Sanqingshan 三清山 (26-28Oct 2013)

Went on a 3-day department outing which first brought us to a grottoes (石窟) attraction. The first photo shows how a grotto looks like on the surface and the 2nd shows what lies beneath, which were all under water until their discovery. It sure took a long while to empty the water! Even after decades of research, no one really knew the exact purpose of these grottoes. Every explanation explored returned with more questions and doubts. Some said they were meant to hide treasures, others said they were used for secret military training, and so on. Just something to ponder on...

Our destination - a UNESCO World Heritage site called Mount Sanqingshan (三清山) National Park - is the actual highlight of the trip. Took us a brutal 8 hrs' drive including stopovers. But it was absolutely worth the while.

"Mount Sanqingshan National Park, a 22,950 ha property located in the west of the Huyaiyu mountain range in the northeast of Jiangxi Province (in the east of central China) has been inscribed for its exceptional scenic quality, marked by the concentration of fantastically shaped pillars and peaks: 48 granite peaks and 89 granite pillars, many of which resemble human or animal silhouettes. The natural beauty of the 1,817 metre high Mount Huaiyu is further enhanced by the juxtaposition of granite features with the vegetation and particular meteorological conditions which make for an ever-changing and arresting landscape with bright halos on clouds and white rainbows. The area is subject to a combination of subtropical monsoonal and maritime influences and forms an island of temperate forest above the surrounding subtropical landscape. It also features forests and numerous waterfalls, some of them 60 metres in height, lakes and springs."
- Unesco website

Can you see the pathway meandering along the mountains? Definitely not for the faint-hearted!! But I loved every minute of it. My first experience climbing Chinese mountains and I was awed beyond words. Such natural beauty~ I couldn't stop snapping photos during our 6-hour hike. Also thoroughly enjoyed our tea session in the very poetic setting.

This was an excellent trip. Never knew my love for hiking!