Huangshan Mountain in east China's Anhui province
is one of Chinas ten best-known scenic spots, It is characterized
by the four wonders, namely, odd-shaped pines, grotesque rock
formation, seas of clouds and crystal-clear hot springs. Mount
Huangshan is celebrated for having all the features of mountain
scenery. Known as the No.  1
Mountain Under heaven, it features numerous imposing peaks(77
exceed an altitude of 1,000m), forests of stone pillars and
evergreen sturdy pines; other features include grotesquely-shaped
rocks (many of which are individually named, such as "pig-headed
monk eating water melon"), waterfalls, pools and hot springs.
Because of its mists and clouds, natural scenery in the area
changes beyond prediction. Xu Xiake, a noted Chinese geologist
and traveler in Ming Dynasty, praised Huangshan Mountain as
the best of all mountains.
Mount Huangshan was listed as one of the
World Natural and Cultural Heritages in 1990.
Mount Huangshan extends 40 kilometers from south
to north and 30 kilometers from east to west, covering an
area of 1200 square kilometers, the highlights of which occupy
154 square kilometers.
Huangshan Mountain is a marvel: within
an area of 154 square kilometers there is a crowd of peaks,
72 of which have names indicating the shapes they resemble.
Lotus, Brightness Top and Celestial Capital are the three
major ones, all rising above 1,800 meters above sea level.
The mountains are a body of granite, often with vertical joints.
Erosion and fracture contributed to shape the rocks into huge
columns, giving rise to lofty peaks and deep ravines. When
it is cloudy the pinnacles loom in mists as if they were illusionary,
while the sun is shining they unfold in all their majesty
and splendor. Huangshan Mountain change its color and appearance
with the alternation of seasons. In spring blooming flowers
decorate the slopes in a riot of color and fill the valleys
with fragrance; in summer you see verdure peaks rising one
upon another and hear springs gurgling merrily. Autumn dresses
the mountains in red and purple as maples and some other trees
are blazing-red; winter turns them into a world of frost and
ice with silver boughs and rocks everywhere. Here in Huangshan,
pines and rocks are intimately involved with each other, almost
every rock has a pine tree growing out of the crevice, and
every tree has tortuous and gnarled roots and branches.The
still sea of snow-white cloud can suddenly begin to roll and
toss, rise or fall, gather or disperse while the peaks emerge
and disappear in the clouds like isles in the ocean. So from
ancient times it has been frequented by tourists seeking their
mystery and admiring their 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 the following scenic areas:
Wenquan (Hot Spring), Yupinglou (Jade Screen Tower), Xihai
( West Sea), Beihai (North Sea), Yungusi (Cloud Valley Temple)
and Songgu'an (Pine Valley Nunnery).
There is plentiful rainfall in Huangshan Mountain.
 Therefore
there are thick forests.Owing to the peculiar terrain, the
Huangshan Mountain's climate is marked by a vertical change,
and the vertical distribution of vegetation is also distinctive:
plants on the summit, on the middle levels and at the foot
belong to the frigid, temperate and subtropical zones respectively.
There are more than 1500 species of plants, of which trees
comprise one third. So the Huangshan Mountain occupy an important
place in China's botanical research. Here you will find century-old
pines, firs, ginkgoes, actinidia, Chinese torreyas and camphor
woods, remnants of the glacial era. A number of trees are
celebrated on account of their age, grotesque shape, or precipitously
perched position. Mount Huangshan abound in flowering plants;
many of them are rare ones, such as Huangshan Rhododendron,
magnolia as well as azalea, camellia, plum, lily, orchid,
and so on. It has a rich store of medicinal herbs; more than
300 kinds are found here; the notable ones being glossy ganoderma
ginseng, Chinese gold thread rhizome and Chinese cinnamon.
Maofeng tea of Huangshan is well known at home and abroad.
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