Day 3 in Huangshan 黃山

Yungu Temple 云谷寺 Trail Climb up the mountain - Shixin Peak - Xihai Grand Canyon - Outside the ring - Mengbi Shenghua - Qingliang Terrace - Monkeys watching the sea - Guangmingding 100-step cloud ladder - Welcoming pine - Yuping cableway (see map)

Shixin Peak 始信峰 is 1,683 meters above sea level, surrounded by cliffs on three sides and an empty valley facing the wind. There are many pine trees nearby, so there is a saying that "If you don't go to Shixin Peak, you won't see Huangshan pines". It is a representative landscape of Huangshan. There is also the Shuguang Pavilion here. About 200 meters away from the Shuguang Pavilion is the famous Qingliang Terrace, which is also surrounded by the sky on three sides. On the opposite mountain is the "Eighteen Arhats Facing the South China Sea".

One of the ten famous pines in Huangshan, it grows at an altitude of 1,650 meters from the Baieling Cableway Station to the fork in the road at Shixin Peak, and has been listed as a World Heritage Site. The pine has a thick trunk, lush green needles, majestic momentum, and a tiger-like aura. The crown is dark green and almost black, like a black tiger lying on the slope, so it is called "Black Tiger Pine". 黑虎松

On the left side of Beihai Sanhuawu, there is an isolated stone peak, which looks like a brush with the tip facing upwards. There are strange pines like flowers on the top of the peak, so it is named "Dream Brush Produces Flowers". 梦笔生花 It is said that one spring, the poet Li Bai came to Huangshan and saw the beautiful peaks of Beihai. He couldn't help looking up to the sky and chanting loudly: "Huangshan is four thousand feet high, with thirty-two lotus peaks; red cliffs are sandwiched between stone pillars, and lotus flowers are golden hibiscus". This voice startled the elder of the Lion Forest Zen Temple. The elder hurriedly ordered the little monk to bring rice wine brewed from the spring and the four treasures of the study.  The two sat on the ground, talking about poetry and drinking. Li Bai was deeply impressed by the elder's sincerity and wanted to write a poem in cursive to express his gratitude. Li Bai took advantage of his drunkenness to write quickly. After Li Bai finished writing, he was still a little drunk, so he threw the brush. The brush flipped several times, fell from the air and inserted into the soil. The brush that Li Bai had just thrown had turned into a pen peak, and the tip of the pen turned into a pine tree, standing in Sanhuawu.

Paiyun Pavilion 排云亭 is the entrance and exit of Xihai Grand Canyon. Passing Xihai Gate, you will reach Paiyun Pavilion. It is said to be the best place to see the sea of ​​clouds on Huangshan Mountain. Standing in front of the pavilion and looking forward, you can see the Huangshan Stone Museum. The landscapes from left to right are: immortals drying boots, fairies playing the zither, heavenly dogs listening to the zither, carrying thorns to ask for forgiveness, owls, Wu Song fighting tigers, King Wen pulling a cart, immortals walking on stilts, and heavenly girls embroidering. The deep ravine in front of the pavilion is called Xihai Grand Canyon.

Xihai Grand Canyon  西海大峡谷 “has thousands of lotuses blooming in the blue sky, and two peaks standing on cliffs that cut off the long rainbow. Only white cranes can fly in in pairs, and directly connect to the Milky Way." There are wonders such as "Liren Stone" and "Lion and Tiger Fighting for Food" on the peak. Under the peak are Yunmenyuan and Yunmen Creek, and water flows out of the "gate" to the southeast. The Grand Canyon is located among the peaks of Xihai. It is grand, strange, dangerous and secluded. The scenic area is beautiful - strange pines stand in forests, strange rocks are everywhere, and stone peaks are clustered.

Among the peaks at the western end of Pingtian Ridge, there is a huge stone standing on a rock platform. The stone is 12 meters high, 7.5 meters long and 2.5 meters wide, with a peculiar shape. It is amazing that such a huge stone stands on a flat rock 12-15 meters long and 8-10 meters wide. The contact surface between the two rocks is very small, and the stone seems to have flown here from the sky, so it is named "Flying Stone". 飞来石 The stubborn stone filmed in the 1984 TV series "Dream of Red Mansions" is the Flying Stone on Huangshan Mountain.

"You can't see the scenery of Huangshan Mountain without visiting Guangmingding ". 光明顶 Guangmingding, the second highest peak of Huangshan Mountain, is 1,860 meters above sea level. It is named Guangmingding because it is open and high and receives sunlight for a long time. The top is flat and open, and you can see the wonders of the East China Sea, the peaks of the West China Sea, and the peaks of Liandan, Tiandu, Lianhua, Yuping, and Aoyu.

The Hundred-Step Cloud Ladder 百步云梯 is located on the cliff at the northwest foot of Lotus Peak. Not far from the lotus stem are two huge rocks, one shaped like a turtle and the other shaped like a snake, the two parallel. More than 100 steep stone steps carved on the stone wall pass through the two rocks. From the opposite Aoyu Cave, it looks like a long ladder leaning against the cliff. Because it is often surrounded by clouds and mist, the terrain is very dangerous, so it is named "Hundred-Step Cloud Ladder". The two turtle and snake stones are right at the entrance of the ladder, as if guarding the entrance of the cloud ladder, so it is also called "Turtle and Snake Guarding the Cloud Ladder".