"The mountain has changed over the years. Recognized as a very important, sacred mountain in Buddhism (there is a monastery near the top as well as several smaller temples and prayer areas) it used to require a 4 to 5 mile climb to the summit. While that is still an option, a cable car now runs to a station about 800 feet below the summit. The result is that a mountain that was once not frequently traveled is now one of the most visited attractions in Southern China. There were several thousand people on the mountain, and we had to wait three hours just to get in and on the trail. Hopefully this is not a view into the future of certain mountains in the US. An enormous amount of money is made by the park service or government by charging for entrance and the cable car, which the majority of people utilize. Of course, we chose to climb, which was a great experience. The humidity in this sub-tropical region is intense, and even though it was only 70 degrees with a bit of rain, we've never sweated so much! Like many mountains and trekking areas in this part of the world, a lot of the trail is ancient steps and stairs. The route has over 8,000 stone steps and is quite challeng..." — BryHong8 • Aug 15, 2015