Wuhu - Yellow Mountain

Yellow Mountain, some 150km/93mi south of Wuhu, has 72 peaks; the highest is Lianhua (1860m/6104ft). The name of the mountain is linked to a legend according to which it was here that the Yellow Emperor carried out his alchemical experiments in an attempt to discover the elixir of life.

Mount Huangshan is famous for its ''four natural wonders'' - the steep rock-faces, the pine-trees growing in the strangest shapes imaginable, the grotesquely-formed masses of stone and the sea of cloud through which the peaks protrude. The saying is that Yellow Mountain combines everything that other mountains possess individually - the importance of Mount Taishan, the bleakness of Mount Taishan, the mists and low clouds of Mount Hengshan, the waterfalls of Mount Lushan and the freshness of Mount Emeishan. The flora and fauna, largely unspoiled, are also unique. Many Chinese artists have included it in their paintings (Wushan Painting) and it is the subject of many books.