located on the east cliff of North Peak. The whole ride is more than 1,500 meters (0.9 mile) long and takes seven or eight minutes. The other cable car line starts from Donggoukou to West Peak with a stop at White Sparrow Temple. The whole ride is about 4,211 meters (2.6 miles) long and takes about 20 minutes. It is easier to get to the South and East Peak from West Peak compared with the North Peak.
TIPS
1. Basic info
Address: Huayin City, Weinan, Shaanxi
Ticket:
Entrance Fee:
March 1 to November 30: CNY 180;
December 1 to end of next February: CNY 100;
Cable Car Fee:
Line 1→Donggoukou - White Sparrow Temple - West Peak
March 1 to November 30: CNY 280 for a round trip; CNY 140 for a one-way trip
December 1 to end of next February: CNY 240 for a round trip; CNY 120 for a one-way trip
Line 2→Wamiaogou - North Peak
March 1 to November 30: CNY 150 for a round trip; CNY 80 for a one-way trip
December 1 to end of next February: CNY 80 for a round trip; CNY 45 for a one-way trip
Time:
Best Time to Visit: April to October
Cable Car Service:
March 1 to November 30: 07:00-19:00
December 1 to end of next February: 09:00 - 17:00
2. Transportation
How to go there from Xian:
1. There are high speed trains running from Xian North Railway Station to Huashan North Station, taking 30 - 40 minutes. After arrival, take the free minibuses in green outside the station to the mountain.
2. A normal train from Xian Railway Station to Huashan Station takes 1.5-2 hours. After arrival, take bus 608 to Baoliandeng Square, or Huashan Shengtai Square, which is near the entrance of the mountain.
Click Xian Train Schedule to search for detailed information on time and train ticket price.
3. Take subway line 1 to Xian Fangzhicheng Bus Station and take a bus to Huayin. The bus runs every 30 minutes between 07:45 and 19:00. The bus ticket costs CNY 37.5 and a single trip takes about 2 hours.
4. Take a regular tourist bus from the east square of Xian Railway Station to the Jade Spring Temple at the foot of the Huashan Mountain. It operates between 06:30 and 19:00. The one-way ticket costs CNY 39.5 and round-trip ticket costs CNY 66.5. A single trip takes 1.5 hours or so.
How to get back to Xian:
1. Take a taxi from Dongshanmen Parking Lot to Huashan North Station with a cost of about CNY 25, and then take high speed trains back to Xian.
2. There are many tourist buses from the Jade Spring Temple to the east square of Xian Railway Station and just leave when a bus is full. The ticket fare is CNY 38.