Mount HuaGood morning, ladies and gentlemen. I’m your local guide.Today we are going to climb the Mount Hua. I’ll try my best to make your tour an enjoyable one. I expect your support and cooperation. If you have any questions or demands, please let me know and I’ll do my utmost to accommodate your needs. Thank you!As the steepest sacred mountain in central China, with the Yellow River to the north and the QinLing Mountain Range at the back to the south, the Mount Hua is located 120 kilometers (75 miles) east of the city of Xi'an. .It is one of China's Five Great Mountains, and has a long history of religious significance. Mount Hua was historically the location of several influential Taoist monasteries, and was known as a center for the practice of traditional Chinese martial arts. It is well known for steep trails, breath-taking cliffs, narrow passages, and grand sceneries. Mount Hua in ancient times for its five main peaks shaped much like a flower. It is said to be the most precipitous mountain in the world.Originally classified as having three peaks, in modern times the mountain is classified as five main peaks, the North Peak(Yuntai Peak), the Middle Peak(Pure Girl Peak),the East Peak(Facing Sun Peak), the West Peak(Lotus Flower Peak), and the South Peak(Landing Wild Goose Peak), of which the highest is the South Peak at 2,154.9 meters. From a distance, these five peaks look like a lotus flower among the mountains. And each of them has its peculiar scene and moving legend.HistoryHistorically, the Mount Hua has been close to the early centers of Chinese civilization. Legendary kings of China such as Huang Di, Yao, and shun all paid visits to the Hua. Dozens of emperors of the Qin, Han, and Tang dynasties used to hold sacred rituals here. For thousands of years, Buddhist and Taoist monks and pilgrims have traveled here, established monasteries, and practiced alchemy in the Mount Hua. Today there are more than 20 Taoist monasteries, the most famous being the Jade Spring Temple and the East Tao Temple.As early as the 2nd century BCE, there was a Daoist temple known as the Shrine of the Western Peak located at its base. Daoists believed that in the mountainlives the god of the underworld. The temple at the foot of the mountain was often used for spirit mediums to contact the god and his underlings. Unlike Taishan, which became a popular place of pilgrimage, Huashan, because of the inaccessibility of its summits, only received Imperial and local pilgrims, and was not well visited by pilgrims from the rest of China. Huashan was also an important place for immortality seekers, as many herbal Chinese medicines are grown and powerful drugs were reputed to be found there. Kou Qianzhi (365–448), the founder of the Northern Celestial Mastersreceived revelations there, as did Chen Tuan (920–989), who spent the last part of his life in hermitage on the west peak. In the 1230s, all the temples on the mountain came under control of the Daoist Quanzhen School. In 1998, the management committee of Huashan agreed to turn over most of the mountain's temples to the China Daoist Association. This was done to help protect the environment, as the presence of taoists and nuns deters poachers and loggers.Mount Hua is located near the southeast corner of the Ordos Loop section of the Yellow River basin, south of theWei River valley, at the eastern end of the Qin Mountains, in southern Shaanxi province. It is part of the Qin Mountains, which divides not only northern and southern Shaanxi, but also China.Huashan has historically been a place of retreat for hardy hermits, whether Daoist, Buddhist or other; access to the mountain was only deliberately available to the strong-willed, or those who had found "the way". With greater mobility and prosperity, Chinese, particularly students, began to test their mettle and visit in the 1980s.FacilitiesThe inherent danger of many of the exposed, narrow pathways with precipitous drops gave the mountain a deserved reputation for danger. As tourism has boomed and the mountain's accessibility vastly improved with the installation of the cable car in the 1990s, visitor numbers surged. Despite the safety measures introduced by cutting deeper pathways and building up stone steps and wider paths, as well as adding railings, fatalities continued to occur. The local government has proceeded toopen new tracks and created one-way routes on some more hair-raising parts, such that the mountain can be scaled without significant danger now, barring crowds and icy conditions. Some of the most precipitous tracks have actually been closed off. The former trail that led to the South Peak from the North Peak is on a cliff face, and it was known as being extremely dangerous; there is now a new and safer stone-built path to reach the South Peak temple, and on to the Peak itself.Many Chinese still climb at nighttime, in order to reach the East Peak by dawn—though the mountain now has many hotels. This practice is a holdover from when it was considered safer to simply be unable to see the extreme danger of the tracks during the ascent, as well as to avoid meeting descending visitors at points where pathways have scarcely enough room for one visitor to pass through safely.The South Peak (Landing Wild Goose Peak)Of the five main peaks, the South Peak, which was named the Landing