CN-1770416 CN-1809911 Huangshan 黃山 @ Anhui 安徽, China 中国

Sent by Chong Chow Yuen

Huangshan (黄山 literally "Yellow Mountain"), is a mountain range in southern Anhui 安徽province in eastern China. The range is composed of material that was uplifted from an ancient sea during the Mesozoic era, 100 million years ago. The mountains themselves were carved by glaciers. Vegetation on the range is thickest below 1,100 meters (3,600 ft), with trees growing up to the treeline at 1,800 meters (5,900 ft).

The area is well known for its scenery, sunsets, peculiarly shaped granite peaks, Huangshan Pine trees, and views of the clouds from above. Huangshan is a frequent subject of traditional Chinese paintings and literature, as well as modern photography. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of China's major tourist destinations.

The Huangshan mountain range has many peaks, some more than 1,000 meters (3,250 feet) high. The three tallest and best-known peaks are Lotus Peak (莲花峰 Lian Hua Feng, 1,864 m), Bright Summit Peak (光明顶 Guang Ming Ding, 1,840 m), and Celestial Peak (天都峰 Tian Du Feng, 1,829 m). The World Heritage Site covers a core area of 154 square kilometres and a buffer zone of 142 square kilometres.

CN-1770416 Huangshan in winter

CN-1809911 Valleys and Pines in the Clouds

It is difficult to express how deeply Huangshan (黄山) is embedded in the Chinese psyche.  The mountain is featured very frequently in Chinese art and literature.  It has also inspired poets such as Li Bai 李白.  It all started from about 747 AD onwards when the area began to receive a lot of attention.  From then on, the area was visited frequently and many temples were built there.

Huangshan 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.

Over the years, many scenic spots and physical features on the mountain have been named; many of the names have narratives behind them. For example, one legend tells of a man who did not believe the tales of Huangshan's beauty and went to the mountains to see for himself; he was almost immediately convinced. One of the peaks he supposedly visited was named Shixin (始信), roughly meaning "start to believe."

In 1982, Huangshan 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.

There are at least 140 sections open to visitors and more than 50 kilometres of footpaths providing access to scenic areas.  There are also cable cars that tourists can use to ride directly from the base to one of the summits.  The foot of the mountains is linked by rail and by air to Shanghai and is also accessible from other cities. Without doubt, Huangshan is a major tourist destination in China. In 2007, for instance, over 15 million tourists visited the mountain.

The first postcard of Huangshan was sent to me by my good friend C.Y. Chong (25 April 2014). The second postcard of Huangshan - a wintry scene - came from Zhang (28 October 2015) Postcrossing.