Tianzhu Mountain (Tianzhushan)
UNESCO Global Geopark; National 5A Tourist Attraction In The Dabie Mountains · Anqing, Anhui
A granite massif in the Dabie Mountains of southwestern Anhui, named for its central peak - the Heavenly Pillar - a bare shaft of rock rising to about 1,490 metres above forests of pine and bamboo. The mountain was proclaimed the Southern Sacred Peak by a Han emperor in 106 BC, two centuries before the honour passed to Mount Heng in Hunan, and it kept its pilgrims: temples, hermit caves and cliff inscriptions are scattered through the range, including the Sanzu Temple associated with the third patriarch of Chan Buddhism. Weathering has split the granite into boulder fields, arches and narrow clefts, and the walking here is unusual - trails squeeze through crevices, cross boulder bridges and climb ladders between towers of rock, with the Tongtian and Baguatai routes threading caves formed by fallen blocks. A cable car lifts visitors most of the way to the high ground, where plank walks run along the cliffs to viewpoints over a sea of cloud. The geology earned it UNESCO Global Geopark status, and a high-speed station at Qianshan has made it far easier to reach than it was.
Tianzhushan Scenic Area, Qianshan, Anqing, Anqing, Anhui, China
Daily, about 7:00-17:30; cable cars stop earlier and plank routes close in ice or high wind.
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