Yellow Mountains - Huangshan
UNESCO World Heritage Site
one of the most famous and beautiful mountainous areas in China. Its spectacular natural scenery includes oddly-shaped pines and rocks, and mystical seas of cloud.
Chinese: 黄山 Huángshān (huang means 'yellow' and shan means 'mountain(s)')
Mount Huangshan, often described as the “loveliest mountain of China”, has played an important role in the history of art and literature in China since the Tang Dynasty around the 8th century, when a legend dated from the year 747 described the mountain as the place of discovery of the long-sought elixir of immortality. This legend gave Mount Huangshan its name and assured its place in Chinese history. Mount Huangshan became a magnet for hermits, poets and landscape artists, fascinated by its dramatic mountainous landscape consisting of numerous granitic peaks, many over 1,000 m high, emerging through a perpetual sea of clouds. During the Ming Dynasty from around the 16th century, this landscape and its numerous grotesquely-shaped rocks and ancient, gnarled trees inspired the influential Shanshui (“Mountain and Water”) school of landscape painting, providing a fundamental representation of the oriental landscape in the world’s imagination and art. The property, located in the humid subtropical monsoon climate zone of China’s Anhui Province and covering an area of 15,400 ha with a buffer zone of 14,200 ha, is also of outstanding importance for its botanical richness and for the conservation of a number of locally or nationally endemic plant species, some of which are threatened with extinction.
History - The Yellow Mountains are not so called because the mountains are yellow, but because the area was renamed after the legendary Yellow Emperor (Huang Di) in 747 AD. After that Huangshan began its ascent to fame. Many Buddhist temples have been built there and, more recently, it has become a major tourist attraction, because of its scenic qualities. It is said that the Yellow Mountains is the place where the Yellow Emperor, the mythical ancestor of the Chinese, lived, refined precious medicines and became a supernatural being. Xu Xiake, a noted Chinese geologist in the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644), who visited the Yellow Mountains twice, left his praise in this quote: You don't need to see any more mountains after seeing 'the Five Mountains', and you don't need to see the other four mountains after seeing Huangshan.
Geology & Formation - Mt. Huangshan is a geopark characterized by Mesozoic granite landscape. The mountains were formed approximately 100 million years ago, when an ancient sea disappeared due to unlift. There are 72 high and steep 1000m high with widespread grotesque rocks. The main types of peaks include domed, cone, crystal, column-like and box-shaped peaks, etc. The three tallest and best-known peaks are Lotus Peak, Bright Summit Peak and Celestial Capital Peak. There are many other rocks and peaks you can see in this geopark. Source: www.chinahighlights.com - http://whc.unesco.org - www.chinadiscovery.com
UNESCO World Heritage Site
one of the most famous and beautiful mountainous areas in China. Its spectacular natural scenery includes oddly-shaped pines and rocks, and mystical seas of cloud.
Chinese: 黄山 Huángshān (huang means 'yellow' and shan means 'mountain(s)')
Mount Huangshan, often described as the “loveliest mountain of China”, has played an important role in the history of art and literature in China since the Tang Dynasty around the 8th century, when a legend dated from the year 747 described the mountain as the place of discovery of the long-sought elixir of immortality. This legend gave Mount Huangshan its name and assured its place in Chinese history. Mount Huangshan became a magnet for hermits, poets and landscape artists, fascinated by its dramatic mountainous landscape consisting of numerous granitic peaks, many over 1,000 m high, emerging through a perpetual sea of clouds. During the Ming Dynasty from around the 16th century, this landscape and its numerous grotesquely-shaped rocks and ancient, gnarled trees inspired the influential Shanshui (“Mountain and Water”) school of landscape painting, providing a fundamental representation of the oriental landscape in the world’s imagination and art. The property, located in the humid subtropical monsoon climate zone of China’s Anhui Province and covering an area of 15,400 ha with a buffer zone of 14,200 ha, is also of outstanding importance for its botanical richness and for the conservation of a number of locally or nationally endemic plant species, some of which are threatened with extinction.
History - The Yellow Mountains are not so called because the mountains are yellow, but because the area was renamed after the legendary Yellow Emperor (Huang Di) in 747 AD. After that Huangshan began its ascent to fame. Many Buddhist temples have been built there and, more recently, it has become a major tourist attraction, because of its scenic qualities. It is said that the Yellow Mountains is the place where the Yellow Emperor, the mythical ancestor of the Chinese, lived, refined precious medicines and became a supernatural being. Xu Xiake, a noted Chinese geologist in the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644), who visited the Yellow Mountains twice, left his praise in this quote: You don't need to see any more mountains after seeing 'the Five Mountains', and you don't need to see the other four mountains after seeing Huangshan.
Geology & Formation - Mt. Huangshan is a geopark characterized by Mesozoic granite landscape. The mountains were formed approximately 100 million years ago, when an ancient sea disappeared due to unlift. There are 72 high and steep 1000m high with widespread grotesque rocks. The main types of peaks include domed, cone, crystal, column-like and box-shaped peaks, etc. The three tallest and best-known peaks are Lotus Peak, Bright Summit Peak and Celestial Capital Peak. There are many other rocks and peaks you can see in this geopark. Source: www.chinahighlights.com - http://whc.unesco.org - www.chinadiscovery.com
Cuisine
Food in Huangshan belongs to Hui cuisine (or Huizhou cuisine). Huizhou cuisine is one of China's eight regional cuisines.