Wild Goose Peak is the highest at 2,160 meters, it is also the highest peak of the Five Sacred Mountains. When traveling to the top of the peak, you will feel that you can touch the stars in the sky.The south side of the Peak has very high cliffs standing erect as if they had been cut by an axe. The summit of the South Peak is the highest point in the sacred mountains and climbers consider it an honor to make it to the Peak. At the summit you will find the Black Dragon Pool and see the Greeting Pines on the southwest cliffs. Around the South Peak are Songhui Peak (Pine Trees and Junipers Peak) and Xiaozi Peak (Filial Son Peak). There is a famous Taoism palace called Jintian Palace, or Baidi Temple. The narrow pass, which is the plank road, is built along the cliff leading to the East Peak. The road is no more than 0.3 meters (about 1 foot) wide and runs above a very deep gorge. The stout hearted can travel this road by hanging on to a chain that is attached to the face of the cliff.The East Peak (Facing Sun Peak)The East Peak, with a height of 2,090meters(about 6,857 feet), also called Facing Sun Peak is like a platform available for visitors to view the sun rising. Inancient times the path to the top was full of hardships and danger, but recently steps were built making it comparatively easy to reach the top.The East Peak is the best place to watch the rising sun but you should start your climb at night if you want to see the wonderful scenery because it takes 4 to 6 hours to reach the top. There are more than ten scenic spots on the East Peak including the natural veins on the cliff that resemble a huge palm. The tranquil and serene environment on the top of the peak will make you feel completely relaxed and happy.The North Peak (Cloudy Terrace Peak)The north peak is also called the Cloudy Terrace Peak. As you continue your way from Qingke Terrace, you will soon pass a huge rock named ―Turn Back‖, and you will find yourself at the bottom of the distance, you can get a misty view of the Central Shannxi Plain, and suddenly you will feel completely relaxed and happy.Thanks to the safety and protection measures already taken, Mount Hua is now becoming more accessible to visitors both local and forei gn, with the aid of cable cars.The Central Peak (Jade Lady Peak)The Central Peak is called the Jade Lady Peak. Legend has it that Nong Yu, the daughter of King Mu of the Spring and Autumn Period, was so moved by the music which Xiao Shi, a hermit, played on a vertical bamboo flute, that she gave up living a happy and luxurious palace life, and together with Xiao Shi, flew here on the backs of a dragon and a phoenix and lived in seclusion. The Jade Lady’s Cave, the Wash Basin, the Stone Dressing Table and the Phoenix Pavilion are what we can see there today.The West Peak (Lotus Flower Peak)At 2,082 meters(about 6,831 feet) above the sea level, the Wesat Peak is a huge granite rock. Because of a huge lotus flower-shaped rock which stands in front of the Cuiyun Temple (Jade Green Cloudy Terrace Temple) at the top, the west peak is known as Lotus Flower Peak. Its sheer steepness best exemplifies the characteristics of Mount Hua. Li Bai, a Tang-Dynasty poet, once wrote a few lines to eulogize the mountain:Oh, what a mountain, so lofty and steep!The Huanghe River, like a silk thread,Full of vitality is the mountain,Above a terrace of clouds, as though,The White Emperor’s spirit descended.In according with the fairy tale ―Lotus Lantern‖, the west peak is the place where litter Chen Xiang, son of the Holly Mother III, split the mountain to rescue his mother. Close to Cui Yun Temple lies a huge rock which seems to have been split into two with an axe; hence its name ―Split Rock with an Axe‖. Not far off stands a long-handled axe which is said to have been used by this filial son. At the top of the peak lies another prominent rock. It is called the Star-picking Rock. The northern side of the park is characterized by perpendicular cliffs of great height. It is known as Life-abandoning Cliff. Hawks soar here and there, and clouds and mist drift above the peak. Looking far into the Thousand-foot Precipice, this precipice is cut into the face of a nearly perpendicular cliff. The steps there are only toeholds, and you will have to grasp iron chains for a cave. A large sheet of iron could well block your way completely, if it were places there. To put it vividly, if one man were guarding the pass at this point, 1,000 people would be able to get though. After the Hundred-foot Crevice, y ou ascend to Laojun’s Furrow. It is also cut into the cliff. You will feel that the furrow must be ascending right up into the sky. Nearly 500 steps are hewn up from the bottom part of the furrow. Legend has it that Lao Zi, the founder of Taoism, once drove his ox to this place and ploughed the furrow in only one night. At the end of the furrow, he is said to have hung his plough. By and by you will finally reach the North Peak. It is the only access to the other four peaks. The North Peak has only one hill that leads to the south with three sides disconnected with anywhere, and it is fairly steep. Here again, you can see a few lonely temples.Ascent routesThere are three routes leading to Huashan's North Peak (1614 m), the lowest of the mountain's five major peaks. The most popular is the traditional route in