Tianzhu Peak
The heaven pillar.
liuzr99 — CC BY-SA 2.0 · N509FZ — CC BY-SA 4.0 · JtWang — CC BY-SA 3.0 · N509FZ — CC BY-SA 4.0 · JtWang — CC BY-SA 3.0 · N509FZ — CC BY-SA 4.0 · N509FZ — CC BY-SA 4.0 · N509FZ — CC BY-SA 4.0
A granite mountain in Qianshan whose name means «Heaven Pillar», as its main peak rises like a rock column to 1,489.8 metres; it is also called Mount Wan, which gave Anhui province its short name «Wan». An outlier of the Dabie Mountains, it holds China's largest belt of ultra-high-pressure metamorphic rock, and UNESCO named it a Global Geopark in 2011. The mountain is full of peaks, oddly shaped rocks, caves and gorges, with pines growing from cracks in the stone; its best-known sight is the Mystery Valley, a maze of huge fallen boulders hiding 53 caves that visitors thread through on narrow passages, while Liandan Lake and the small Tianchi pool sit high on the mountain among the peaks. Visitors ride one of two cable cars up and then walk the stone paths between the peaks. Tickets cost CNY 130 from mid-March to mid-November and 110 in winter, the Longtanhe cable car 85 up and 75 down, and the visitor centre opens from 6.30 am to 6 pm, per visitor guides.
The heaven pillar.
A maze of boulders.
On the cliffs.
Qianshan, about 9 km north-west of the town, Anqing, Anhui
Choices are few at the mountain, so bring food and look in Anqing city for restaurants run by Hui Muslims under the halal sign.