Huangshan: Encountering ink wash among sea of clouds and strange pines

"After the Five Great Mountains, you don't look at the mountains; after Huangshan, you don't look at the mountains." For three days and two nights, under the watchful eyes of the welcoming pine, the sunrise at Bright Peak, and the sea of clouds at the West Sea Grand Canyon, I read this mountain like a flowing ink scroll.

The reason for climbing the mountain is, first, the Welcoming Guest Pine. This thousand-year-old pine juts out from the cliff, like an old friend always standing at the door to greet you with a bow. Standing in front of Yuping Tower and gazing into the distance, Tiandu Peak and Lotus Peak appear faintly through the clouds, and only then do I realize that 'Huangshan is the wonder of the world' is not just an exaggeration.

At dawn the next day, climb Bright Peak in the dark to watch the sunrise. When the first ray of golden light pierces the sea of clouds, the peaks beneath your feet are instantly illuminated, and the waves in the valley surge like a sea. The sea of clouds in Huangshan is not a chance encounter, but the norm—the highest chance of clear skies after rain, the photographer's favorite "magical moment."

Hiking the West Sea Grand Canyon was the most thrilling part of this trip. The plank road hangs along a vertical cliff face, with a bottomless canyon beneath your feet. Mist rises from the valley bottom, as if walking through the Heavenly Palace Corridor. Riding the cable car down for a stretch, the thrill and spectacle alternate.

Huangshan's strange rocks each have their own names: Flying Rocks, Monkeys Watching the Sea, Immortals Pointing the Way—all based on imagination. After the rain, pine needles hang with droplets, stone steps are slippery but fragrant—these are 'negative ion times' you can never encounter in the city.

What Huangshan teaches is an insight into leaving blank space. When clouds shroud the mist and only a corner of the mountain is visible, you actually see more. Coming down the mountain covered in moss and mist on your shoes, you finally understand why the ancients painted landscapes to the utmost.