Singing under the Sun on Dahei Mountain — 2019 Spring Travel Guide to Dahei Mountain Scenic Area

In May, a season bursting with life and vibrant blooms, spring has just arrived at Liaoxi Green Island. Shrouded in mist, with dense forests and peculiar peaks, the mountains are blanketed with brilliantly colored azaleas, while snow-white mountain crabapples cover the valleys. This is the Dahei Mountain Forest Park.

[About the Destination]

Dahei Mountain is located 32 kilometers northwest of Beipiao City, Chaoyang, Liaoning. With undulating ridges and towering peaks, it combines six natural features — “majestic, peculiar, steep, graceful, serene, and open” — and is known as the “Liaoxi Green Island, Source of Life.”

[About the Itinerary]

Day 1: Shenyang — Beipiao City — Dahei Mountain Scenic Area

Day 2: Scenic Area Service Center — Sightseeing Bus — West Journey Fairyland Scenic Area (Filial Piety in China) — Hu Yuan Temple

Day 3: Scenic Area Service Center — Cable Car — Peaks Competing in Beauty Scenic Area (Preserved Wood Boardwalk, Glass Walkway) — Return Trip

[Practical Tips]

1. Carry as little cash as possible and keep valuables secure. With today’s advanced technology, mobile payments are very convenient. When traveling, try to carry less cash. Also, keep valuables such as cameras and laptops close and well-protected.

2. Tickets: Decide on your travel time and choose your mode of transportation in advance — plane or train. It's best to download a travel app to make booking easier.

3. Electronics: DSLR camera, mobile phone, laptop, external hard drive, chargers, power bank, extension cord.

4. Check the weather before you go and try to travel on sunny days. Dress appropriately according to the weather. Sportswear is best, and ladies should avoid wearing high heels.

5. Girls who have Hanfu can bring beautiful traditional outfits — the scenic area is great for photos.

6. If traveling by car, plan your route in advance.

[About Transportation]

1. By Car: Beipiao City is 322 km from Shenyang, 182.5 km from Jinzhou, and 555.3 km from Beijing. The Changshen Expressway (G25) runs through Beipiao, and the Beipiao exit is 37.1 km from the scenic area. Chaoyang Airport is 77.1 km away.

2. Beipiao South Railway Station has trains to Dandong, Beijing, Chengde, Shenyang, Shanhaiguan, Dalian, and Chifeng. The Beijing-Shenyang High-Speed Railway is scheduled to open in 2019.

3. Bus: Beipiao City is 30 km from the scenic area.

1. Beipiao Bus Terminal: Dahei Mountain (6:30, 9:30, 11:10, 11:30, 13:00, 16:20), get off at Luchang Station.

2. Beipiao City to Dahei Mountain shuttle bus.

3. Take a taxi, starting price is 5 RMB for 3 km.

1. Azaleas Bloom All Over the Mountains

Although it’s late spring, because Dahei Mountain is in the north, temperatures rise more slowly, and many plants are just beginning to sprout, like cats lounging in the spring sun — lazy and comfortable. Seeing seas of blooming azaleas is the most vibrant color in Dahei Mountain.

Unlike the bright red azaleas of the south, here the flowers are clusters of pink tinged with purple. Each plant blooms freely. Plucking a couple of branches to hold, one sees they’re not of this world. “Among flowers, this one is the most beautiful — lotus and peony are but plain women,” as Bai Juyi wrote so well. All other flowers pale in comparison to the azalea. Also called mountain azalea or mountain lychee, legend says the azalea was formed from the blood of the cuckoo bird crying night after night. The blood is bright red, yet here the azaleas bloom pink, with hints of purple. Missing the dusk dyed by the cuckoo’s blood, in the spring sunlight they bloom even more splendidly. From afar, the blossoms are brilliantly colorful, forming vast seas of flowers. Up close, sunlight on the petals makes them almost transparent, so much so that you can see the veins within. Last year’s cold left the “May ice” on the mountain unmelted, and the azaleas halfway up the slopes decorate the passes, making them even more beautiful today.

2. Filial Piety in China, Remembering the Joys of Past Dynasties, the Filial Emperor Once Opened Two Palaces

From above, Dahei Mountain is a range of mountains stretching for thousands of miles. On the northeast side of Dahei Mountain, using numerous naturally marvelous pictographic landscapes as carriers for the Journey to the West, attractions such as “Eastern Continent of Superior Body,” “Mountain Guardian Vase,” and “Grace Pavilion” were built. All these attractions are based on natural pictographic landscapes. But the most worthwhile to explore is the “Filial Piety in China.” The “Filial Piety in China” winds like a dragon lying on the mountain. Stretching 4,500 meters with a height difference of 65 meters between the upper and lower exits, the path of filial piety. When the spring breeze blows, it’s refreshing. The trees along the main path have sprouted green shoots, while the vegetation halfway up the mountain is still yellow. The bright sun shines down, evoking a sense of the passage of time.

“Of all virtues, filial piety comes first.” Respecting and caring for one’s parents is a great virtue in China, and there are countless stories about filial piety. “Filial Piety Moves Heaven,” “Lying on Ice to Catch Carp,” “Selling Oneself to Bury Father” — the list goes on. Every little bit in life can become an act of filial piety. Put down your phone and spend more time with your parents. Even taking them on a trip is good. Don’t complain if they walk slowly — take it step by step from beginning to end. The 4,500-meter path of filial piety has no steps, so there’s no need to worry about mobility issues. The scenic area also provides wheelchairs free of charge. Walk along the long path of filial piety and listen to your parents tell stories of the past.

