Huashan 华山

About Huashan

West Peak has the lotus-like rock form, South Peak is the highest, and East Peak is known for its sunrise outlook. The mountain is also a Taoist landscape, with temples and inscriptions along its routes. A worthwhile visit need not cover all five peaks: the cableway choice and open paths should determine a manageable circuit rather than a fixed checklist of exposed sections.

Huashan rises south of Huayin in Weinan, about 120 kilometers east of Xi'an, where it adjoins the Qinling mountains to the south and overlooks the Yellow River to the north. Its cliffs fall away sheer on all sides, with especially precipitous sections known as Qianchi Zhuang (千尺幢), Baichi Xia (百尺峡) and Canglong Ling (苍龙岭). The South Peak (落雁峰), the highest point, reaches 2,154.9 meters; the West Peak (莲花峰) is the most dangerous at 2,082 meters, and the North Peak (云台峰) the lowest at 1,614.7 meters.

Huashan is also a Taoist mountain, ranked fourth of the Thirty-Six Grotto-Heavens (三十六洞天); according to tradition, Xiao Shi (萧史) once played the flute here and drew the admiration of Nongyu (弄玉), daughter of Duke Mu of Qin (秦穆公). In 1982 the State Council approved it, under the name Shaanxi Huashan Scenic Area, in the first group of National Key Scenic Areas, with a touring area of about 150 square kilometers.

Geologically the youngest of the Five Great Mountains, Huashan is formed from a single mass of granite and, according to a 1984 survey, is still rising. Its name is traditionally traced to its shape: the Northern Wei geographer Li Daoyuan (郦道元) described the mountain from a distance as resembling a flower, and the ancient characters for 'flower' (花) and for 'hua' (华) were used interchangeably.

What to look for

• West Peak’s steep lotus-shaped granite crest.
• South Peak and the surrounding ridge-and-valley panorama.
• The mountain’s Taoist buildings and rock inscriptions along the permitted visitor paths.

Location & getting there

Getting to Huashan

Use Huashan North railway station in Huayin for the rail approach, then continue by road to the appropriate scenic-area visitor centre.

• Choose the cableway and return arrangement before entering. The plank walk and other exposed optional sections are not necessary for the suggested summit visit.