Huatai

The Huatai Scenic Area is located in Qiao'an Village, Jiuhua Township, Mount Jiuhua Scenic Area, Chizhou City, Anhui Province, in the central part of Mount Jiuhua, covering a total area of 10 square kilometers. The scenic area consists of Dahuatai (Greater Huatai) and Xiaohuatai (Lesser Huatai), and is named for its abundant mountain flowers. It is a sightseeing area within the Mount Jiuhua Scenic Area that focuses on natural landscapes, and is often praised as “The spiritual mountain of Jiuhua, with its beauty found in Huatai.” The highest peak, the summit of Dahuatai, has an elevation of 1,299 meters, making it the second highest peak of Mount Jiuhua. From the summit, visitors can enjoy a panoramic view of the five main scenic areas of Mount Jiuhua, with Mount Huangshan visible in the distance and, nearby, the Minyuan Bamboo Sea, Jiuhua Street, and Kecun New Area beneath them. Dahuatai was originally named Zhongfeng (Central Peak), located northeast of Tiantai Peak and north of Huixian Peak. Together with Xiaohuatai, it forms the Azalea Valley, which during the flowering season presents a landscape of “fragrant orchids and blooming azaleas,” giving the area its name.

The Huatai Scenic Area features typical granite landforms and landscape resources, renowned for its unique peaks, strange rocks, seas of clouds, rime, and azalea blossoms. The area is composed of nineteen peaks including Liantai Peak, Tianmen Peak, Luohan Peak, Fuzi Peak, Baota Peak, and Feilai Peak – each peak a picturesque sight. Thirty-six grotesque rocks, such as Luohan Sunbathing, Jiuhua Reclining Buddha, Dinghai Shenzhen (Sea-Calming Needle), and Rhinoceros Gazing at the Moon, are remarkably lifelike. The most famous wonder within the scenic area is the “Natural Reclining Buddha”, a unique landform formed naturally by granite peak clusters. Major attractions include peak clusters such as Luohan Dun, Liantai Peak, and Tianmen Peak, as well as cultural relics like Wenshu Cave. From April to October each year, the scenic area boasts the most concentrated collection of rare alpine azaleas in China, with red, yellow, white, and purple flowers blooming in full splendor against the cliffs and wilderness, resembling a “Flower Market in the Sky.” “Spring Colors of Huatai” is listed as one of the New Ten Scenes of Jiuhua.

As a core area of Mount Jiuhua National Forest Park and the UNESCO Global Geopark, the Huatai Scenic Area is a typical high-mountain sightseeing area and one of the core scenic areas of Mount Jiuhua UNESCO Global Geopark, perfectly showcasing the natural beauty of the granite fault-block landform of Mount Jiuhua. The scenic area has been selected for the national “May Day” spring flower-viewing route and has been rated as a provincial-level “Cleanest Scenic Spot.” In 2010, the Huatai Cableway was opened, with a total length of 2,908 meters, a vertical drop of 824 meters between the lower and upper stations, an operating speed of 6 meters per second, and a one-way capacity of 800 passengers per hour, taking about 20 minutes to reach the mountaintop. The Skywalk, completed in May 2017, has a total length of 1,699 meters, connecting scenic spots such as “Deep Mother-Child Love” and “Dizang’s Boots Drying in the Sun,” creating a circular tour route. Since its opening, the number of visitors to the Huatai Scenic Area has increased nearly 15 times.

The Huatai Scenic Area offers different scenery in each season: in spring, the mountains are covered with blooming flowers; in summer, the sea of clouds is like gauze; in autumn, the forests are dyed in layers of color; in winter, rime and ice hang from the trees, creating a world of crystal. The opening hours of the scenic area follow the cableway operating hours: during the peak season (January 16 to November 14), the cableway operates from 7:30 to 17:30; during the low season (November 15 to January 15 of the following year), it operates from 8:00 to 17:00. The Huatai Scenic Area itself does not charge an admission fee, but visitors must purchase a ticket for the Mount Jiuhua Scenic Area to enter. Visitors generally take the cableway to ascend the mountain for sightseeing.