Mythical Mountain Qingsan

★Mountain Qingsan truly deserves its reputation as the premier fairy mountain, with beauty far surpassing Mount Lu! Although the combined cost of entrance tickets and cable car is a bit expensive (245 yuan), it's absolutely worth it compared to the stunning scenery! ★Yesterday I stayed at Wangxian Valley. This morning I woke up to overcast skies, with the weather forecast predicting rain all morning. I was very worried that it would be like when I climbed Mount Lu—unable to see the beautiful scenery while getting soaked. ★I took a shared car to Mountain Qingsan, which wasn't expensive at 80 yuan per person, taking us directly to the Shuangxi cable car boarding point. Although the sky was heavily overcast, fortunately it wasn't raining. Perhaps due to the weather, there was no queue, and we went straight onto the cable car. As the cable car ascended, the mountain fog grew thicker, with the cabin moving through the mist as if floating on clouds, making it impossible to see the scenery outside. The cable car was fast, taking less than twenty minutes to reach the exit point. ★After getting off the cable car, the real mountain climbing began. It was already 9:30 AM. I had previously studied many guides made by others about large, medium, and small circuits, but they weren't very helpful in practice. I originally planned to take the large circuit, but after taking a wrong turn at a crucial fork, I ended up on the medium circuit. This worked out well though, as it wasn't too tiring and there was plenty of time. According to announcements, the cable car closes at 5:30 PM, so taking the large circuit would have been very tight on time. If you miss the last cable car, you're in serious trouble. ★When ascending from the Shuangxi cable car, the difficult part comes first. After getting off the cable car, you need to climb continuously upward. It's certainly easier to climb when you have the most energy, so this arrangement makes sense. The steepest section is called "One Line Sky," with an incline of about 60-70 degrees—absolutely terrifying. You pass through a narrow stone peak, with the narrowest part less than one meter wide. If people meet here going in opposite directions, one person must stop to let the other pass. Water drips down from the vertical rock walls on both sides, making the steps wet. This section reportedly has 299 steps, symbolizing "long-lasting love." ★The highest peak on the medium circuit is "Emperor Yu Peak," which I reached close to noon. Throughout the morning, except for a brief period of clear weather at the beginning of the climb, we were completely enveloped in thick fog. Even by the time we reached "Giant Python Emerging from the Mountain," the heavy fog hadn't dispersed. ★This section includes the core scenic spots of Sanqingshan, including "Giant Python Emerging from the Mountain" and "Oriental Goddess," which are not far from each other. At this moment, the dense fog, like a playful child, quickly and magically disappeared. The sun came out, the sky turned clear blue, and visitors exclaimed in delight, everyone hurrying to take photos. The "Oriental Goddess" also unveiled her mysterious face—a perfect photo opportunity. Sitting on the viewing platform below the Goddess Hotel, the sunshine felt warm on my body. After resting and having food and drinks, I continued my descent. ★In just half an hour, mist rose again from the valley, and the mountains were quickly enveloped in thick fog once more—truly ever-changing. After reaching the rest pavilion at Sanqingshan World Geopark, turning left would reportedly take about ten minutes to reach another cable car, the Jinsha cable car. I chose to turn right to complete a loop. ★This section was mostly flat, following a plank road hanging on the cliff face. The path was only about two meters wide, winding along the mountain contours. One side hugged the cliff wall while the other side was suspended in mid-air—looking down into the deep abyss below was heart-stopping. The thick fog dispersed again, revealing breathtakingly beautiful scenery with expansive views. I returned to Shuangxi and took the cable car down the mountain.