Jiuhua Mountain Huatai Scenic Area

Jiuhua Mountain Huatai Scenic Area

The Jiuhua Mountain Huatai Scenic Area consists of Dahuatai (Big Flower Terrace) and Xiaohuatai (Small Flower Terrace), and is one of the high-mountain scenic areas of Jiuhua Mountain. Located at the site of the "Natural Sleeping Buddha," the Huatai Scenic Area gets its name from the abundance of mountain flowers. It is a nature-focused section of the Jiuhua Mountain scenic area, featuring a newly built elevated hiking trail that opened in May 2017.

Huatai Peak rises uniquely and proudly, adorned with lush mountain flowers, thriving trees, and whimsical, lifelike rock formations resembling humans and objects. The scenic area is surrounded by valleys and towering peaks. Within the region, rugged ridges, jagged rocks, deep valleys, coiling pine trees, and romantic blooms compete in splendor, creating an ever-changing landscape. The classic attraction “Huatai 0-” is one of the New Ten Scenic Spots of Jiuhua.

As one of the core scenic areas of Jiuhua Mountain, the Huatai Scenic Area is also central to the Jiuhua Mountain National Forest Park and Geopark. Located in the central part of Jiuhua Mountain, it spans an area of 10 square kilometers. The scenic area boasts magnificent scenery and stunning views, renowned for its peculiar peaks and rocks, sea of clouds and rime frost, and its ocean of flowers. It is often said that “The spiritual Jiuhua Mountain is most beautiful at Huatai.” From April to October each year, the area features the most concentrated collection of rare alpine azaleas in China. These blossoms—red, yellow, white, and purple—compete brilliantly among the cliffs, resembling a “heavenly flower market,” forming a magnificent landscape painting. The unique geological features naturally form the famous “Natural Sleeping Buddha” spectacle of Jiuhua Mountain. The summit of Huatai is the highest point in the scenic area. From the top, visitors can enjoy a panoramic view of Jiuhua Mountain and even “get close to the Sleeping Buddha and listen to the Buddha’s voice,” experiencing a close encounter with this mystical figure and receiving blessings from the great Buddha.

Nestled among high mountains and steep ridges, the Huatai Scenic Area is free from pollution, preserving its pristine, simple, pure, and refreshing natural beauty. The area is full of rugged peaks, jagged rocks, deep valleys, coiling pine trees, blooming flowers, and billowing clouds—all competing in wonder and grandeur. Since ancient times, this place has attracted spiritual beings, monks, and poets, infusing its rocks and peaks with religious and cultural significance. The entire scenic area is like a grand hall of a natural giant Buddha, an ocean of peculiar rocks, a world of mountain flowers, and a paradise for exploration. In the past, the steep and treacherous paths have now been replaced by stone steps from Tiantai to Huatai and from Huatai to Laohudong (Tiger Cave). A second loop route around Jiuhua Mountain has been established, starting from the summit of Tiantai, passing through Luohandun, Xiaohuatai, Wenshu Cave, Xia Minyuan, crossing the Longxi Iron Bridge to Laohudong, and then reaching Jiuhua Street via Turtle Rock. Additionally, the Huatai Cable Car has also been opened.

The changing seasons, along with shifting weather, present different views throughout the year. In spring, birds sing and flowers bloom, filling the air with vitality—“Birds chirp alongside temple bells, while clouds reveal unique pines.” In summer, the dreamlike sea of clouds after rain sometimes resembles an angry ocean, vast and majestic, and other times like a delicate veil gently brushing the mountainside. In autumn, the mountains are covered in red foliage, dyeing the forests in layers, evoking a sense of the passage of time. Winter transforms the area into a silver crystal world—pure, solemn, and like stepping into a fairy tale.

From mid-April to early June each year, various species of alpine azaleas in the Huatai Scenic Area bloom competitively, displaying vibrant colors like a “heavenly flower market.” This is how Huatai got its name and why it is praised as “the most beautiful place in Jiuhua Mountain.”

The opening of the Jiuhua Mountain Huatai Elevated Walkway truly brings to life the poetic vision of “viewed horizontally, a range; viewed vertically, a peak; far or near, high or low, each has a different view.”

The Jiuhua Mountain Huatai Elevated Walkway has an average altitude of 1,141 meters, with an elevation difference of 400 meters and a total length of approximately 1,699 meters. It mainly connects scenic spots within the Huatai area such as Mother-Son Affection, Dizang Sunning His Boots, Dream Stone Valley, Eyelash Peak, Cool Terrace, and Sea-Stabilizing Needle. It offers visitors a breathtaking experience of “floating in the air and walking across sky bridges by cliffs,” making it a perfect spot for photography, hiking, exploration, sightseeing, and contemplation.