Introduction
2025-03-22 — 2025-03-23
I had long heard about the breathtaking scenery of Huangshan and had always wanted to visit. I followed the most popular route: taking the shuttle bus from Zhaixi to Ciguang Pavilion, then the cable car up to Yuping, and from there hiked to Bright Summit. On the way down, I walked from White Goose Ridge to Yungu Temple.
03-23
It wasn’t technically peak season, but there were still around 16,000 visitors the day I went. Waiting for the shuttle bus and lining up for the cable car meant a lot of standing. The previous day was Saturday—reportedly 32,000 visitors, with the last group queuing to descend as late as 11 PM. Absolutely insane.
First stop on the mountain: the iconic Guest-Greeting Pine
Most people took the cable car down from Yungu Temple, but I hiked down from White Goose Ridge. It actually felt like real mountain hiking—fewer people and very enjoyable.