Baishi Mountain

About

Baishi Mountain, also known by its Chinese name Baishishan, is a mountain in Laiyuan County, Baoding Prefecture, Hebei Province, China. Its highest peak has an elevation of 2,096 meters (6,877 ft) and its main ridge stretches for over 7,000 meters (22,966 ft). Parts of the Great Wall snake around its foothills. Baishi Mountain forms the northern end of the Taihang Chain and is located about 200 kilometers (120 mi) southwest of Beijing.

Its name refers to the white marble making up parts of its bedrock. The roughly 20 km2 (7.7 sq mi) of dolomite making up the top of the mountain was formed about 1 billion to 700 million years ago and was pushed into place by about 54 km2 (21 sq mi) of newly forming granite created by a magma intrusion at the mountain's base about 140 mya. China's National Tourism Administration established the Baishi Scenic Area in 2004. The same area was declared the Baishi National Geological Park when it was named a world geological park by UNESCO in September 2006. The CNTA declared it a AAAAA-level tourist attraction in early 2017. It is particularly well known for its appearance during overcast days, when the tops of nearby peaks can be seen jutting out from within low-lying clouds and mist. Since September 2014, it has also had China's longest, widest, and highest glass skywalk, stretching 95 meters (312 ft) over a ravine at an elevation of 1,900 meters (6,200 ft). A second skywalk opened in August 2015, with an elevation of 1,600 meters (5,200 ft). There is also a regional tourism campaign aimed at promoting the mountain as a spot for lovers. The spider species Clubiona baishishan takes its name from its discovery near the mountain.

List of mountains in the People's Republic of China List of AAAAA-rated tourist attractions in the People's Republic of China

Laiyuan County's official map of the Baishi Scenic Area Photos of Baishi Mountain from China Daily: 1, 2 Photos of Baishan Mountain at Xinhua Net The glass bridge at Xinhua Net

Adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA). Photography via Wikimedia Commons.