The Yellow Mountains — Sunrises and Seas of Cloud

An image of a twisting pine tree growing from a curiously-curved rock pops into Chinese minds when they hear of the Yellow Mountains.

These mystical and mist-ical mountains are the most beautiful and most famous in China. Their classic attractions are grand dawns and their “four natural wonders”: peculiar pines, oddly-shaped rocks, seas of clouds, and hot springs.

About 300 km (200 miles) west of Hangzhou and 500 km (300 miles) southwest of Shanghai, direct flights from Shanghai to Huangshan city take only 30 minutes, then it's about 1½ hours to the scenic area. A bus from Hangzhou to the Yellow Mountains takes only about 2½ hours.