History This style dates from the South Song Dynasty (1127-1279), when it began in Shexian County (Huizhou Prefecture in ancient times).
Features Huizhou cuisine is known for its roasting, stewing, braising, and quick-frying. This style is particular about seasoning and duration and degree of cooking, and advocates stock. Oil is carefully chosen to benefit the bowels and skin. Color is considered important to increase aesthetic effect and is harmonized with fragrance and taste.
Dishes and Snacks Famous dishes and snacks in Huangshan City are smelly mandarin fish, Mao bean curd, stone cake, baked yellow crab cake, and Wucheng dried bean curd. See below.
Smelly Mandarin Fish despite the name is a dish famous for its good taste and aroma. Smelly mandarin fish got its name because the live fish has a slimy smelly skin that deters predators. The dish has a history of more than two hundred years and has maintained its popularity, with the name mandarin fish appearing in many pieces of Chinese literature. The offensive skin is scraped off as the first stage of preparation. Smelly mandarin fish is also called fresh preserved mandarin fish because once the skin has been removed it is salted as if for preserving the meat. The cooked fish is crisp and tender with a special aroma, and appeals to a wide spectrum of customers. The stench of the live fish is in great contrast with the sweet smell of the dish, which adds an ironic charm, and has helped it become one of the classic dishes of Huizhou cuisine. Source: www.chinahighlights.com
Yellow Crab Shell Cake uses first-class funky dried vegetables and fresh fatty meat as fillings. It's slowly roasted in a specially-made oven with a charcoal fire. Because its color looks like the yellow of a boiled crab shell, it gets the name "yellow crab shell cake". It's an ideal breakfast or snack.
Mao Tofu also called Huizhou funky bean curd. "The taste is much better than the smell," people say. It's a traditional snack in Huizhou (Huangshan Prefecture) and an acquired taste. It could be considered as the Chinese alternative to a Stilton or Camembert cheese. Sellers traditionally carry the bean curd around in a container hanging from a shoulder pole. From one end dangles chopsticks and a pan, and from the other dangles the tofu, sesame oil and hot pepper. When the oil is heated up, the hot and odorous Mao bean curd, with sounds of "zizi" on the pan, awakens the locals' appetite. It's a special cultural experience to eat Mao bean curd from a street seller. People don’t use bowls, and eat with chopsticks beside the pan. Source: www.chinahighlights.com
Food in Huangshan belongs to Hui cuisine (or Huizhou cuisine). Huizhou cuisine is one of China's eight regional cuisines.
History This style dates from the South Song Dynasty (1127-1279), when it began in Shexian County (Huizhou Prefecture in ancient times).
Features Huizhou cuisine is known for its roasting, stewing, braising, and quick-frying. This style is particular about seasoning and duration and degree of cooking, and advocates stock. Oil is carefully chosen to benefit the bowels and skin. Color is considered important to increase aesthetic effect and is harmonized with fragrance and taste.
Dishes and Snacks Famous dishes and snacks in Huangshan City are smelly mandarin fish, Mao bean curd, stone cake, baked yellow crab cake, and Wucheng dried bean curd. See below.
Smelly Mandarin Fish despite the name is a dish famous for its good taste and aroma. Smelly mandarin fish got its name because the live fish has a slimy smelly skin that deters predators. The dish has a history of more than two hundred years and has maintained its popularity, with the name mandarin fish appearing in many pieces of Chinese literature. The offensive skin is scraped off as the first stage of preparation. Smelly mandarin fish is also called fresh preserved mandarin fish because once the skin has been removed it is salted as if for preserving the meat. The cooked fish is crisp and tender with a special aroma, and appeals to a wide spectrum of customers. The stench of the live fish is in great contrast with the sweet smell of the dish, which adds an ironic charm, and has helped it become one of the classic dishes of Huizhou cuisine. Source: www.chinahighlights.com
Yellow Crab Shell Cake uses first-class funky dried vegetables and fresh fatty meat as fillings. It's slowly roasted in a specially-made oven with a charcoal fire. Because its color looks like the yellow of a boiled crab shell, it gets the name "yellow crab shell cake". It's an ideal breakfast or snack.
Mao Tofu also called Huizhou funky bean curd. "The taste is much better than the smell," people say. It's a traditional snack in Huizhou (Huangshan Prefecture) and an acquired taste. It could be considered as the Chinese alternative to a Stilton or Camembert cheese. Sellers traditionally carry the bean curd around in a container hanging from a shoulder pole. From one end dangles chopsticks and a pan, and from the other dangles the tofu, sesame oil and hot pepper. When the oil is heated up, the hot and odorous Mao bean curd, with sounds of "zizi" on the pan, awakens the locals' appetite. It's a special cultural experience to eat Mao bean curd from a street seller. People don’t use bowls, and eat with chopsticks beside the pan. Source: www.chinahighlights.com