Huading National Forest Park

Huading National Forest Park

Huading National Forest Park is a national-level forest park.

Tourist Route: Parking lot — Lotus Pond — Thatched Hut — Tea Garden & Leisure Pavilion — Cloud-Brocade Azalea Grove — Gexian Tea Plantation — Cloud-Returning Cave — Sutra-Worshipping Platform — Dragon Claw Pool — Golden Cave — Taibai Study Hall — Huading Temple — Sage’s Spring — Wang Xizhi’s Ink Pool — Huading Summer Resort In

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Located 25 kilometers north of the county seat, the scenic area spans 7.5 square kilometers. Huading Peak is the main peak of Tiantai Mountain, standing at an elevation of 1,098 meters. From the summit, when looking southwest, you can see eight major peaks. Huading Mountain resembles the heart of a lotus flower, surrounded by layers of peaks that encircle it like petals, forming what looks like a lotus pod embracing the center. The character “华” is the ancient form of “花” (flower), and since this is the highest point in Tiantai, it is thus called Huading (Flower Summit).

Huading is high and cool, with summer average temperatures not exceeding 25°C, making it a naturally blessed cool haven and an ideal summer retreat. The area boasts lush vegetation and beautiful natural scenery.

It is especially famous for its ever-changing sea of clouds, dazzling sunrise, fragrant and refreshing misty tea, radiant cloud-brocade azaleas, the rare winter rime seen in southern regions, and the snow-blanketed Huading Clear Snow in winter. These “Azaleas, Sunrise, Rime, and Mist Tea” are hailed as the “Four Wonders of Huading.”

Huading is also the homeland of tea, renowned for producing Huading Mist Tea. Legend has it that during the Three Kingdoms period, Ge Xuan planted tea here, and it has a history of over a thousand years. It is the origin of tea varieties in Japan and Korea, and the source of the Hangzhou Longjing tea. A holiday here while savoring fine tea is the ultimate enjoyment.

Major attractions on Huading Mountain include the Huading Temple, built in the first year of the Tianfu era during the Jin Dynasty, which still attracts many worshippers and visitors. Other highlights include the vast Gexian Tea Plantation, Sutra-Worshipping Platform, Taibai Study Hall, and Huangjing Cave.

[Gexian Tea Plantation]

With a long history, it is the site of the tea plantation planted by the Daoist master Ge Xuan during the Three Kingdoms period. According

to the Records of Tiantai Mountain: “During the late Eastern Han Dynasty, Ge Xuan planted tea gardens on Huading.” Several tea trees at the entrance of Cloud-Returning Cave are called the “Tea Ancestors” and remain thriving to this day.

Every April and May, when the misty tea fragrance fills the air and the large red and yellow cloud-brocade azaleas are in full bloom, Huading Peak presents a scene reminiscent of a “celestial paradise.”

[Sutra-Worshipping Platform]

Ascending along the winding road to the highest peak of Huading, there is an open area spanning tens of thousands of square meters. It was where the monk Zhiyi from the Chen and Sui Dynasties came to worship and seek the sutra “Śūraṅgama Sūtra,” hence the name Sutra-Worshipping Platform. From here, you can gaze at the East Sea, look north to Qiantang, west to Kuocang, and south to Yandang. Year-round morning mists and drifting clouds often enshroud the area, earning it the nickname “Huading Cloud Return.”

The Sutra-Worshipping Platform is the best spot to watch the sunrise. Each autumn, when the air is crisp, climbing to the summit at dawn allows you to see the red sun leap from the sea like a huge fireball, radiating brilliant and dazzling light.

[Taibai Study Hall]

During the Tang Dynasty, Li Bai visited Huading Peak and composed his timeless poem “Tiantai Dawn View,” singing the praises of Tiantai neighboring Siming and Huading towering above the Yue region. He also built a hut on the mountain to immerse himself in reading. A few hundred steps down from the Sutra-Worshipping Platform stands the “Taibai Study Hall” in memory of the Tang poet Li Bai.

[Huangjing Cave]

It was once the place where the Sage of Calligraphy, Wang Xizhi, sought instruction from the “White Cloud Master” and wrote the “Yellow Court Scripture” on silk. The “Ink Pool of Right Army” near today’s Summer Resort is where Wang Xizhi practiced the Eight Principles of Yong and washed his brushes.

Transportation

Buses depart from the North Bus Station to Food · Accommodation · Shopping

The scenic area offers accommodation and meals at the Huading Summer Resort, which is very convenient.

Address: Huading Scenic Area, Shiliang Town, Tiantai County, Taizhou City

Type: Forest & Mountain

Recommended Visit Duration: 2–4 hours

Phone: 0576-83091112

Official Website: http://www.tthds.com/

Opening hours:

7:30-17:00

Admission: 50 yuan