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Welcoming Guest Pine, Huangshan

Welcoming Guest Pine (迎客松) is perhaps the most famous of all Huangshan Pines (黄山松), if not in China! The pine tree features on the back of the Chinese Renminbi 5 note. Believe it or not, security guard watches over the Welcoming Guest Pine 24 hours, 7 days a week!

Welcoming Guest Pine, Huangshan picture huangshan escapade  photo

Welcoming Guest Pine is located on the east side of Jade Screen Peak (玉屏峰), by the Wenshu Cave (文殊洞). The pine tree is thought to be over 1,500 years old! It grows on the cliff which is just next to the Jade Screen Pavilion Hotel (玉屏楼宾馆). Yuping Cableway Station (玉屏索道站), which we chose to descend Huangshan, is also a short distance away. More on Welcoming Guest Pine in the later part of this post, so please read on!

After the Turtle Peak (鳖鱼峰) and Turtle Cave (鳖鱼洞), we arrived at the Hundred-Step Cloud Ladder (百步云梯) at approximately 0900 in the morning. Hundred-Step Cloud Ladder is located on the northwestern cliff of the Lotus Peak (莲花峰), which is the tallest peak in Huangshan. These steep stone steps were carved onto the side of mountain. And I took a well 15 minutes to hike up the peak. Local said 1 footstep each from your both feet is equivalent to 1 step in ancient Chinese saying. It means the Cloud Ladder is in fact having 200 steps!

Welcoming Guest Pine, Huangshan picture huangshan escapade  photo

At Hundred-Step Cloud Ladder

Welcoming Guest Pine, Huangshan picture huangshan escapade  photo

Climbing up the steep steps

Welcoming Guest Pine, Huangshan picture huangshan escapade  photo

A daunting task!

Welcoming Guest Pine, Huangshan picture huangshan escapade  photo

The whole picture of Hundred-Step Cloud Ladder!

I did not count my footstep though while I hiked up the peak. I was too busy admiring the scenery in between the clouds. Indeed, at such a high altitude, I believe I would be able to touch the clouds and travel amongst them, if there is any.

Welcoming Guest Pine, Huangshan picture huangshan escapade  photo

Beautiful Huangshan scenery (click for wallpaper size)

Welcoming Guest Pine, Huangshan picture huangshan escapade  photo

Beautiful Huangshan scenery

Welcoming Guest Pine, Huangshan picture huangshan escapade  photo

Beautiful Huangshan scenery

After climbing up the Hundred-Step Cloud Ladder, there is another 1 kilometer to reach to the top of the Lotus Peak. However, I opted to take an alternative route heading to Jade Screen Peak which is another 1.5 kilometers away. It was already 0915 and I feared that we would not be able to catch the bus back to Tunxi (屯溪) if we chose to ascend the Lotus Peak. Lotus Peak was closed to visitors anyway when I was there, and this is always the case during severe weather condition.

Welcoming Guest Pine, Huangshan picture huangshan escapade  photo

Huangshan trekking route map

Welcoming Guest Pine, Huangshan picture huangshan escapade  photo

This way up to the Lotus Peak

The sun had already come out. Snow had also completely melted down. There were no more snowflakes covering the tops of trees and peaks. It was a whole new green world! I was so blessed to have witness both winter and spring in Huangshan in the space of 1 day. When I ascended Huangshan the day before, it was snowing heavily and everything was covered with white snow! You can read here. This tells you that weather up here in the mountain can change so drastically!

Welcoming Guest Pine, Huangshan picture huangshan escapade  photo

Pine trees

Welcoming Guest Pine, Huangshan picture huangshan escapade  photo

Huangshan in greenery (click for wallpaper size)

Welcoming Guest Pine, Huangshan picture huangshan escapade  photo

Huangshan precipitous peak

Welcoming Guest Pine, Huangshan picture huangshan escapade  photo

Huangshan precipitous peak

Welcoming Guest Pine, Huangshan picture huangshan escapade  photo

Stone steps cut into the side of mountain

Welcoming Guest Pine, Huangshan picture huangshan escapade  photo

Huangshan peculiar shaped rocks

Welcoming Guest Pine, Huangshan picture huangshan escapade  photo

Huangshan pines

Welcoming Guest Pine, Huangshan picture huangshan escapade  photo

Huangshan pines grow from the cliff

Welcoming Guest Pine, Huangshan picture huangshan escapade  photo

Huangshan scenery

Welcoming Guest Pine, Huangshan picture huangshan escapade  photo

I call this slave labor! Not to be encouraged!

