A pine tree of the Huangshan Mountain. [Photo by Hu Yongqi/China Daily]

Greeting pine

Pines are one of the four highlights in Huangshan. The trees grow in hard granite rocks at more than 1,000 meters above sea level and rise more than 10 meters on the side facing the sun like a man welcoming visitors with open arms.

The trees are referred to as Yingkesong or "guest greeting pine", which has become a label for the province and the logo of the provincial television station.

During our trip, the pines are not clearly visible in the mist, making the scene look like a black-and-white painting.

As I am from Anhui, I am reluctant to admit that I have never been up the mountain before. So, seeing a symbolic pine is a must for me.

After three hours of climbing, we finally arrive at a spot with lots of pine trees. One such tree is now propped up with a steel wire.

In front of the pine are lanes installed to keep order during peak visitor periods such as the National Day holiday week in October.

Fortunately, there are only two people ahead of us waiting to take photos with the legendary tree.

So, at the end of a long day, we cover five peaks and take tons of pictures of the mountain.

Back at the cable car station to catch the last trip to the foot of the mountain, both of us are exhausted.

We then drive to downtown Huangshan and rush into a massage parlor we'd found online earlier. The massage therapists relax our calves, shoulders, head and back.

The massage is probably the most pleasurable among the many I have received and marks a perfect conclusion to our trip.

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