Things to do in Ānhuī
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Western Steps
The 15km western steps route has some stellar scenery, but it's twice as long and strenuous as the eastern steps, and much easier to enjoy if you're clambering down rather than gasping your way up. If you take the cable car up, just do this in reverse.
The western steps descent begins at the Flying Rock (飞来石; Fēilái Shí), a boulder perched on an outcrop half an hour from Běihǎi Hotel, and goes over Bright Summit Peak (光明顶; Guāngmíng Dǐng; 1841m). Look out from Bright Summit Peak to Áoyú Peak (鳌鱼峰; Áoyú Fēng; 1780m): you'll notice that it looks like two turtles!
South of Áoyú Peak en route to Lotus Flower Peak, the descent funnels you down thro…
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Eastern Steps
A medium-fast climb of the 7.5km eastern steps from Yúngǔ Station (890m) to White Goose Ridge (白鹅峰; Bái'é Fēng; 1770m) can be done in 2½ hours. The route is pleasant, but lacks the awesome geological scenery of the western steps. In spring wild azalea and weigela add gorgeous splashes of colour to the wooded slopes of the mountain.
Much of the climb is comfortably shaded and although it can be tiring, it's a doddle compared with the western steps. Slow-moving porters use the eastern steps for ferrying up their massive, swaying loads of food, drink and building materials, so considerable traffic plies the route. While clambering up, note the more ancient flight …
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Huáng Shān Summit
Regardless of how you ascend Huáng Shān, you'll be stung by a dizzying entrance fee; ticket prices continue to gallop way ahead of inflation. Pay at the eastern steps near the Cloud Valley Temple Cable Car Station (云谷寺索道站; Yúngǔsì Suǒdào) or at the Ciguang Temple (慈光阁; Cíguāng Gé), where the western steps begin. Minibuses run to both places from Tāngkǒu.
Make sure to pack enough water, food and appropriate clothing before climbing; taking sunscreen is also recommended as the sun can get fierce on clear days from spring onwards. Bottled water and food prices increase the higher you go, so take provisions with you.
As mountain paths are easy to …
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Refreshing Terrace
Refreshing Terrace attracts sunrise crowds (nearby hotels supply thick padded jackets to customers). The North Sea (北海; Běihǎi) sunrise is a highlight for those spending the night on the summit. Lucky visitors are rewarded with the luminous spectacle of yúnhǎi (literally 'sea of clouds'): idyllic pools of mist that settle over the mountain, filling its chasms and valleys with fog and turning its peaks into islands that poke from the clouds. Located five minutes from Beihai Hotel.
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Huīzhōu Měishí
Located on the west bank of the river, this small and friendly family-run restaurant has no English sign, but it's a good spot to sample local Huizhou-style cooking, from stewed stone frog (hóngshāo shíjī; 红烧石鸡) to filling Anhui-style fried noodles (huīshì chǎomiàn; 徽式炒面) and fried meat slices in Anhui style (huīshì huíguōròu; 徽式回锅肉).
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Beginning to Believe Peak
Beginning to Believe Peak is a major bottleneck for photographers gathering around jaw-dropping views. The staggering and otherworldly views from the summit reach out over huge valleys of granite and enormous formations of rock, topped by gravity-defying slivers of stone and the gnarled forms of ubiquitous Huangshan pine trees (Pinus taiwanensis). Many rocks have been christened with fanciful names by the Chinese, alluding to figures from religion and myth.
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Cloud Valley Temple Cable Car
Minibuses ferry visitors from Tāngkǒu to here. Either arrive very early or late (if you're staying overnight) as queues of more than one hour are the norm. In the peak season (officially 1 March to 30 November), people can wait up to three hours for a ride - you may as well walk.
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Taiping Cable Car
Accessing Huáng Shān from the north via the Taiping Cable Car is also an option. Minibuses run from Huáng Shān Qū (an additional access point to Huáng Shān) to the cable-car station.
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West Sea
The wind regularly whips up at the West Sea, where breathtaking views stretch out along a huge gorge and the chains of the observation area are left garlanded with clumps of padlocks by romantic couples.
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Jade Screen Cable Car
Minibuses run from Tāngkǒu to the Ciguang Temple, which is linked by the Jade Screen Cable Car to the area just below the Yupinglou Hotel.
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Purple Cloud Peak
Clamber up here for a long survey over the landscape and try to catch the sun as it descends in the west.
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Flower Blooming on a Brush Tip
The Flower Blooming on a Brush Tip is a granite formation topped by a pine tree.
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Zhīyuán Temple
Just past the village's main entrance on your left, worshippers hold sticks of incense to their foreheads and face the four directions at this enticingly esoteric yellow temple. There are chanting sessions in the evening that pilgrims can join.
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Yúngǔ Cable Car
Shuttle buses (Y13) ferry visitors from Tāngkǒu to the cable car. Either arrive very early or late (if you're staying overnight) as long queues are the norm. Thankfully, a new cable-car station has shorted what was once three-hour queues to nothing more than 45 minutes.
