Yellow Mountain

The Yellow Mountain,located in the southern part of Anhui Province,is China’s most celebrated mountain for all its grandeur and beauty.In 1990 the Yellow Mountain was declared a World Natural and Cultural Heritage site by UNESCO Heritage Committee.

The Yellow Mountain is a marvel:within an area of 154 square kilometers there is a crowd of peaks,many of which have names indicating the shapes they resemble.Lotus,Brightness Apex and Celestial Capital are the three major ones,all rising above 1,800 meters. When it is cloudy the pinnacles loom in mists as if they were illusionary,while the sun is shinning they unfold  in all their majesty and splendour.The Yellow Mountain changes its color and appearance with the alternation of seasons.In spring blooming flowers decorate the slopes in a riot of color;in summer you see verdured peaks rising one upon another and hear springs gurgling merrily.Autumn dresses the peaks in red and purple as maples are all blazing-red;winter turns them into a world of frost and ice with silver boughs and rocks everywhere.So from ancient times the peaks have been frequented by tourists seeking their mystery and admiring scenery. They come to the conclusion that the fantastic pines,the grotesque rocks,the sea of clouds and the hot springs are the four major attractions of the Yellow Mountain.

Owing to the peculiar terrain,the climate of the Yellow Mountain is marked by a vertical change,and the vertical distribution of vegetation is also distinctive:plants on the summit,on the middle levels and at the foot belong to the frigid, temperate and subtropical zones respectively.There are more 1,500 species of plants,of which trees comprise one third.The Yellow Mountain also provides the natural habitat for a wide variety of fauna.The temperature in the Yellow Mountain is agreeable all the year round.As clouds often shut out the sun,hot weather never stays long,and this makes the Yellow Mountain an ideal summer resort.

Though looking young and fresh,the Yellow Mountain has a long history to which ancient books,poems, and paintings as well as carved inscriptions all bear witness.Li Bai was not the only poet who sang in its praise,Tang poets Jia Dao and Du Xunhe also came here and wrote [poems.In the succeeding dynasties people kept coming and giving expression to their admiration in poetry.Xu Xiake,the great geographer and traveler of Ming Dynasty,devoted two of his travel notes to the Yellow Mountain.Inscriptions of past generations meet one’s eyes here and there: “Clouds in a myriad of forms”, “Peaks piercing the sky”, “A cool world”, “Fantastic and beautiful”, “Scenery of exceptional charm”, to mention just a few of them.Such poetic phrases in handsome calligraphy are not only decorative,but also part of fascinating scene.