Huangshan (simplified Chinese: 黄山; traditional Chinese: 黃山; pinyin: Huángshān; literally: “Yellow Mountain“),is a mountain range in southern Anhui province in eastern China.

The range is composed of material that was uplifted from an ancient sea during the Mesozoic era, 100 million years ago. The mountains themselves were carved by glaciers during the Quaternary. Vegetation on the range is thickest below 1,100 meters (3,600 ft), with trees growing up to the treeline at 1,800 meters (5,900 ft).

The area is well known for its scenery, sunsets, peculiarly shaped granite peaks, Huangshan Pine trees, hot springs, winter snow, and views of the clouds from above.

Huangshan is a frequent subject of traditional Chinese paintings and literature, as well as modern photography.

It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and one of China’s major tourist destinations.

Huangshan is known for its sunrises, pine trees, “strangely jutting granite peaks”,hot springs, winter snow and views of clouds touching the mountainsides for more than 200 days out of the year.

The Huangshan mountain range has many peaks, some more than 1,000 meters (3,250 feet) high.The three tallest and best-known peaks are Lotus Peak (Lian Hua Feng, 1,864 m), Bright Summit Peak (Guang Ming Ding, 1,840 m), and Celestial Peak (Tian Du Feng, literally Capital of Heaven Peak, 1,829 m).

The World Heritage Site covers a core area of 154 square kilometres and a buffer zone of 142 square kilometres. The mountains were formed in the Mesozoic, about 100 million years ago, when an ancient sea disappeared due to uplift. Later, in the Quaternary Period, the landscape was shaped by the influence of glaciers

The mountain tops often offer views of the clouds from above, known as the Sea of Clouds or “Huangshan Sea” because of the cloud’s resemblance to an ocean, and many vistas are known by names such as “North Sea” or “South Sea.”

One writer remarked on the view of the clouds from Huangshan as follows:

To enjoy the magnificence of a mountain, you have to look upwards in most cases. To enjoy Mount Huangshan, however, you’ve got to look downward

Having at least 140 sections open to visitors,Huangshan is a major tourist destination in China. In 2007, for instance, over 15 million tourists visited the mountain.

The foot of the mountains is linked by rail and by air to Shanghai, and is also accessible from cities such as Hangzhou and Wuhu. As of 1990, there were over 50 kilometers of footpaths providing access to scenic areas for visitors and staffers of the facilities.

Today there are also cable cars that tourists can use to ride directly from the base to one of the summits.

Throughout the area there are hotels and guest houses that accommodate overnight visitors, many of whom hike up the mountains, spend the night at one of the peaks to view the sunrise, and then descend by a different route the next day.

The area is classified as a AAAAA scenic area by the China National Tourism Administration.

The hotels, restaurants, and other facilities at the top of the mountain are serviced and kept stocked by porters who carry resources up the mountain on foot, hanging their cargo from long poles balanced over their shoulders or backs.

 TUNXI

Tunxi District forms the central district of Huangshan City, Anhui Province, People’s Republic of China. The most well-known tourist spot is the Old Town, although Tunxi is also close to the Huangshan Mountain Range and Hongcun Village, both of which are World Heritage Sites.

text taken from wikipedia