3. Black Mountain’s Peculiar Rocks: Pines Grow on Green Stone, Springs Fall from White Clouds

Dahei Mountain is a magical mountain, with gentle and lovely azaleas in front, the Filial Piety Path that feels as easy to walk as flat ground, and rugged, bold rocks. Dahei Mountain is world-renowned for its bizarre rocks and enjoys the reputation of the "Kingdom of Strange Rocks." It is said to have thirty scenic wonders. We saw many rocks, but few are like those at Dahei Mountain—rocks are everywhere on the mountain. It could be said that these strange rocks form the very essence of Dahei Mountain and are its most iconic feature.

The main body of Dahei Mountain has an elevation of over a thousand meters, and the cableway is 2,200 meters long, making it extremely thrilling and fun. Taking the cable car up from the visitor center, as the gondola slowly ascends, you can enjoy a breathtaking panoramic view of Dahei Mountain—layer upon layer of peaks and jagged, unusual rocks. After getting off the cable car and looking closer, you’ll see crisscrossing ravines and beautiful mountain landscapes. The vegetation growing in the crevices of the rocks symbolizes tenacious life.

The scenic area features a circular walking trail about 5,000 meters in total length. Once you step onto it, there’s no turning back—you can only keep moving forward. When you get tired, you can sit and rest in the green pavilions or lean on the railings. At that moment, you’ll feel a sense of peace, forgetting all worldly concerns, as if you’re savoring the breeze with a drink in hand, filled with boundless joy.

The rocks here come in all kinds of shapes, and you need a good imagination to make out their forms. One rock is long and coffin-shaped, symbolizing “promotion and prosperity.” Another has flowing whiskers, resembling a long-lived elder, and is named “The Old Man of the South Pole.” These rocks are all charming, but the most memorable one is “Stone Gate Universe.” There, you’ll see a pile of rocks leaning against each other with a perfect balance point, forming a natural stone gate. The scenery inside and outside the gate is completely different. Passing through the stone gate leads to a high platform. Standing on the platform, with the vast sky above and competing peaks all around, you’ll witness a bold and majestic landscape painting, which the scenic area calls the “Stone Gate Universe.”

Dahei Mountain has many types of rocks. Going back to ancient times, when tectonic movements began, millions of years of erosion left just a narrow gap between two huge mountains. Just when you think there’s no way forward, light seeps through from the other side of the gap. Walking through, you discover a whole new world. “Lost in mountains and rivers, thinking there’s no way out, yet suddenly finding a village in the midst of willows and flowers”—this describes it perfectly—the Heaven-Narrow Earth-Slit.

Many rocks in the scenic area still don’t have names. If you come and have a great idea for a certain rock, you can also name it. The scenic area has a naming activity, which is quite meaningful.

4. See the Clouds on the Glass Walkway

When climbing Dahei Mountain, you must not miss the popular attraction: the glass walkway. Taking photos on the glass walkway has become an essential experience for every visitor. But the glass walkway at Dahei Mountain offers a unique view. Above your head is the vast dome of the sky, and below are clusters of rugged rocks. Sitting cross-legged, it feels as if you’re floating among the clouds.

The glass walkway is situated on a cliff at an altitude of 850 meters, a height that’s both thrilling and awe-inspiring. Only by cautiously walking across it can you truly appreciate its wonders. To fully experience Dahei Mountain, you must walk to the very edge of the glass walkway to take in the entire panoramic view. Listen to the breath of the wind—ten miles of spring breeze can’t compare to standing on this glass bridge. “Viewed horizontally, a range; viewed vertically, a peak; far or near, high or low, each is different.” Every side of Dahei Mountain is unique and incredibly magnificent. Overcoming your fear of heights, you can also take lots of stunning photos!

5. Huiyuan Temple — Waiting Only for Your Arrival

Huiyuan Temple is a Tibetan Buddhist temple with flourishing incense and devotees coming from all directions. For centuries, it has attracted endless streams of visitors and is known as the top scenic spot in Southern Liaoning. Every morning, the distant sound of the temple bell echoes through the mountains. Day after day, year after year, it awakens the sleeping pine waves, the birds and mountain springs in the forest, and even the ancient city at the foot of the mountain...

Arriving at the square near the temple, you’ll see a three-faced Buddha statue on a golden lotus pedestal. Opposite it are eight stupa-style reliquary stupas, all surrounded by prayer flags. The exquisite carvings and painted beams were crafted by authentic Qinghai religious artists, making them truly classic and adding grandeur and solemnity to the temple. The distinctive red-brick-and-golden-yellow color scheme is unique to Tibetan Buddhist temples, giving off a regal and sacred vibe that instantly instills a sense of Buddhist reverence. The spinning prayer wheels bless all beings, and exquisitely detailed patterns and classic motifs can be seen everywhere. Devotees offer incense and pray, adding a uniquely beautiful landscape to Dahei Mountain.

Epilogue: Those with a poetic heart can surely find a touch of life’s poetry in the leisurely charm of Dahei Mountain’s vegetation. No need to wonder who is whispering among the sparse shadows of azaleas. Just wish to harmonize with the mountain scenery in tranquil beauty. The clusters of blossoms on the branches, in the warmth of time, allow you to savor simple joys.