Welcoming Guest Pine, Huangshan picture huangshan escapade  photo

Huangshan pines

Welcoming Guest Pine, Huangshan picture huangshan escapade  photo

Huangshan pines grow from the cliff

Welcoming Guest Pine, Huangshan picture huangshan escapade  photo

Huangshan pines grow from the cliff

Welcoming Guest Pine, Huangshan picture huangshan escapade  photo

Huangshan scenery

Welcoming Guest Pine, Huangshan picture huangshan escapade  photo

Huangshan pines grow from the cliff

Welcoming Guest Pine, Huangshan picture huangshan escapade  photo

Huangshan peculiar shaped rock

Welcoming Guest Pine, Huangshan picture huangshan escapade  photo

Huangshan scenery

Welcoming Guest Pine, Huangshan picture huangshan escapade  photo

Huangshan scenery

Welcoming Guest Pine, Huangshan picture huangshan escapade  photo

Huangshan scenery

Welcoming Guest Pine, Huangshan picture huangshan escapade  photo

Huangshan scenery

I could now see the Welcoming Guest Pine in a distant. It was 0930 in the morning.

Welcoming Guest Pine, Huangshan picture huangshan escapade  photo

Can you see Welcoming Guest Pine in the distant?

Welcoming Guest Pine, Huangshan picture huangshan escapade  photo

Zoom closer!

Soon after, I could see Yuping Cableway Station not far down below. It seemed to me we were to reach the cableway station before the Jade Screen Peak in which the Welcoming Guest Pine is located.

Welcoming Guest Pine, Huangshan picture huangshan escapade  photo

Yuping Cableway Station just down below

We were at the Yuping Cableway Station at approximately 1000. And indeed the Jade Screen Peak is another 1 kilometer or so from the cableway station. I feared for long queue at the cableway station. Plus a 2-kilometer to and fro the Jade Screen Peak would take more than an hour for slow trekkers like us! I had no choice but to abort my plan to see the famous Welcoming Guest Pine as I would not want to miss the tour bus taking us back to Tunxi.

Welcoming Guest Pine, Huangshan picture huangshan escapade  photo

Yuping Cableway Station

Welcoming Guest Pine, Huangshan picture huangshan escapade  photo

See the cable car?

Next, descending Mount Huangshan…

Technorati Tags: , Huangshan Pines, , , , Turtle Peak, Turtle Cave, , , Tunxi

Trekking from Bright Summit Peak to Yuping Cableway Station

We chose to descend Huangshan (黄山) through Yuping Cableway Station (玉屏索道站), which means another 3 to 4 hours trekking from Bright Summit Peak (光明顶). The night before, we stayed at Baiyun Hotel (白云宾馆), which backdrop is the Bright Summit Peak itself. I failed to see Huangshan sunrise in the morning because I waked up too late. Besides, thinking of another 25 minutes hiking up to Bright Summit Peak with snow still falling heavily outside had also discouraged me from doing so.

We had breads bought in Tunxi (屯溪) as simple breakfast. We set out to Yuping Cableway Station at approximately 0730, hoping to catch a tour bus at noon, which was arranged the day before, to get us back to Tunxi. Outside, the snow was no more falling down. We started to see greenery again of tree branches and leaves.

Trekking from Bright Summit Peak to Yuping Cableway Station picture huangshan escapade  photo

Pine trees outside Baiyun Hotel

Trekking from Bright Summit Peak to Yuping Cableway Station picture huangshan escapade  photo

Huangshan panorama

We reached Turtle Peak (鳖鱼峰) approximately half an hour later. Turtle Peak is so named because it looks like a huge turtle opening its mouth. From Turtle Peak, we could see Baiyun Hotel and Huangshan weather station not a great distance away. Standing on the back of this huge turtle, I had taken another panorama picture of Huangshan. We also found a few sedan chairs at Turtle Peak. For your information, one can opt to be carried up and down Huangshan in a sedan chair if you are getting too tired walking up and down so many stone steps.

Trekking from Bright Summit Peak to Yuping Cableway Station picture huangshan escapade  photo

Departing from Baiyun Hotel

Trekking from Bright Summit Peak to Yuping Cableway Station picture huangshan escapade  photo

Arriving at Turtle Peak

Trekking from Bright Summit Peak to Yuping Cableway Station picture huangshan escapade  photo

Huangshan's Turtle Peak

Trekking from Bright Summit Peak to Yuping Cableway Station picture huangshan escapade  photo

Huangshan weather station

Trekking from Bright Summit Peak to Yuping Cableway Station picture huangshan escapade  photo

Can you spot the blue rooftop Baiyun Hotel?

