Canadian World traveller Winter 2017-18 Issue

50
I Climbed Huangshan Mountain
Like the Emperors of Old
by Habeeb Salloum
When we travelled to Huangshan,
like most tourists, the first thing
on our agenda was Huangshan
Mountain, also known as the Yellow
Mountain, a UNESCO Heritage site.
Properly the most famous of China’s mountains,
it is much sought after by painters,
photographers and poets. With six large
scenic areas filled with beautiful panoramas,
it is a wonder of nature on the travel map for
all those who come to Shanghai and the surrounding
area.
As I stepped off the cable car at the uppermost
cable lift station, at the top of a downward
spiralling walkway, I looked around.
Within 154 sq km (60 sq mi) were 72 mountain
mist-shrouded peaks that dominated the
landscape. As it is often described, it truly
appeared to be the ‘home of clouds and
fog.’
I then looked below me and peered upon
man-made steps stretched under a crystalline
blue sky as far as the eye could see. I
thought to myself, “It’s a good thing that we
are going down, I would never be able to
climb them back.”
Turning to the guide, I asked "Are we going
to return on the same path?” “No!” he
replied as he ran downward, leading his
flock. I had just turned 86 and I feared that I
would not be able to return upward. As I followed
the flock I could only to some degree
enjoy the fabulous scenery. I had to concentrate
on not missing a step and tumbling into
oblivion.
The mountain landscape, through which we
were passing, is world famous for its
enchanting-fantastically shaped granite
peaks, the highest 1,800 m (5,904ft),
emerging from a sea of clouds, fine hot
springs, grotesque rocks, and strange pine
trees. It is also significant in Chinese art, culture
and literature - especially in regards to
China’s traditional religions. Many of these
peaks carry their names from ancient
Chinese stories regarding immortals.
Immortalized in ancient and modern
Chinese art, this area, about 450 km (280
mi) southwest of Shanghai, of hanging mists
and steep rising ledges is of outstanding
beauty and is considered by most Chinese as
one of the greatest tourist destinations. It is
an ideal location to travel to any time of the
year. In Spring, the colourful flowers cover
the slopes and fill the valleys with their fragrance;
in Summer, it is a joy to see the
foliage clad peaks rising one upon the other
and hear the whispers of gurgling springs in
the distance; in Autumn, the whole land-