HuaShan

Mount Hua or HuaShan (华山 or also known as 西岳 in the olden days) is one of the China’s five great mountains which has a long history of religious significance. Known to be the world’s No. 1 precipitous mountain, HuaShan consists of five main peaks with the South Peak being the highest at 2154.9 meters (7,070 feet).

You can get all the tickets ie. For shuttle bus, cable car and entrance fee here at the main ticket hall. Entrance fee to the national park of HuaShan itself is ¥180 and ¥90 for students. (Off-peak is ¥100 and ¥50 for students).

Anyway there are 2 cable cars in operation. The one leading up to the North Peak costs ¥80 for 1 way (duration about 8 mins). The other one leading to the West Peak costs ¥140 for one way (duration about 20 mins). Students visiting will get a 10% discount by showing their student ID on purchasing of tickets. For me, I chose to start my hiking from the West Peak.

The shuttle bus dropped me at the foot near to the West Gate. From there, I hiked up about 200 meters to reach the cable car station.

If you change your mind and do not wish to walk too much, you still can purchase the cable car ticket after you walk up to the west gate. There are a few shops there that sell mineral water, chilled canned drinks for hikers to rest before continuing the journey. Hiking accessories eg. gloves, torch lights, snacks etc can be found for sales too.

A big 'Welcome' in Chinese wordings was shown electronically to lead you to the entrance of the cable car station.

The ¥5 billion West cable car station (太华索道）started its operation in 2013 and has since made trips to HuaShan much easier than ever.

The cable car is a typical one with 1 side of the door opened for passengers to ascend and descend. There is also recorded narrator inside which will be played as the ride moves along to the peak.

View from the cable car ascending up slowly.

Ride on the west cable car line was exciting as it climbed up the steep mountain. The whole ride ascended about 4211 metres and lasted about 20 minutes.

Reaching the White Sparrow Temple after coming out from the cable car.<

Signboards for maps and read-out can be easily noticed for easy moving around in HuaShan. This board is the first board for introduction of HuaShan.

This board shows the map of HuaShan and its scenic areas around each peak.

The third board from the above two gives an introduction of the West Cable Car line and the fourth shows the board with the words 'HuaShan'.

HuaShan was well known as a religious site and consists of many temples, pavilions, engraved scriptures scattered among its slopes and peaks.

If you are lost and not sure where to head to, do not worry as there are always signboards that will show you the directions (with attraction name) that you wish to head to.

Some paths could be narrow and steep like this one heading up to the West Peak. It could be dangerous as many tourists will try to squeeze your way through during crowded periods. Be sure to hold onto the hand railings if there is a need to do so.

This was the scenic look out of the West Peak while I was on the way going to the East Peak.

Reaching to the East Peak which has an elevation of 2096.2 meters.

View of the Chess-play Pavilion from the East Peak scenic look-out.

This tablet with the wordings, "华山论剑“ is very popular spot among photographers as this relates to a dramatic scene of a famous swords-playing novel,"The Legend of the Condor Heroes".

The banner near the summit of the South Peak tells you that you are on the elevation 2154.96 meters which is the highest of the entire mountain.

The South Gate is the entrance where you gain access to the Sky trail or most commonly known as the Plank walk. The Plank walk is also well known as " The most dangerous hike in the world".

Cliff side Plank walk is considered the most breathtaking experience of HuaShan. Each year there are numerous cases of fatal accident that occurred here. There is an entrance fee of about USD $5 and you will be given 2 harness straps to hook on the wires along the path. Despite the fact the Plank walk is just walking on a narrow plank, it is actually a two-way trail. It is definitely not for the chicken-hearted. It will take approximately 30 minutes to complete the trail to-and-fro.

Moving down on steep stairs. Be extra cautious if you are moving along with kids, make sure you hold their hands tight.

Chinese engraved scriptures can be commonly seen scattered among the mountain.

Arriving at the Middle Peak. Elevation is about 2042 meters.

At the Golden Lock Temple. Be it you are climbing up from the North Peak or descending from the other 3 Peaks, you will pass by here.

You may purchase a 'golden' lock at the Golden Lock Temple and lock it at the iron railings as a prayer for your family. Some couples inscribe their names onto it as a symbol of their everlasting love.

Overall I felt that the visit to HuaShan was truly an eye-opener and an exciting one though one may find it quite strenuous to do more than a couples of ascends and descends from the mountain path. Well, you can always just take the cable car ride to the West Peak and walk casually to enjoy the majestic view of the sceneries.

Options Of Touring HuaShan:
I personally took the bus from the eastern side of the XiAn train station. It cost about ¥35 and departs from the train station every 30 minutes. Look for the signboard on the bus in front that says going to 'HuaShan' in case you hop onto the wrong bus going to the Terracotta Warriors or other tourist attractions. When reached, the bus will drop you at the main ticket hall where you will purchase your tickets.

Option 1
If you enjoy hiking much, I would suggest you to take the gold shuttle bus further up the drop off area where you came from at ¥20. It will bring you to the starting point of the 'Soldier's Walk' or the North Peak cable car station. The 'Soldier's Walk' is a faster route than than the main route and will approximately take you up to the North Peak in 2 to 3 hours depending on your physical fitness. Both hiking up and via cable car will bring you to the meeting point just below North Peak. From there, there is only 1 route up to go to other peaks which will go through 'Heavenly Steps' and 'Black Dragon Mountain'. This route will take you another 2 hours before you reach the Golden Lock Temple which branches out to the other four peaks.

Option 2
If you are not so confident of your fitness, I would suggest you purchase the ticket for the West Peak cable car and start your journey from the West Gate. You will also need to purchase a shuttle bus ticket at ¥40. After you got the ticket, walk back to the bus drop off area where you came from. Show your ticket and hop onto the gold shuttle bus which will bring you to the starting point. The cable car will bring you to just below the West Peak. Hiking to the other four peaks (South, East, West, Center) are much easier as there is not too much ascending since you are almost at the same elevation. After visiting the four peaks, you may go back by the same way or choose to descend down to the North Peak via the Golden Lock Temple.

P.S. : Thanks Chris Ong for his photo on the Sky Plank Walk.