Watch Your Steps - This Is Hua Shan (華山) !
Posted On Sunday, September 6, 2009 at at 10:59 PM by AlvinSince ancient times, Hua Shan (華山) had been one of the most revered and picturesque mountains in China where temples (西嶽廟 ) were built as far back as 3,000 years ago for the emperors to perform their worshipping rituals.
Hua Shan was made even more famous by the well-known Chinese novelist and historian Jing Yung (金庸) as he penned his heroes and heroines doing swords and fists battles and duos atop the dangerous peaks of Hua Shan whose sheer cliffs and precarious steep ascents offered the ultimate testing grounds for "who dares win" and "who dares not die". None more so than the "world-famous" battles of 華山論劍 between such well-known fictional characters as 東邪、西毒、南帝、北丐、中神通 !
We stayed at the foot of Hua Shan near the 玉泉院 entrance where we enjoyed the local dinners of 四菜一湯 (four dishes with one soup) for a bargain of 50 RMB ! I love this place ! Having fed ourselves well, we felt ready to tackle our itinerary the next day : 8AM start by climbing the 5 main peaks followed by the steep descent from the Eastern slopes back down to the 玉泉院 entrance where we would be met with a lovely hot shower !