“After a trip to Huangshan, China's Five Sacred mountains pale in comparison …” so goes the old Chinese saying. Hundreds, thousands and hundreds of thousands of people have journeyed to Huangshan every year for centuries to see for themselves if the Yellow Mountain is, as rhapsodized by ancient poets, indeed the most beautiful in China.

Yellow Mountain, also known as Mount Huangshan, is located in the southern part of Anhui Province. It is undoubtedly China's most celebrated mountain for all its grandeur and beauty. In 1990 Yellow Mountain was declared a World Natural and Cultural Heritage by UNESCO Heritage Committee.

What is it about Huangshan that makes people come again and again? Because, perhaps, the best features of China's other famous mountains are here. Huangshan's peaks are as lofty as Taishan's and as steep as Huashan's. They are shrouded in a sea of clouds like Hengshan, have waterfalls as majestic as those on Lushan, Emei mountain's tranquil coolness and the picturesque rock formations of the Yandang Mountains. Aside from all these similarities, Huangshan has its own grotesquely shaped pines, imposing cliffs, and hot springs.

Within an area of 154 square kilometers, the mountain offers a crowd of peaks. 72 of them have names indicating the shapes they resemble. Lotus, Brightness Apex and Celestial Capital are the three major ones, all rising above 1,800 meters. The mountains are a body of granite, often with vertical joints. When it is cloudy the pinnacles loom in mists as if they were illusionary. When the sun shines, they unfold in all their majesty and splendor.

From ancient times Mt. Huang has been frequented by tourists seeking their mystery and admiring their scenery. They come to the conclusion that the fantastic pines, the grotesque rocks, the sea of clouds and the hot springs are the four major attractions of the Yellow Mountains. As a matter of fact there are marvels almost everywhere, especially in scenic areas such as Wenquan (Hot Spring), Yupinglou (Jade Screen Tower), Xihai (West Sea), Beihai (North Sea), Yungusi (Cloud Valley Temple) and Songgu'an (Pine Valley Nunnery).

Huangshan is a popular spot for honeymooning newly-weds, and also has special significance for couples in general. This is evident in the hundreds of padlocks that can be seen hanging in the most remote spots. It is popularly believed that lovers or married couples can secure their union by hanging a padlock from some point on a mountain summit and throwing the key down to the valley below. If a couple decides to part they can do so only after coming back to Huangshan, searching the relevant valley for the key to their padlock and unlocking it.

China tours inclusive of visiting Huangshan - Yellow Mountain