This article is about the Mount Huang travel, China travel guide, China vacations and China travel tips. You can find some useful information in it if you are planning your Mount Huang, China travel now.
Mount Huang was formed approximately 100 million years ago and gained its unique rock formations in the Quaternary Glaciation.
During the Qin Dynasty, Mount Huang was known as Yishan (Mount Yi). In 747 AD, its name was changed to Huangshan (Mount Huang) by imperial decree; the name is commonly thought to have been coined in honor of Huang Di (the Yellow Emperor), a legendary Chinese emperor and the mythological ancestor of the Han Chinese; one legend states that Mount Huang was the location from which the Yellow Emperor ascended to Heaven. Another legend states that the Yellow Emperor “cultivated moral character and refined pills of immortality in the mountains, and in so doing gave the mountains his name.The first use of this name “Mount Huang” is often attributed to Chinese poet Li Bai. Mount Huang was fairly inaccessible and little-known in ancient times, but its change of name in 747 AD seems to have brought the area more attention; from then on, the area was visited frequently and many temples were built there.
Mount Huang is known for its stone steps, carved into the side of the mountain, of which there may be more than 60,000 throughout the area. The date at which work on the steps began is unknown, but they have been said to be over 1,500 years old.
In 1982, Mount Huang was declared a “site of scenic beauty and historic interest” by the State Council of the People’s Republic of China. It was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1990 for its scenery and for its role as a habitat for rare and threatened species. The nearby villages of Hongcun and Xidi were also named part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000.
How to get to Mount Huang(Mount Huangshan) from Beijing?
You can have 3 options: air, train or car.
The plane is the most convinient way of course. It is only about 2 hours trip from Beijing to Mount Huangshan. Currently, the China Air have airlines connecting Beijing with Mount Huangshan. It is available every day and the cost is about 1070 rmb. Sometimes you can get a 30% or 40% off, depending on the time you visit Mount Huangshan. Here is some info about this CA airline: (1). Beijing – Huangshan, Airline Number: CA1551, Take off time: 18:35, Arrive time: 20:47, Plane type: B737, Airfare: 1090 rmb. (2). Huangshan – Beijing, Airline Number: CA1552, Take off time: 21:25, Arrive time: 23:35, Plane type: B737, Airfare: 1090 rmb.
If you wanna take the train from Beijing to Mount Huangshan, the cost is lower than the air. The K45/K46(Beijing-Fuzhou) train can take you to Mount Huangshan. The trip is about 20 hours. Here is some info about this train: (1). Beijing to Huangshan, Train number: K45, Depart: 11:45, Arrive: 07:35, Cost: 182-521 rmb. (2). Huangshan to Beijing, Train number: K46, Depart: 09:21, Arrive: 05:07, Cost: 182-521 rmb.
Another option is to drive your own car from Beijing to Mount Huangshan. More and more people like this kind of travel now. I will recommend this tour: Beijing – Nanjing – Maanshan – Wuhu- Jinxian – Mount Huangshan. Some Huangshan,China travel tips here: (1). This trip is about 3300 kilometers and the cost is about 1600 rmb (1100 for the high way fees and 500 for the gas). (2). Sometimes the climate is not so good in south China and this may cause some extra time in your way from Beijing to Mount Huangshan. (like high way closed because of the fog, etc) (3). You will need to bring some food and water in your car. (4). If you are running out of gas, the best choices are the gas stations in the big cities or high way service areas.