Yellow Mountain, the symbol of Anhui province, is located in Huangshan city of southern Anhui province. It is about 40 kilometers long from north to south and 30 kilometers wide from east to west, covering an area of 160.6 square kilometers. Huangshan has 72 peaks, and the main peak named Lotus Peak is 1,864 meters high, which is regarded as the three main peaks of Yellow Mountain. The other two peaks are Bright Summit top and Heavenly Capital peak (Tiandu Peak).
As an old Chinese saying goes “You have no wish to visit any other mountains after viewing the Five Mountains, and you do not even wish to visit them after you come back from a trip to Yellow Mountain”.
It shows how breath-taking and magnificent scenery Yellow Mountain is. Nowadays, Yellow Mountain is famous at home and abroad for its “four wonders” and profound Hui culture. It is both the world natural and cultural heritage with a great reputation of the “the most fantastic and beautiful mountain in China”.
Basic Facts about the Yellow Mountain:
- “Four Wonders” of Yellow Mountain refers to four unique landscape: strange pine, absurd rocks, sea of clouds and hot springs.
- The strange pine refers to the pine inpeculiar shape. The top 10 renowned pines in Yellow Mountain are: Guest-Greeting Pine, Guest-Goodbye Pine, Cushion Pine, Wolong Pine , Lianli Pine, Kylin Pine, Black Tiger Pine, Sea Exploring Pine, Dragon Claw Pine and Harp Pine.
- And there are more than 120 absurd and named stones that are in different shapes. If visitors see them from different positions or in different weather, them can appear in various shape. Almost every peak of Yellow mountain has absurd rocks formed during the Quaternary glaciation.
- Yellow Mountain often has a wonder of sea of clouds, which is renowned for its picturesque and spectacular scenery and it can be seen in all seasons, especially in winter. According to the distribution of sea of clouds, the mountain has the east sea of clouds, the south sea of clouds, the west sea of clouds, the north sea of clouds and the sky sea. There are more than 200 days of foggy weather in a year in Huangshan. The sea of clouds is always formed when water vapor rises or fog remains after rain. During the autumn, the red leaves looks like floating above the sea of clouds to form a charming view together, which is like a fairyland.
- The hot spring originates from the foot of Ziyun Peakthat is 850 meters above sea level. It is said that Yellow Emperor Xuanyuanbathed here for 49 days and rejuvenated successfully, so the spring is also known as “magic spring”. Hot spring here yield about 400 tons of water every day with water temperature of 42 degrees around, which has certain effect on diseases of digestive, nervous, cardiovascular, metabolic and sports systems, especially skin problems.
- Yellow Mountain is not only a mountain with verdant vegetation and breath-takingnatural scenery, but also a rich treasure house of art. Since ancient times, people have visited and praised Yellow Mountain and lefta rich cultural heritage. At present, Yellow Mountain has more than 100 ancient buildings such as terraces, pavilions and bridges, most of which are in Anhui style architectures with the unique cornices and rake angles. And there are nearly 300 inscriptions on cliff surfaces of Yellow Mountain written in various calligraphy styles such as seal, official script, running hand, regular script and cursive script.
Travel tips:
- The weather changes greatly in Yellow Mountain,it may change from rain to shine for a short period. So, it is necessary for visitors to pay close attention to the weather forecast and bring sunglasses, caps or sun scream to prevent the sun radiation and raincoats to keep out rain and wind.
- It is wise for visitors to pack as little as possible and wear suitable hiking boots whileclimbing, which can help visitors save energy.
- The temperature atnight and morning in the mountainous area is low, so visitors should pay a attention to keep warm.
How to Buy Entrance Ticket?
- Price of ticket: The price of entrance ticket of Yellow Mountain is different in peak season and low season.
| Peak Season(Jan.21st – Nov.19th) | CNY 190 |
| Low Season(Nov.20th – Jan.20th) | CNY 150 |
- Opening time:
| Peak Season(Jan.21st – Nov.19th) | 06:30-16:30 |
| Low Season(Nov.20th – Jan.20th) | 07:00-16:30 |
Notes: The ticket of Yellow Mountain is valid for one time but no limitation for how long you stay in scenic area. So, if you want to spend more days in Yellow Mountain, you can choose to camp or live in hotel in the scenic area, or you need to get a proof for reentering the next day. In fact, reentering the scenic area on next day is not very cost-effective, because you need to climb the mountain and spend money to buy the cable car ticket again.
- Price of cable car: The scenic area is equipped with convenient cable car for visitors to save time and energy, and visitors can enjoy the charming and magnificent scenery during the journey.
| Cloud Valley(Single Trip) | CNY 80(Jan. 21st – Nov. 19th ); CNY 65(Nov. 20th – Jan. 20th ) |
| Jade Screen(Single Trip) | CNY 90(Jan. 21st – Nov. 19th ); CNY 75(Nov. 20th – Jan. 20th ) |
| West Sea Valley(Single Trip) | CNY 100(Jan. 21st – Nov. 19th ); CNY 90(Nov. 20th – Jan. 20th ) |
| Taiping(Single Trip) | CNY 80(Jan. 21st – Nov. 19th ); CNY 65(Nov. 20th – Jan. 20th ) |
- Opening Time:
| Cloud Valley | 07:00-17:00(Weekdays); 06:30-17:00(Weekend) |
| Jade Screen | 07:00-17:30(Weekdays); 06:30-17:30(Weekend) |
| West Sea Valley | 08:00-17:00 |
| Taiping | 07:00-17:00(Weekdays); 06:30-17:00(Weekend) |
When is the best time to visit?
Generally speaking, Yellow Mountain is suitable for visiting all year around due to diverse and unique view in different seasons. During the summer and autumn, the weather is pleasant and scenery is breath-taking. However, in order to appreciate the wonder of sea of clouds, spring and winter is the best time to visit. Winter is especially known as “the most beautiful season of Yellow Mountain”. During the winter, visitors can see rime, icicle and snow scenery with a lower price of entrance ticket. But some scenic spots such as the West Sea Valley and Heavenly Capital Peak (Tiandu Peak) are closed for winter maintenance.
Tips: Visitors had better avoid the official holiday in China, because many Chinese citizens choose to travel on official holidays to ease the pressure of their work. As a result, many Chinese tourist attractions are overcrowded and traffic jams are common. Therefore, visiting China at this time will bring tourists a less pleasant travel experience.
Official Holidays in China
| Chinese New Year | Around January or February |
| Winter vacation | January-February |
| Labor Day | May1st -3rd |
| Summer vacation(for students) | July-August31st |
| Mid-Autumn Festival | Around mid-September |
| National Day | October 1st-7th |
How to get to the Yellow Mountain?
From Downtown
Huangshan Bus Station has several buses to Tangkou town every day. After arriving at Tangkou town, visitors need to take the Xinguo Line to get the scenic area.
From the Huangshang Airport
Visitors can take Bus No.19 to Tunxi Bus Station (City Passenger Transport Terminal) from Huangshan Airport, and then take shuttle bus to the scenic area.
From the Railway Station
Tour buses are available for visitors at Huangshan North Railway Station.
