A UNESCO World Culture Heritage and World Culture Natural Heritage Site, Huangshan Qu spreads across mountains and is punctuated with granite peaks, endless pine groves, hot springs, rushing streams and vast green-tea plantations. Huangshan Qu offers idyllic vistas made famous by poets, painters and major film companies, including the fictional world of “Avatar”.
Things to do in Huangshan Qu
It’s all about the natural scenery at Huangshan Qu, with about 150 sections accessible to visitors. Footpaths cover almost 50 kilometres of scenic sights, with thousands of stone steps curving into the mountain. Cable cars provide easy access to the most renowned viewpoints, such as Bright-Top Peak.
Many of the viewpoints have identifying features or ancient stories attached to them. Begin to Believe Peak honours a Zen master named Xiyuan Huang from the Ming dynasty, who meditated at the spot. The “Flying Over Rock” peak is a naturally formed rock weighing at least 36 tons.
Consider taking a tour of Huangshan Mountain, which lasts about 10 hours and hits all the most popular spots. You’ll see favourite viewing platforms, such as “Lion Peak”, “The Flower Grown out of a Writing Brush Rock”, and the “Xihai Grand Canyon”. Tours generally include transportation and narration, with options for lunch and extra cable-car routes.
Top off your exploration by taking the Yungu Cable Car to Yungu Temple. Resting at the foot of the mountain, the ruins and ancient walls of the temple offer a quiet spot for meditation and picnicking.
Getting around Huangshan Qu
The Huangshan Qu scenic area starts about 30 kilometres from Huangshan City. Buses, shuttles and coaches offer transportation from the Tunxi downtown district to the trails and cable platforms. After arrival, public shuttle buses operate across the area.