Pine Forests, Fantastic Rocks, The Sea of Clouds

Mt. Huangshan is known worldwide for its four unique elements: pine forests, fantastic rocks, the sea of clouds, and hot springs. All of this can be enjoyed in different area across the mountain range.

North Sea Scenic Area (Beihai Jingqu)

The North Sea Scenic Area is in the summit area of Mt. Huangshan and it is an ideal place to view the sunrise and sunset (see table with sunrise/sunset times throughout the year). This area has quite a few attractive sights: the Cloud Dispersing Pavilion (Pai Yun Ting), the Beginning-to-Believe Peak (Shi Xin Feng) - the most pictoresque of the 72 peaks, the Stalagmite Peak (Shi Sun Feng), and Refreshing Terrace (Qing Liang Tai). The Refreshing Terrace is the best place to view the sunrise.

Beginning-to-Believe Peak (Shi Xin Feng)

The Beginning-to-Believe Peak, in the eastern summit area, attracts the greatest number of tourists. The beauty of Huangshan increases while you approach the peak hence the name. The deep chasm below the peak is the home of the Huangshan monkey.

Fallen Rock from Sky (Feilai Shi)

In the western part of the summit area, there is a huge pear-shaped rock, 10 meters high, standing precariously on top of the peak. The bottom of the rock is so separated from the ground that it looks as if it had just fallen from the sky.

         West Sea Scenic Area (Xihai Jingqu)

Jade Screen Pavilion

The Jade Screen Pavilion, 1,680 meters above sea level, is known as the Jade Screen of the Heaven. A unique experience here is to watch the white clouds drift below after rain, when picturesque mountain peaks, fantastic rock formations and green pines are enveloped in mist, with only their tops showing. In front of the pavilion there are the Guest-Greeting and Guest-Goodbye Pines.

Bright Summit Peak

At an elevation of 1,840 meters, this it is the second highest peak of Mt. Huangshan. Located in the central part of the mountain, this peak it is the best place for watching the sunrise and the sea of clouds.

Lotus Peak

At an elevation of 1,864 meters, it is the highest peak of the mountain. Surrounded by a group of lower peaks, it looks like a lotus flower in full bloom. From the top of the peak, you can have a panoramic view of Mt Huangshan mountain range.

Celestial Peak

This southeast peak of Huangshan faces Lotus Peak in the west and borders Boyu Peak in the east. It is 1,829 meters above sea level and is the steepest and most precipitous peak of the mountain.

         Tunxi Ancient Street

At the foot of the Mt. Huangshan, in the bend of Xin'an River, lies the beautiful mountain city called "The Tunxi City." The "Tunxi Ancient Street"can be found in this old city. The street starts in the west at Zhenhai Bridge, a stone arch bridge built during the Ming Dynasty, and ends in the east at the "Tablet of Memorial Archways." Its total length is about 1.5km and the sides of the street are laid with slab stones. There are hundreds of old but well preserved rows of shops, evoking a bygone era in buildings that are simple and elegant. It is a commercial street that is only for pedestrians. The merchants from the Anhui, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, and Fujian provinces jostle each other in a crowd that resembles the picture "Upper River during Qingming Festival". An ancient Western-European architect once visited the old street and said that he had found "The Eastern Ancient Rome."

First built over 700 years ago, during the Song Dynasty (960-1279), the street is flanked by some buildings from this period. More noticeable are the buildings from the Ming and Qing Dynasties (1368-1911), during which time the "Tunxi Ancient Street" became a distribution center for goods and materials to Huizhou The shops, workshops and residences have continued to maintain the characteristics and operational layout of ancient stores such as "shop in the front and workshop or house in the back" Most of the buildings are only three stories high, stone-based and brick-laid. They are decorated with small green tiles, wood carvings in the Hui style, ancient shop signs, and red-lacquered with double eaves on the roofs.

They are simple and elegant, magnificent and clean. The pavement is 5 to 8 meters wide, laid with large red flagstones. Whether you are wandering along the old bridge, visiting the fish beside the river, finding shoots of bamboo on the slope, or standing under a tree and listening to the birds whistle, it is easy to rest and attain mental tranquility by getting back to the nature.

Shops and stalls sell an interesting mix of antiques and knick-knacks including ink stones, brushes, local teas, Mao badges and advertising posters from the 30s. There are also many small food vendors and some excellent dumpling restaurants. The shop names in the ancient street have a lot of culture meanings, which shows that the merchants in Huizhou are scholar-merchants. Many of these shops carry more than a hundred years of history, such as "Tongderen" (Medicine Shop), "Tonghe" (Steelyard Store), and "Chengdexin" (Sauce and Pickle Shop). These stores continue to use the same methods of production, display, and operation as they did in ancient times.