Take the train from Shanghai to Tongling.
Arrive in Tongling where you will be met by the local guide and transferred to Mt. Jiuhua, one of the four sacred Buddhist Mountains in China.
Overnight in Mt. Jiuhua Shan
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Mt. Jiuhua Shan: Jiuhua Shan ('Nine Brilliant Peaks') is one of China's four sacred Buddhist mountains. Taoist monks first built thatched temples there in the third century, but later it became revered by Buddhists because a Korean monk, Kim Kiao Kak, believed to have been a reincarnation of Dizang (savior of damned souls), died there in the 8th century. Today there are 70 temples and monasteries on the nine peaks.
Mt. Huang Shan: From ancient times Huang Shan has been considered the ultimate awesome mountain destination. Its jade mountains, ethereal mists, dizzying precipices and breathtaking panoramas continue to inspire lovers, scholars, poets and artists, and everyone else as well!
Huizhou Culture: Not far from Huang Shan are numerous intriguing villages which display the Huizhou culture, one of the three major cultures of China. Excellent examples of old Huizhou architecture include grand residences, archways and halls. In bygone days, rich merchants boasted of their wealth and distinction by building huge archways of local marble carved elaborately in typical Anhui styles. Their houses were built with very high walls and few or no windows in order to discourage thieves, but interior walls were richly covered with exquisite and delicate woodcarvings.
Take the train from Shanghai to Tongling.
Arrive in Tongling where you will be met by the local guide and transferred to Mt. Jiuhua, one of the four sacred Buddhist Mountains in China.
Overnight in Mt. Jiuhua Shan
After breakfast at the hotel, you will start your tour of Mt. Jiuhua, going up and down the mountain by cable-car.
Enjoy a whole-day tour including Qiyuan Temple, Huacheng Temple, Baisui Gong (Longevity Palace), Roushen Hall, Tiantai Temple and Tiantai Peak. Baisui Gong is an active temple built in 1630 in honor of the Buddhist monk Wu Xia, whose embalmed body is on display.
Overnight in Mt. Jiuhua Shan
Take the bus to Mt. Huang Shan, a 'fairyland on earth'.
Go up the mountain by the biggest cable-car in Asia called the Taiping cable-car.
Visit the scenic spots like Cloud-dispelling Pavilion and the Grand Canyon of the West Sea (Beihai).
Overnight on Huang Shan
Enjoy the spectacular views at Flower-scattering Valley, Beginning-to-believe Peak and more. Begin-to-Believe-Peak is very popular with its classic landscape of deep chasms and awesome ruggedness. You may notice the locks that loving couples have romantically fastened around the chain railings. After closing the locks together they throw the key off the peak as a token of their undying devotion.
Go down the mountain by the Yungu cable-car.
Take a bus to Yixian County which is praised as a paradise on earth.
Visit two well-known villages: Xidi and Hongcun, both World Cultural Heritage Sites. The boat-shaped village Xidi is reputed to be "A Living Ancient Residential Museum in China". In the past, rich merchants living in Xidi used to build grand marble archways with elaborate relief carvings to symbolize their wealth and prestige.
Hongcun is a unique buffalo-shaped village, one of the locations for the Oscar-award-winning movie "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon". During the Ming dynasty a powerful retired government official decided to improve the 'fengshui' of the village by adding a lake and water channels that flow through nearly every household.
Back to Tunxi, the centre of Huang Shan City, to enjoy the performance of Huangmei Opera (a famous local opera in Anhui Province).
Overnight in Tunxi
Pay a visit to Shexian County, well-known for its long history and profound culture.
There you will view the unique Tangyue archway, perhaps the largest one in China, the largest bonsai garden of the Huizhou School, Bao's Clan Garden and the mysterious village of the Eight Diagrams, Chengkan Village. After seeing all these, you will have a real feel for the ancient architectural styles of Huizhou Prefecture.
Return by bus to Tunxi, where you visit the best-preserved commercial street, the Ancient Street of Tunxi, built in the Ming and Qing dynasties. Here you can still see the old bluestone paving and the distinctive Huizhou architecture with its fine woodcarvings on lattice windows and doors. This old trading area continues to sell traditional wares such as Chinese medicines, Shexian ink stones, special local tea and Huizhou ink sticks.
Appreciate Wancui Mansion, a private museum with a valuable collection. Listen to a lecture on Xin'an calligraphy and painting.
Overnight in Tunxi
Take the bus to Hangzhou by way of Shexian County, where you may go boating on the Xin'an River, enjoying the beautiful landscape on both sides of the river.
After arriving in Hangzhou, transfer back to Shanghai in the afternoon.