Being characterized by the four wonders, namely, odd-shaped pines, craggy rocks, sea of clouds and crystal-clear hot springs, Huangshan Mountain in east China's Anhui province is one of China's top ten best scenic spots. It covers an area of 1200 square kilometers (463 square miles) with a well developed scenic area of 154 square kilometers (60 square miles). Mount Huangshan is celebrated for having all the significant features of mountain scenery. Widely recognized as the No. 1 Mountain under heaven. It features numerous imposing peaks (77 exceed an titleitude of 1,000m), forests of stone pillars and evergreen sturdy pines; other features include grotesquely-shaped rocks (many of which are individually named, such as "flying-over rock"), waterfalls, pools and hot springs. Because of its mists and clouds, natural scenery in the area changes beyond prediction. Xu Xiake, a noted Chinese geologist and traveler in the Ming Dynasty, praised Huangshan Mountain as the best of all mountains.
Mount Huangshan was declared a World Natural and Cultural Heritage by UNESCO Heritage Committee. Mount Huangshan extends 40 kilometers from south to north and 30 kilometers from east to west, covering an area of 1200 square kilometers, the highlights of which occupy 154 square kilometers.
Huangshan Mountain is a marvel: within an area of 154 square kilometers there is a crowd of peaks, 72 of which have names indicating the shapes they resemble. Lotus, Brightness Top and Celestial Capital are the three major ones, all rising above 1,800 meters above sea level. The mountains are a body of granite, often with vertical joints. Erosion and fracture contributed to shape the rocks into huge columns, giving rise to lofty peaks and deep ravines. When it is cloudy the pinnacles loom in mists as if they were illusionary, while the sun is shining they unfold in all their majesty and splendor. Huangshan Mountain changes its color and appearance with the titleernation of seasons. In spring blooming flowers decorate the slopes in a riot of color and fill the valleys with fragrance; in summer you see verdure peaks rising one upon another and hear springs gurgling merrily. Autumn dresses the mountains in red and purple as maples and some other trees are blazing-red; winter turns them into a world of frost and ice with silver boughs and rocks everywhere. Here in Huangshan, pines and rocks are intimately involved with each other, almost every rock has a pine tree growing out of the crevice, and every tree has tortuous and gnarled roots and branches. The still sea of snow-white cloud can suddenly begin to roll and toss, rise or fall, gather or disperse while the peaks emerge and disappear in the clouds like isles in the ocean.
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