Huayin, Weinan, Shaanxi, China
华山 · Huà Shān
The Western of China's Five Great Mountains is a single block of granite rising almost two kilometres above the Wei River plain, cut by sheer cliffs into five peaks. For centuries Taoist hermits lived in caves on its faces, and pilgrims climbed by steps cut into the rock, holding chains. "Since ancient times there has been only one road up Mount Hua", the saying goes.
Photo: chensiyuan, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Mount Hua is the Western Mountain of the five sacred peaks where emperors made sacrifices to heaven and earth; the temple at its foot, the Xiyue Temple, received offerings for over two thousand years. Taoists saw the mountain as a place where immortals lived, and built temples and hermitages on its peaks, some reachable only by chains.
The mountain has five peaks: East, for the sunrise; South, the highest at 2,155 metres; West, shaped like a lotus; North, the lowest; and Middle, between them. Until the 20th century the only way up was the narrow path from the north, past cliffs called "a thousand feet" and "a hundred feet". Today two cable cars reach the North and West peaks.
The mountain ticket covers the peaks; cable cars, shuttle buses and the two cliff experiences are paid separately.
| Part | Ticket |
|---|---|
| Mountain ticket | 160 yuan (March–November), 100 yuan in winter |
| West Peak cable car | 140 yuan one way |
| North Peak cable car | 80 yuan one way |
| Plank Road in the Sky, Yaozi Fanshen | 30 yuan each, weather permitting |
The ridge joining the North Peak to the high peaks is a blade of granite with steps cut along its spine and a drop on both sides. The poet Han Yu, the story goes, was so frightened here that he sat down, wept and threw a farewell letter over the edge. Today it has railings and chains, and thousands climb it each day.
Above it, on the South Peak, the Plank Road in the Sky runs along a cliff face on boards fixed to iron pins, with a harness clipped to a cable. It is optional, and not for anyone afraid of heights.
"It is the most dangerous hike in the world." The main paths have steps, railings and chains, and are climbed by huge crowds; the frightening parts are optional extras. Ice, crowds and night climbs are the real risks.
"There is one road up." There are now two main walking routes and two cable cars.
We searched Chinese sources first for this list, then English ones.
The classic way is "up by the West, down by the North": cable car to the West Peak, walk round the high peaks, then down Canglong Ridge to the North Peak and its cable car. Walkers can climb all night from the Huashan Gate to see the sunrise.
The old route up the north valley, through the stairs of Qianchi Zhuang, so steep the steps are cut into a cleft in the rock.
The lowest peak, where the north cable car arrives; in 1949 a small team of soldiers climbed a cliff behind it to take the mountain.
The blade of the ridge, then the gate where visitors hang padlocks on the chains for luck and love.
The peak for the sunrise. Below it is the Chess Pavilion and the Yaozi Fanshen, a climb down a cliff on footholds.
The highest point, with a Taoist temple and the start of the Plank Road in the Sky.
The lotus peak, with sheer cliffs on its north face and the rock said to have been split by the hero Chenxiang to save his mother.
In 1383, when Wang Lü climbed and painted the mountain, the crisis began in Portugal that would bring the house of Aviz to the throne.
| Year | Here | Elsewhere |
|---|---|---|
| 1383 | Wang Lü climbs and paints the mountain | The crisis of 1383–85 begins in Portugal |
| 1949 | Soldiers climb a cliff to take the mountain | NATO is founded |
| 2013 | The West Peak cable car opens | Pope Francis is elected |
One line to remember: a granite mountain of five peaks, climbed on stairs cut into its cliffs.
These are stories people tell about this place. They are legends, not history, and each one says where it comes from.
The goddess of Mount Hua married a mortal and was imprisoned under the West Peak by her brother; her son Chenxiang grew up, split the mountain with an axe and set her free. A split rock on the peak is shown as the place.
Source: A folk tale told in plays and in "The Magic Lotus Lantern"
Before he became the first Song emperor, Zhao Kuangyin played chess with the Taoist Chen Tuan, staked the mountain and lost; so, the story goes, Mount Hua has paid no tax ever since.
Source: A story told at the Chess Pavilion
Later, people who live here will be able to add the stories they grew up with, and say which of these they have heard.
Last checked 2026-11-12. Ticket prices from the Huayin city government notice of March 2026 as reported, and 2026 Sina guides; cable car prices from the same guides.
Checked 2026-11-12
Opening hours are given in the local time of the place. Prices are in the local currency. The figure after ≈ is approximate, at exchange rates checked on 9 November 2026, in .
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