Emerald Valley

Emerald Valley

Emerald Valley is a national AAAA-level tourist attraction.

Located to the east of Huangshan Mountain, Emerald Valley is also known as "Lover's Valley." The springs in the valley originate from Liandang Peak and Shixin Peak. The accessible scenic area spans 6,000 meters, featuring hundreds of colorful pools of various sizes. Over 40 of these pools have an area exceeding 100 square meters, with the largest pool covering nearly 1,000 square meters.

　A UNESCO World Cultural and Natural Heritage site — Emerald Valley in Huangshan, China. It is renowned as the "Most Beautiful Waters Under Heaven," a "Sacred Land of Love," and the "Fifth Wonder of Huangshan." White clouds rise from the valley, waterfalls cascade down, and hot springs bubble up from the ground. The mystical charm and divine aura of Huangshan, the world’s most extraordinary mountain, seem to have been bestowed upon this place. With its refreshing name, it is called Emerald Valley, affectionately nicknamed "Lover's Valley."

In the Oscar-winning film *Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon*, the breathtaking scenes of bamboo fights, lakeside romance, deep pool sword quests, and waterfall leaps were all filmed here.

A decade of dreams tied to Huangshan, vibrant hues dance within the valley.

Emerald cliffs hang over the eastern sea, while rainbow-hued robes sway in the northern valleys.

Eternal beauty unseen by mortals, yet I yearn to climb among the thousand cascades.

Truly, the "Five Wonders" of pines, clouds, and more deserve their fame, as radiant jewels shimmer on an icy stage.

The colorful pools of Emerald Valley, nestled within the mountainous gorges of Huangshan’s eastern sea, are a place that captivates the heart and soul. They are a melody of colors, a magnificent poem; they are a wonder of the world, a paradise on Earth; they are an ever-changing, kaleidoscopic painting. I wish to describe them with the passion and language of poetry. But faced with such beauty, any words fall short — none can capture even a fraction of her exquisite charm.

Today, Huangshan in Anhui has long been crowned with two prestigious titles bestowed by the United Nations: World Cultural and Natural Heritage. The "Four Wonders" of Huangshan — its peculiar pines, grotesque rocks, sea of clouds, and hot springs — are already celebrated worldwide. Yet, the discovery of Huangshan’s "Fifth Wonder" — the cluster of colorful pools in Emerald Valley — which has left people in awe, calling it a "dreamland," "fairyland," or "illusionary realm," is only a little over a decade old.

The harmony between stone and spring, the rhythm of light and color, stirs the soul. The resulting illusions — like bubbling magma, fluttering butterflies, dancing golden serpents, or a symphony of nature — blur the line between abstraction and reality, inspiring creative vision and igniting bursts of inspiration.

The colorful melodies and harmonious symphonies move the heart. It feels as though you’re listening intently, alongside the mountains, pines, bamboos, springs, and rocks, to a marvelous orchestral piece. Within the music, there are drifting sea of clouds, roaring pine waves, blooming mountain flowers, lush grass, babbling springs, rustling bamboo shadows, jade-hidden mystical stones, and silver waterfalls spraying pearls...

The celestial reflections of the Jade Pool and the abstract within the tangible stir the soul. The fairyland of my dreams is the Emerald Valley pools of Huangshan. It seems as if the figures of immortals hide behind every peculiar rock, every exotic flower, within the patterns of every azure ripple, and in the glow of every wisp of mist. The Creator appears to be an abstract artist, crafting the beauty of Emerald Valley’s pools in a way that touches the human spirit — indescribable, yet unforgettable. Every person longing to connect with Huangshan, to commune with the Creator, will experience a soulful dialogue and spiritual cleansing upon visiting these pools.

The valley stretches approximately 6 kilometers and is dotted with over a hundred uniquely shaped pools of varying sizes, some round, some square, all in brilliant emerald hues. The waters range from crystal-clear to vivid green, resembling scattered emeralds across the valley — hence the name Emerald Valley.

The discovery of Emerald Valley’s pools and their recognition as the "Fifth Wonder of Huangshan" is credited to Huang Jianjie, a senior instructor at Huizhou Normal School in Anhui Province, and Zhu Yunfeng, a senior journalist from Xinhua News Agency and renowned landscape photography artist. In the spring of 1986, the two climbed cliffs and trekked rugged paths, visiting Emerald Valley multiple times to study, photograph, and name the pools. They spared no effort in promoting the site through domestic and international media. Since then, the Huangshan pool clusters have emerged like a stunningly beautiful woman arriving in the world. Travelers from China and abroad flock here, considering it a lifelong joy to witness the splendor of Emerald Valley’s pools. The long-sealed mountain gorges have finally opened their arms to the world.

Lover's Valley

Huangshan’s Emerald Valley is also called "Lover's Valley." In 1988, 36 young men and women from Shanghai visited Huangshan and met in this very valley. At the time, the area was undeveloped, with rugged and even impassable paths. Encouraging and supporting one another, they overcame numerous challenges to escape safely. Upon returning to Shanghai, 10 couples among them got married, many having met for the first time right here in Emerald Valley. This led to the suggestion of renaming the valley "Lover's Valley." It is a pristine land untouched by pollution, radiating clarity and charm, making people feel more refined, innocent, and romantic. Countless couples have expressed their love and serenaded romance here. As the song goes: “The mountain has feeling, the water has feeling, Emerald Valley hides true love; love has me, love has you, and mutual support in adversity makes love even stronger.”

Emerald Valley is now one of Huangshan’s important tourist attractions.

Shancha Village: Shancha Village lies within Huangshan’s eastern sea grand canyon, just 5 kilometers from the southern gate of Huangshan. National Highway 205 runs through the area, which boasts unique rocky landscapes, dense bamboo and trees, and clear, emerald-green rivers. It is recognized as one of Anhui Province’s “Hundred Eco-Villages” and “Huangshan’s Eco-Civilization Village.” Since the development of the Shangzhang villager group’s Emerald Valley scenic area in 1986, Shancha has leveraged its location advantages and tourism resources, firmly pursuing a path of tourism-driven village revitalization. After over 20 years of growth, five major scenic areas including Jiulong Waterfall and Phoenix Origin have been established, forming a diverse tourism ecosystem led by eco-tourism with vacation and leisure as supplements, becoming... More details about Shancha Village++