Hua Shan Yu (Hua Shan Gorge), first developed in the 3rd to 4th century A.D. and with successive expansion, mostly during the Tang Dynasty. It winds for 6 km fromHuashan village to the north peak. A new route in Huang Pu Yu (Huang Pu Gorge, named after the hermit Huang Lu Zi who lived in this gorge in 8th century BC) follows the cable car to the North Peak, and is actually the ancient trail used prior to the Tang Dynasty, which has since fallen into disrepair. It had only been known to local villagers living nearby at the gorges until 1949, when a group of 7 PLA with a local guide used this route to climb to North Peak and captured over 100 KMT soldiers stationed in North Peak and along the routes in the traditional route. This trail is now known as "The Route Intelligent Take-over of Hua Shan", and was reinforced in early 2000. The Cable Car System stations are built next to the beginning and ends of this trail. A second cable car line, to the West Peak, was opened in 2013.From the North Peak, a series of paths rise up to the Canglong Ling, which is a climb more than 300 meters on top of a mountain ridge. This was the only trail to go to the four other peaks—the West Peak (2038 m), the Center Peak (2042 m), the East Peak (2100 m) and the South Peak (2154.9m),[5]—until a new path was built to the east around the ridge in 1998.As the saying goes ―There has only one path up Mt Huashan since the ancient times,‖ this road runs for 20 kilometers, around five prominent peaks. The peaks and valleys are dotted with temples and pavilions, which are constantly clad in mist. Climbers feel as if they were making a tour of fairyland.Until recently there was only one way to reach the top of Mt. Huashan s ancient times. Most of the trail is very narrow and steep; some parts are almost vertical. Iron chains have been set up along the path, but courage and an adventurous spirit are still necessary if you decide to climb Mt. Huashan on foot. Recent developments have added two alternate ways of traveling to the summit. Now you can take the ropeway, or ride in a cable car to enjoy the unique scenery of Mt. Huashan.The summitsTraditionally,only the giant plateau with its summits to the south of the peak Wuyun Feng was called Taihua Shan . It could only be accessed through the ridge known as Canglong Ling until a second trail was built in the 1980s to go aroundCanglong Ling. Three peaks were identified with respective summits: the East, South, and West peaks.The East peak consists of four summits. The highest summit is Zhaoyang Feng. Its elevation is reported to be 2096.2 meters and its name is often used as the name for the whole East Peak. To the east of Zhaoyang Feng is Shilou Feng, to the south is Botai Feng and to the west is Yunű Feng . Today, Yunű Feng considered its own peak, most central on the mountain.The South peak consists of three summits. The highest summit is Luoyan Feng , with an elevation of 2154.9 meters. To the east is Songgui Feng , and to the west is Xiaozi Feng .The West peak has only one summit and it is known as Lianhua Feng or Furong Feng, both meaning Lotus Flower Summit. The elevation is 2082.6 meters.With the development of new trail to Hua Shan in the 3rd through 5th century along the Hua Shan Gorge, the peak immediately to the north of Canglong Ling, Yuntai Feng , was identified as the North peak. It is the lowest of the five peaks with an elevation of 1614.9 meters.From the supreme summit of Mount Hua, you can see the Yellow River and the land that is the cradle of early Chinese civilization. The view of 36 mystical pinnacles veiled in clouds, the spectacular sunset and sunrise, nature's grandest scenery, and the challenge that will humble any human being - all of those will make your journey to Mount Hua a truly remarkable event. Next, I will introduce the two main scenic spots of Mount Hua.The Yuquan GardenThe Yuquan Garden (Jade Spring Garden) is located at the entrance of the valley on the hillside north of Mount Hua. It is the starting point to go to the top. Inside the garden there is a cool, sweet spring; hence its name ―Jade Spring Garden‖. The spri ng is said to come from an underground flow that runs from the Jade Well in the Zhenyue Temple. The old pines border the winding paths, and give deep shade. Legend has it that Chen Tuan, a hermit in the Five Dynasty Period (907-960), built the gardens, terraces, towers and pavilions. Restoration was carried out during Emperor QianLong’s reign in the Qing Dynasty, which makes the whole garden look nice and beautiful today. The stone tablets are inscribed with valuable calligraphy.The Qingke TerraceThe path, from the Jade Spring Garden to Qingke Terrace, is about ten kilometers in length. This zigzag path is flanked by steep cliffs and paved with stone slabs. Halfway up this winding path, you will feel exhausted and want to turn back before the actual climb begins. When you arrive at the Qingke Terrace, the ravine path comes to an end and a beautiful view suddenly makes it all worthwhile. Here you can take a short break and look around Dongdao and Tongxian temple. Another steep climb from the Qingke Terrace is ahead of you.Ladies and gentlemen, this is the end of our visit to the Mount Hua. Thank you for your cooperation. And thank you for listening. I do hope the tour is rewarding and enjoyable. Good bye!。