Bask in the warm autumn sun, visit Qianshan County, and climb Mount Tianzhu.
On this cultural tour of Anhui, Hubei, and Jiangxi, I plan to measure Mount Tianzhu in Qianshan County with my feet and climb Tianzhu Peak.
At around 6:00 am, I went to the Yangtze River to watch the sunrise and then admired the yellow ginkgo leaves at Yingjiang Temple. The warm autumn sun, beautiful autumn scenery, and refreshing autumn air were all wonderful.
I took train G7080 from Anqing Railway Station at 10:18 am and arrived at Qianshan Station at 10:40 am. After leaving the station, I went directly to transfer to the intercity bus to Mount Tianzhu, which costs CNY 10 per person. The bus departed from Qianshan Station at 11:00 am and arrived at the Mount Tianzhu Tea Village Visitor Center at 11:50 am. After purchasing the scenic area ticket and shuttle bus ticket, I took the shuttle bus departing at 12:00 pm and arrived at the South Gate hiking point at 12:15 pm. Then, I started my hiking journey.
Mount Tianzhu, also known as Qianshan, Wanshan, and Wangong Mountain (the abbreviation of Anhui Province, "Wan," comes from this), is famous for its magnificence, uniqueness, spirituality, and beauty. Mount Tianzhu is lush with vegetation, with a forest coverage rate of 97% and negative oxygen ions three times the national highest Class I standard.
Starting from the South Gate, I passed Tianwa Peak and reached Tianzhu Villa in 1 hour. There was no beautiful scenery along the way, as both sides were blocked by dense forests, and there were only steps. After arriving at Tianzhu Villa, the scenery changed, and the strange granite rocks stood in front of me. Various strange rocks with bizarre shapes appeared, resembling elephants, roosters crowing, meteorites, etc. The rocks were in my eyes, and the scenery was in my heart. I climbed Zhenyigang, Elephant Trunk Rock, Wangong Statue, Mysterious Valley, Tianzhu Pine, Tianchi Peak, and Gebitai to Penglai Peak. After passing Yixiantian, I reached Tianzhu Peak in 1.5 hours. After a short rest, I passed Baiyuetai, Xianren Cave, Qinglong Ridge, and Xiguan Fort. After turning at Baocui Pavilion, I started descending. The steps were steep, so I had to be careful. On the way down, I saw Liandan Lake from a distance, with its clear and bright water. I rested at the Liandan Lake Sub-center, passed Xiantao Rock, and returned to Tianzhu Villa. Then, I continued descending and returned to the South Gate hiking point, completing the 4-hour hike.
Hiking Mount Tianzhu and reaching Tianzhu Peak is an opportunity and challenge for a septuagenarian. This hike was not very strenuous, thanks to regular exercise and frequent travel.
"Already a white-haired man in his sixties, the peach blossoms still smile at the spring breeze. Today, I reached the top of Tianzhu Peak, enjoying the sunset years."