Trekking from Bright Summit Peak to Yuping Cableway Station picture huangshan escapade  photo

Huangshan panorama at Turtle Peak

Trekking from Bright Summit Peak to Yuping Cableway Station picture huangshan escapade  photo

Sedan chair

Snow on tree branches and mountain tops has melted down by now, so as on the stone steps. Do you know that some snow may not melt at all? They partly melt and then refreeze to form a new crisp outer ice layer which is extremely slippery and dangerous to walk on. You got to wear over your shoes a pair of instep crampons specially designed to walk on ice.

Trekking from Bright Summit Peak to Yuping Cableway Station picture huangshan escapade  photo

Ice formation which is extremely slippery to walk on

Trekking from Bright Summit Peak to Yuping Cableway Station picture huangshan escapade  photo

Instep crampons is a must to walk on icy surface!

From the Turtle Peak, we hiked down into a cave and back out from the cave again. The cave is called the Turtle Cave (鳖鱼洞).

Trekking from Bright Summit Peak to Yuping Cableway Station picture huangshan escapade  photo

Hiking down Turtle Peak

Trekking from Bright Summit Peak to Yuping Cableway Station picture huangshan escapade  photo

Huangshan precipitous peaks

Trekking from Bright Summit Peak to Yuping Cableway Station picture huangshan escapade  photo

Into Turtle Cave

Trekking from Bright Summit Peak to Yuping Cableway Station picture huangshan escapade  photo

Turtle Cave, Huangshan

Trekking from Bright Summit Peak to Yuping Cableway Station picture huangshan escapade  photo

Come back out of Turtle Cave

The snow on mountain tops has completely melted down. The view in front of us is a new green surrounding, totally different from the snow white world the day before. There are also pine trees growing on steep rock cliffs. You can read more on Huangshan Pines here.

Trekking from Bright Summit Peak to Yuping Cableway Station picture huangshan escapade  photo

Snow has completely melted down

Trekking from Bright Summit Peak to Yuping Cableway Station picture huangshan escapade  photo

Huangshan Pines grow from stone cliffs

Trekking from Bright Summit Peak to Yuping Cableway Station picture huangshan escapade  photo

Huangshan Pines grow from stone cliffs

Trekking from Bright Summit Peak to Yuping Cableway Station picture huangshan escapade  photo

More of Huangshan pine trees!

Trekking from Bright Summit Peak to Yuping Cableway Station picture huangshan escapade  photo

Half way to Yuping Cableway Station

Trekking from Bright Summit Peak to Yuping Cableway Station picture huangshan escapade  photo

Potters

Trekking from Bright Summit Peak to Yuping Cableway Station picture huangshan escapade  photo

Pine trees grow on precipitous cliffs

Trekking from Bright Summit Peak to Yuping Cableway Station picture huangshan escapade  photo

Pine trees grow on precipitous cliffs

Trekking from Bright Summit Peak to Yuping Cableway Station picture huangshan escapade  photo

Huangshan Pines

Trekking from Bright Summit Peak to Yuping Cableway Station picture huangshan escapade  photo

Peculiar shaped granite peaks

Trekking from Bright Summit Peak to Yuping Cableway Station picture huangshan escapade  photo

Ice formation

Trekking from Bright Summit Peak to Yuping Cableway Station picture huangshan escapade  photo

Huangshan Pines grow from stone cliffs

Well, I saw some more sedan chairs along the way. Personally, I deem it quite an appalling act to have 2 other people carrying you on a chair up and down the mountain. And it is like slave labor to me! I would definitely not engage in one such service. I think if one is not fit to walk up and down the stone steps in Huangshan, you should not be on Huangshan! What do you think?

Trekking from Bright Summit Peak to Yuping Cableway Station picture huangshan escapade  photo

Stone steps cut into the mountain side

Trekking from Bright Summit Peak to Yuping Cableway Station picture huangshan escapade  photo

Stone steps cut into the mountain side

Trekking from Bright Summit Peak to Yuping Cableway Station picture huangshan escapade  photo

Sedan chairs

Trekking from Bright Summit Peak to Yuping Cableway Station picture huangshan escapade  photo

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