On January 13, 2025, my son and I took a high-speed train from Xi'an North to Huashan North, which took only half an hour. From there, it was a 15-minute drive to our hotel located at the foot of Mount Huashan. Alternatively, you can go directly from the train station to the Huashan Customer Service Center, which is about a 12-minute drive.

After a quick lunch, we hailed a Didi taxi to the Huashan Visitor Center. From there, we boarded a shuttle bus for a 40-minute ride to the West Peak Cableway Station.

The cable car journey, lasting about 20 minutes, provided an unforgettable view of the stunning landscape.

Our final stop was a cave carved into the cliff face. I was truly amazed by the remarkable ingenuity and perseverance of the people who created it.

From the cableway station, we walked to the West Peak and the South Peak, and then came back to the West Peak Cableway Station which took around 3 hours. We were much slower than most people, though. We just wanted to enjoy the view in a comfortable way... We even had a coffee break in the café on the West Peak. The usual route is: go up the mountain by the West Cableway, walk around all the peaks (West - South - East - North), and then go down the mountain by the North Peak Cableway.

The views were stunning. The summit is a wonderland of towering peaks and ancient temples.Walking along the narrow paths on the mountain top is both thrilling and rewarding.

The South Peak, standing tall at 2154.9 meters, is the highest of them all. As I stood there, taking in the breathtaking view, I couldn't help but echo the sentiments of the great poet Du Fu, who once wrote: "一览众山小." This phrase, which translates to "All other mountains appear small from here," perfectly captures the awe-inspiring feeling of standing atop the South Peak and gazing out at the vast expanse of the world below.

After the trip, as introduced by our taxi driver, we went to the grocery market to find a local restaurant, which turned out to be as he said: delicious and cheap. We went to this market again the next day to try another restaurant, which was also very good.

On 14 January, we left Huashan by train back to Beijing. It was a truly rewarding and satisfying experience. Huashan has always had a special place in my heart since I climbed it from the foot to the top through the night and climbed down on foot during the day in 1999. I’ll forever remember the hardship and rewarding feeling it brought. I am glad I could re-experience the views by the cableways 25 years later.

You can take a look at the video of the trip at: https://www.charmission.cn/explorechina/220.html.

Yours Truly

Angie