Life Is Like That

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 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!

At Hundred-Step Cloud Ladder

Climbing up the steep steps

A daunting task!

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.

Beautiful Huangshan scenery (click for wallpaper size)

Beautiful Huangshan scenery

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.

Huangshan trekking route map

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!

Pine trees

Huangshan in greenery (click for wallpaper size)

Huangshan precipitous peak

Huangshan precipitous peak

Stone steps cut into the side of mountain

Huangshan peculiar shaped rocks

Huangshan pines

Huangshan pines grow from the cliff

Huangshan scenery

I call this slave labor! Not to be encouraged!

Huangshan pines

Huangshan pines grow from the cliff

Huangshan pines grow from the cliff

Huangshan scenery

Huangshan pines grow from the cliff

Huangshan peculiar shaped rock

Huangshan scenery

Huangshan scenery

Huangshan scenery

Huangshan scenery

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

Can you see Welcoming Guest Pine in the distant?

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.

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.

Yuping Cableway Station

See the cable car?

Next, descending Mount Huangshan…

Technorati Tags: Welcoming Guest Pine, Huangshan Pines, Jade Screen Peak, Jade Screen Pavilion Hotel, Yuping Cableway Station, Turtle Peak, Turtle Cave, Hundred-Step Cloud Ladder, Lotus Peak, Tunxi

After having cup noodles as our late lunch, I set out for Flying-over Rock (飞来石) in Huangshan (黄山) on my own. My wife opted to say in the warm hotel room instead of venturing into the cold snow world outside. I also wished to stay under a blanket with heater on inside the room [...]

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