Location
Huangshan the mountain is located in Huangshan City in the south of Anhui province, with a total area of about 1200 km2 and a length of about 40 kilometers from north to South and a width of about 30 kilometers from east to west.
Huangshan Scenic Area covers an area of 160.6 km2 within the mountain area. It is divided into nine management districts: Wenquan, Yungu, Yuping, Beihai, Songgu, Diaoqiao, Fuxi, Yanghu and fugu. Its buffer zone covers an area of 490.9 km2 and is bounded by the administrative boundaries of five towns and one farm (Tangkou town, Tanjiaqiao town, Sankou town, Gengcheng town, Jiaocun town and Yanghu forest farm) adjacent to Huangshan Scenic Area.
Note: Huangshan UNESCO Global Geopark is 173.43 km2, Huangshan World Heritage Site is 160.6 km2, Huangshan Biosphere Reserve is 425.58 km2.
The origin of the name
Huangshan was once named Yishan (Black Mountain) for the gray and black color of the rock seen from distance. Later in 747 AD (Tang Dynasty), the Emperor Xuanzong changed the name to Huangshan based on the tale that Emperor Huang, whose name was Xuanyuan, once collected herbs, refined pills and eventually became immortal here. So the “Huang” in Huangshan indicates the Emperor Huang. There is a mistranslation of Huangshan as Yellow Mountain due to misinterpretation of “Huang”.
Ever since, Huangshan has accumulated profound culture about Emperor Huang. Several attractions on the mountain named related to the tale.
Features
Huangshan is mainly characterized by granite peak and forest landscape, water landscape, as well as rare animals and plants. It is famous for its "Five Wonders" of exotic pines, grotesque rocks, sea of clouds, hot springs and winter snow, but also has a profound cultural heritage. Together with the Yangtze River, the great wall and the Yellow River, Huangshan is an outstanding representative of China's magnificent mountains and splendid culture and is known as the "fairyland on earth" and "the most wonderful mountain in the world".
Geology and geomorphology
Huangshan the mountain has a geological history of 800 million years. Its peak forest landscape was formed after orogeny, crustal uplift, glaciation and natural weathering. Huangshan Mountain is mainly composed of Yanshanian granite, with developed vertical joints, strong erosion cutting, crisscross fractures and fissures, and long-term water erosion, forming granite caves and channels.
Huangshan has rich and typical geological landscapes, such as granite shaped rocks, granite caverns, waterfall and so on. Rock mass joints are sparse at the mountain south, mostly spherical weathering. The mountain is thick and spectacular. While at the mountain north, rock mass joints are dense, multi column weathering, and the mountain is steep. These form the geological characteristics of "magnificent south mountain, delicate north mountain".
Huangshan has 72 peaks, which are divided into 36 major peaks and 36 minor peaks. The main peak, Lianhua peak, is 1864.8 meters above sea level. Together with Guangming Summit and Tiandu peak, Lianhua peak is one of the three main peaks of Huangshan, one of the 36 major peaks.
Ecological environment
The ecosystem of Huangshan Mountain is stable and balanced with complete and vertical distribution of plant communities. Huangshan is a gathering place of green plants, known as "East China plant treasure house" and "natural botanical garden". The forest coverage here is 98.29%. There are 1805 species of higher plants belonging to 827 genera and 222 families, including Pinus taiwanensis, Rhododendron Huangshan, tiannv flower, Manglietia, Taxus chinensis and other rare plants. There are 28 species of plants found in Huangshan or named after Huangshan for the first time.
Huangshan is an ideal place for animals to inhabit and reproduce. There are 24 species of fish, 21 species of amphibians, 48 species of reptiles, 176 species of birds and 54 species of mammals. Here live red billed Acacia, brown noise bunting, Silver Pheasant, short tailed monkey, sika deer, wild goat, black muntjac, Sumen antelope, clouded leopard and other rare birds and animals.
Climate
Huangshan is in the subtropical monsoon climate zone, with high mountains and deep valleys. The climate changes vertically. The local topography plays a leading role in the climate, forming a special mountain monsoon climate. The average annual precipitation at the top of the mountain is 2369.3 mm, the average annual rainy days are 180.6 days, the snow days are 32.9 days, the fog days are 259 days, the gale days are 118.7 days, the average annual temperature is 7.9 ℃, the maximum temperature in summer is 27 ℃, the minimum temperature in winter is - 22 ℃, and the longest non rain period is 40 days. Huangshan has dense trees, numerous streams and waterfalls, and the atmospheric quality maintains Grade I throughout the year. The daily average concentration of PM2.5 in the air is 5 μg/m3, and the concentration of negative oxygen ions in the air is more than 20000/c m3, which makes Huangshan known as "natural oxygen bar".