Text: Paul Lee (’67 BS; ’72 PhD)
Photograph: York Liao (’67 BS)
China’s loftiest mountains are at the far west. In the central plain, there are five famous mountains known for their grandeur and history. Hua Shan, the western mountain, is famous for its precipitous cliffs, splendid legends, and Taoist temples. It rises almost vertically some 7000 feet and is the most difficult of the mountains that is still accessible to people who are only mildly athletic. York Liao, myself and a friend Vincent Chu decided to make the pilgrimage to this Taoist center in late March. By way of training, the three of us and Amy Lee (’75 PhD) climbed the San Jacinto mountain in Palm Spring last October.
The preparation
Books that offer practical information for visiting Hua Shan are hard to find. Hua Shan is in Shaanxi province, a little south of where the River Wei flows into the Yellow River. The nearest city, some 100 mile to the west, is Xi’an, famous for the terra-cotta warriors from the Qin Dynasty. Of the usual tourist books on China, I have found only one that mentions Hua Shan (Lonely planet series.) There are some Chinese books that are long on the poetry of the mountain but short on the nitty-gritty. One raves about the austere beauty of this mountain and mentions that many people have died in its precipices. It philosophically concludes that the risk is well worth taking because the scenery is so enchanting. As far as practical detail is concerned, we could not even find a map that is drawn to scale.
Then serendipity struck. York met Prof. Z.B. Xu from the Xi’an Jiaotong University in Hong Kong and he gave some valuable recommendations. All the books say that “from time memorial there is only one path up Hua Shan.” However, an aerial tramway has started operation in 1996, and carries passengers from the base to the North Peak, the lowest of the five peaks. Prof. Xu suggested that a less strenuous way would be to take the tram up; climb the five peaks and negotiate the tortuous trail all the way down to the base. This would involve an overnight stay at East Peak, traditionally the best place to watch the sunrise.
Hua Shan -- the climb
We arrived at Xi’an a day before our trek and visited some of the historical sites in that ancient capital. The next day we started at 8 am. We could have taken a train. But Prof. Xu had kindly arranged for a car, which made it more convenient. Our driver took us east on an excellent toll road. Two hours later he deposited us at the tram depot and we arranged to meet at 4:30 p.m. the following day at the Jade Spring Temple, the traditional entrance point for the mountain. Late March was still considered cold in this part of China so there were not too many tourists. The weather at the base was a pleasant 60° F. The tram traversed the 5000 feet distance (2500 feet elevation) in 10 minutes. There was a walking path below but it was not particularly scenic. We got out and were within a hundred feet of North Peak. In the old days it was quite a strenuous hike to get this far. With the aerial tramway, it was considerably easier with no concomitant sense of achievement. We explored the area a little and got a couple of guidebooks.
We started our walking around noon. The path consisted of stone steps laid on the mountain ridge. There were chains on both sides which was reassuring since most of the time there were cliffs with several thousand feet of sheer drop on both sides . Soon we came into a very steep and treacherous stretch. It took a lot of effort to go up the several hundred steps. At one point a short perpendicular “sky-ladder” took us from the ledge to a higher rock. We came to the spot where many pilgrims gave up and turned back, including a famous Tang dynasty writer Han Yu.. The story was that when he got to this point and looked back, he could not see how he could make it back alive. He cried and wrote out his last will and threw it down the mountain, relying on the most primitive of postal systems. When I read this account before the trip, I could not quite believe that a great writer Han Yu would do such a thing. When I saw the actual locality, I was not so sure.
Such hard work should have a reward, we went into the first restaurant after the North Peak and ordered lunch. At such height, water was a scarcity. That being the case, hygiene suffered. We were careful to order only hot food and to have our tea in plastic cups. The food was quite good under the circumstances. The owner showed us his rooms and suggested that we spend the night here and go up early morning to watch the sunrise. The accommodations looked rather Spartan and we decided to stick to our original plan of staying at the East Peak.
After another long stretch we got up to East Peak and North Peak became a little speck. We walked into some little shed with a restaurant sign. The buildings definitely lack charm. In fact they would be considered eyesores in the better ghetto. We were shocked to realize that this was the East Peak Hotel that we would be staying in.
The manager, in the person of a pleasant young man, greeted us and showed us the deluxe room for four. The room was about 9 by 14 feet with four single beds and two chairs. The manager quoted a price of 120 yuan (approximately US$14) per person and pointed out the further luxury of a color TV. When we said we were not going to watch TV, he lowered the price to 100 yuan. We had little choice and accepted his terms.
Leaving our backpacks on the beds and went out to explore the mountain. In stark contrast to the gloom of the hotel room, the scenery outside was glorious. East Peak stood 7000 feet high, the second highest of the five peaks, and commanded a marvelous view of the mountain ranges beyond Hua Shan. There was a magnificently built but scarcely accessible pavilion for chess. The story was that before the founder of the Sung dynasty became king, he played the game here and lost three matches. When he persevered, his opponent pointed out that he had nothing more to bet on. The future king said he would give his opponent Hua Shan if he should again lose. He did lose. So when he became king he exempted the Hua Shan district from government taxes. This was possibly the first reputed incident of a successful political candidate giving a tax break to his early benefactor.