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Ying Yang Coffee Bar
A spin-off of the longstanding Shànghǎi bar, this place serves average coffee (Y20 to Y25), French crêpes (Y15 to Y35), noodles (Y20), juice, beer and cocktails (Y35 to Y40).
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Xīdì
Dating to AD 1047, the village of Xīdì has for centuries been a stronghold of the Hu (胡) clan, descended from the eldest son of the last Tang emperor who fled here in the twilight years of the Tang dynasty. Typical of the elegant Huīzhōu style, Xīdì's 124 surviving buildings reflect the wealth and prestige of the prosperous merchants who settled here.
Xīdì has flirted gaily with its increasing popularity and, as a Unesco World Heritage site, enjoys an increasingly lucrative tourist economy. The village nevertheless remains a picturesque tableau of slender lanes, cream-coloured walls topped with horse-head gables, roofs capped with dark tiles, and doorways ornately …
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Tǎchuān
Located 3km northwest of Hóngcūn is the tiny little village of Tǎchuān. It's set at the base of a valley and noted for its stunning autumn scenery. Each year, the leaves on old-growth trees in and around the village change colours for anywhere between 10 to 30 days. The entire valley comes ablaze in shades of orange, green and brown, much to the delight of photographers. On other days, the villagers eke out their living by planting rice and tea. From afar, the village looks like a pagoda as it's built across the steps of foothills. House 18 has some of the most exquisite wooden carvings in the region. Admission includes a guide with limited English-speaking skills.
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Parks
Among Héféi's green spaces, Xiāoyáojīn Park and Bāohé Park are the most pleasant. Bāohé Park contains various sights worth paying for.
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Nánpíng
With a history of over 1100 years, this intriguing and labyrinthine village, 5km to the west of Yīxiàn town, is famed as the setting of Zhang Yimou's 1989 tragedy Judou. Numerous ancient ancestral halls, clan shrines and merchant residences survive within Nánpíng's mazelike alleys, including the Chéngshì Zōngcí (程氏宗祠) and the Yèshì Zōngcí (叶氏宗祠). The Lǎo Yáng Jiā Rǎnfáng (老杨家染坊) residence that served as the principal household of dyer Gongli and her rapacious husband in Judou remains cluttered with props, and stills from the film hang from the walls. Admission includes a guide with limited English-speaking skills.
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Mountain Summit
The real highlight is walking up the mountain alongside the pilgrims, following a trail (天台正顶) that passes waterfalls, streams, and countless nunneries, temples and shrines. The summit is on a mountain range behind the village. The hike up takes a leisurely four hours; count on about two to three hours to get back down to the village.
You can begin just after the village's main entrance, where a 30-minute hike up the ridge behind Zhīyuán Temple leads you to Bǎisuì Gōng, an active temple built into the cliff in 1630 to consecrate the Buddhist monk Wu Xia, whose shrunken, embalmed body is coated in gold and sits shrivelled within an ornate glass cabinet in front…
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Míngjiào Temple
Small and atmospheric and looking out of place, this temple sits 5m above ground on the pedestrianised section of Huaihe Lu.
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Měishí Rénjiā
At the offical entrance to Lao Jie, this bustling restaurant – spread over two floors and hung with traditional Chinese mǎdēng lanterns – seethes with satisfied customers. Peruse the counter for a range of dishes – húntūn (wontons; dumpling soup), jiǎozi (stuffed dumplings), bāozi (steamed buns stuffed with meat or vegetables), noodles, clay pot and more – on display, have them cooked fresh to order and sink a delicious glass of sweet zǐmǐlù (紫米露), made from purple glutinous rice. If you want to linger over a meal, a more expensive restaurant version is located next door.
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Lúzhōu Kǎoyā
Sample some of Ānhuī's traditional roast duck (烤鸭; Y18.50 per 500g), plus plenty of other noodle and dumpling dishes (from Y6) at this buzzy eatery. Order at the counter and show the slip to the server, then take a seat. Grab some of the savoury roasted biscuits (look for the queue outside) to go.
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Huàchéng Sì
The largest, most colouful and elaborate temple in town. Ornately carved dragons serve as handrails up the main steps. The eaves and beams of the buildings are painted in every colour imaginable and the icing on the cake is the three huge golden bodhisattvas that greet visitors: each one sits at least 25m tall.
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Hot Springs
After years of renovation, the hot springs area is finally open. If you want a soak after the strenuous climbing, this place offers a mind-boggling variety of themed springs. Soak in a coffee-infused pool or get heady in the wine- or alcohol-infused spring. There's also a pool with fish that nibble away dead skin on your feet. Follow it all up with a foot massage. Entry includes complimentary snacks and tea.
The best way to get to the springs is to arrange for a free transfer and pick-up via your hotel. Shuttle buses (Y7) run to the Yúngǔ Station, from where it's a short walk downhill to the hot springs.
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