Brief Introduction
Located in the south of Anhui Province, straddling Shexian, Yixian,Taiping and Xiuning counties. It was called Mt. Yishan in the QinDynasty, and got its current name in 747 during the Tang Dynasty.
The scenic area covers 154 sq. km, and is celebrated for its peaks,rocks, pines, clouds and springs. The renowned Four Wonders of Mt.Huangshan are the spectacular rocks, odd-shaped pines, hot springs andsea of clouds. Other attractions are lakes, waterfalls, streams, rareflowers and animals. Forests cover 83.4% of the area, with some 1,452species of native plant which fall into 203 families. Mt Huangshan alsohas a rich cultural heritage. Xu Xiake, a famous traveler of the MingDynasty visited Huangshan twice, and described it in a poem, calling itbest of all mountains in China.
Cultural Heritage
Mt. Huangshan has long been closely connected with religion. Asearly as in the Tang Dynasty, stories about Huangdi (the YellowEmperor), and the alchemists Rongchengzi and Fuqiugong making pills ofimmortality on Mt. Huangshan were recorded. Many peaks are named afterthem, such as Xanyuan Peak, Fuqiu Peak and Pill-making Peak. Even thename Huangshan is related to the story of the Yellow Emperor's makingof pills of immortality. Taoist temples built on Huangshan in the earlydays are Fuqiu Temple, Nine-Dragon Temple and so on. Since the end ofthe Ming Dynasty Buddhism has taken the place of Taoism in Huangshanculture. Buddhist monasteries have been built in large numbers, amongwhich, Xiangfu, Ciguang, Cuiwei and Zhibo are called the Four BigMonasteries of Huangshan.
Generation after generation, people have come to eulogize Mt.Huangshan, resulting in a rich legacy of art and literature. Someartists have even formed the Huangshan school. Besides, there arenumerous and widespread fairy tales and legends about the Mountain.
Natural Heritage
Mt. Huangshan has a complex geological history. The formation of thepeaks dates back to the Jurassic Period of the Mesozoic Era as a resultof crustal movements and subsequent uplift. During the late MesozoicEra and the early Cenozoic Era, a large amount of granite magma eruptedthrough fissures due to further crustal movements, which became themain body of the Mountain after cooling down.
Geologically, Huangshan is located in the transitional area betweentwo structures. Granite formation is characterized by faults andjoints. The major faults include the Huangshan fault (or Xiaoyaoxifault), Lotus Peak fault, the fault at the back of the Mountain and thefault along the way from Paiyun Pavilion to Xihaigou. These joints arewell advanced into four major groups. They are cubical, vertical,longitudinal, latitudinal, X-shaped or irregular in terms of shape.Huangshan also shows evidence of later glaciation during the QuaternaryPeriod, as pointed out in 1936 by Li Siguang, a renowned Chinesegeologist.
Thanks to the complicated natural environment, Huangshan has awell-preserved ecosystem. Vegetation covers 82.6% and forest, 56% ofthe total land area. Some 1,450 plant species are native to the area,of which one is under first grade protection; four are under secondgrade, and eight under third grade. There are ten species on the vergeof extinction, with six endemic to China and two to Huangshan.
Legends and Stories
The wonderful scenery of Mt. Huangshan has attracted many visitors.Among them were said to be immortals, like the Yellow Emperor, theDragon King and even the Eight Immortals. The story goes that once onthe day of the annual gathering of the Eight Immortals, seven of themarrived on time, while Han Xiangzi was late. Zhang Guolao guessed thatHan must have been fascinated by the scenery of Mt. Huangshan on hisway. Then Zhang Guolao flew into the sky to look for Han Xiangzi. Justas Zhang expected, Han was sightseeing on Mt. Huangshan. He wasenjoying himself so much that he forgot the gathering. Zhang triedevery possible way to persuade Han to leave. Han, however, wasreluctant to go, and turned a stone into a replica of himself, in casehe forgot the way to Huangshan the next time. The stone therefore wasnamed Immortal Showing the Way. Zhang, for fear that Han would slipaway again, rode backwards on his donkey to keep Han in sight and alsoto keep seeing the Mountain.