We headed towards the South Peak. At 7200 feet, it was the highest of Hua Shan’s five peaks. However, from the base it was hidden behind the more impressive West Peak. We hiked down a rather steep set of stairs; went through some ridges and came upon the “Hanging Footpath.” To get there, one had to get down about thirty feet of vertical drop before getting on to the wooden planks which had a combined width of 8 to 10 inches and was erected on the side of a vertical cliff. The authority had thoughtfully placed chains on the cliff for the brave souls to hang on to. At the end of the walkway, one would be treated to the sight of a cave, dug out by a Taoist monk who was particularly adverse to crowds. We went as far as the place where the vertical drop began and decided that prudence was the better part of valor. Vincent, however, decided to tempt fate and ventured down. He completed the path but was too concerned to notice the cave. He said the trick was not to look down at all time and concentrate on what was immediately in front of you. Vincent, unlike the other two, is single.
York and myself were so diligent in recording on film Vincent’s high drama that we both used up our film. So we were not able to take a picture at the highest peak. A nice couple from Beijing offered to take our picture and mailed it to us afterwards. We decided that we would return the next day. By this time it was past 5 p.m., so we retraced our steps to the hotel.
The bleak prospect of eating awaited us. The dining room was right next to a filthy kitchen and has four big tables but no customer. After a careful study of our options, we decided on a bowl of instant noodle that carried its own utensil. We got boiling water and washed the noodle down with beer that was at ambient temperature, i.e. ice-cold. We finished our repast with some crackers that were surprisingly fresh and a chocolate bar. By this time the outside temperature had dropped but the temperature in our unheated room seemed even colder. We piled up the blankets into cocoons and braced ourselves for a freezing night. We did not sleep well but we suffered no permanent damage from the cold.
Hua Shan – the descent
Wake-up call came in the form of a knock at the door around 5:15. We put on all our clothes, including an old army overcoat that we rented from the establishment and went up to the peak in the dark. The horizon was hazy which did not bode well for watching the sunrise. By 6:30, it became obvious that our effort was not going to be rewarded. We packed up and were on our way, having breakfasted on crackers and chocolate bar. We returned once again to the South Peak where we could now take pictures to record our journey for posterity. From this highest point we went past the inconspicuous Central Peak and came upon the famous ridge that led up to the West Peak. This is the impressive ridge that appears in postcards about Hua Shan. The actual path was far less dangerous than it appeared. At the peak there was a Taoist temple in excellent repair and several spots associated with famous legends. We explored these sites a bit and took a good look at the panoramic view of the valley and the river in the distance.
From West Peak, there were two alternative routes to go back to the North Peak. We consulted with a tour guide who happened to be there and was told that one route was much steeper than the other. We opted for the easier route, which was difficult enough. Soon we were back at the “Golden Lock Pass” which was the entrance point to the three highest peaks. We were now meeting people laboring up these steep steps, just as we did the day before. We got down to North Peak and had lunch. We had expected the food to be better since we were close to the tram depot. In comparison with our overnight hotel, the food was fabulous but on a more normal scale, it would only rate as adequate.
We then continued our descent. One disadvantage of our itinerary was that we would meet the progressively climactic points in reverse order. The first and the most difficult obstacle we encountered was a series of steps carved out of a cliff. Massive rocks were on the side with the sky appearing as a line high above. There were rocks hanging on top and you hoped that they would not choose this time to complete their downward fall. After this “Hundred Feet Gorge”, we arrived at the “Thousand Feet Slope”, which had 366 very steep steps carved out of a huge rock slab. Here going down made less demand on the heart but more demand from everything else in the body. Looking straight down the steps would make you quite dizzy and you have to hold on to the chains to control your descent. At the top of these precarious steps was a small opening called the “Sky Well.” There was a metal plate that could be placed over this opening. In the past, one person guarding this plate would hold off a ten-thousand-man army trying to get into Hua Shan.
At the foot of the “Thousand Feet Slope” was the “Turn Back Rock.” This is the traditional point where the tired mountaineer would look up at the sheer cliff and retreated. There were lots of characters carved into the rock throughout the mountain. Here at the “Turn Back Rock” there were two that carried mixed messages: “Onward you brave people” and “Before you continue, think of your parents.”
Here we saw a lot of porters carrying supplies up the mountain. This was backbreaking work with miserable pay. Then we heard some lovely music coming from below. It was a porter. He was walking deliberately with his load but kept playing his flute. We listened and marveled at his serenity. Later, he caught up with us again after he had deposited his burden. His steps were lighter and his tune more playful. His music brought joy and life to that quiet valley.
At this point we were about six miles from our rendezvous, with all the scary spots behind us. We could now look up and see the magnificent West Peak and saw the amazing meandering path that led up to the summit. This was what the pioneers of old saw and their ingenious effort had carved out a path where none seemed possible. At this lower altitude, the valley is quite lovely with beautiful trees and flowers in bloom. There were many meadows and Taoist shrines. We stopped for drinks at a roadside store.
The last stretch was unexpectedly difficult, probably because we were quite tired by this time. The road was now paved with rock and though not treacherous it was fairly steep. This was quite hard on the body. We made it back to the “Jade Spring Temple” by 4:40 with very little of bodily reserve remaining. The faithful driver took us back to Xi’an. Our homeward journey was filled with images of the rugged mountain and a not uneager anticipation of the comforts of a five-star hotel.
