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Huangshan: Yellow Mountain

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Huangshan: Yellow Mountain

Before the climb, a hearty lunch at the foot of Huangshan.
As the steps climb up the mountain, clouds roll in to obscure the distant hills.
Finally, at the top of the climb, vistas featuring the famous pines and clouds of Huangshan.
Early the next morning, after a night on top, cold and icy winds blow across Huangshan.
The early morning hike includes lots of icy paths. Frozen fences are all that stand between you and the abyss.
Though clouds cover the peak through most of the morning…
…once the fog burns off the view is spectacular.
Finally, as the day warms up, some of the ice melts off and the fog burns away. This is the time to hike down and head back to town. With any luck, you can catch a bus back to town before evening.

I highly recommend visiting Huangshan if you’re on a trip in China, both because the mountains themselves are beautiful but also because it can be a great place to interact with Chinese on an equal tourist footing. There are plenty of ancient villages in the area nearby as well, so leave some free time to explore the area!

On the way from Shanghai to Huangshan, I was derailed in Huangshan village for a few days by inclement weather.  Wanting to make sure to climb the mountain on a clear day and so be able to enjoy the famous views, I spent two and a half days exploring the counties around the mountain.

huangshan villages
Small farm within Hongcun. These pop up between many of the houses and alleyways.

The villages of Xidi and Hongcun are World Heritage Sites listed because of their state of preservation as ancient fuedal Chinese villages.

Moon Pond, Hongcun Village.

Aside from well-known Xidi and Hongcun, though, are a number of other historical villages surrounding Huangshan.

Shexian is notable as the city where famous Song Dynasty philosopher Zhu Xi lived much of his life, as well as for architecture and a preserved walled town from that area.  (And also, my friend Qiong [wuqiong6907@126.com] who runs a travel company).

Shexian reservoir.

Huangshan village itself has a decent old town worth a bit of wandering. Though not preserved to the same level as Shexian and Hongcun, it makes for a nice afternoon diversion after a day of hiking Huangshan or while waiting on a train out of town.

Old town, huangshan Village

 

The day before, having walked up and then accidentally halfway down and then back up the mountain, I fell into an exhausted and not entirely happy sleep in an overpriced dorm room.

Waking up on the day of the video, then, I found Huangshan covered in snow and ice and looking marvelous for it. After that stopped, a sea of clouds hung just under our elevation the rest of the day to make things look even nicer.

The kid in the video at the beginning is a college student from Shenzhen who I ran into in my dorm the night before. After leaving China’s Misty Mountains here in Anhui, I never saw him again!

 

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I stayed in Tangkou district far away from the mountain itself, but the price was significantly cheaper from staying on the mountain. I liked the Koala Hostel  because it was close enough to Tangkou to explore but far enough away that it wasn’t actually part of the disney-fied old town. There are severalother options in the area as well, both in Tangkou and closer to Huangshan.

Are you looking to travel in China but not comfortable trying to do it independently? Check out the options available at GetYourGuide.

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I stayed in Tangkou district far away from the mountain itself, but the price was significantly cheaper from staying on the mountain. I liked the Koala Hostel  because it was close enough to Tangkou to explore but far enough away that it wasn’t actually part of the disney-fied old town. There are several other options in the area as well, both in Tangkou and closer to Huangshan.

Are you looking to travel in China but not comfortable trying to do it independently? Check out the options available at GetYourGuide.

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