Taibai Mountain

Taibai reaches 3,767 metres, the highest point of the Qinling, the range that separates the Yellow River basin from the Yangtze and functions as the climatic and biological divide between northern and southern China, with rainfall, vegetation and even household heating rules differing across it. The mountain rises through deciduous forest into conifer, birch and finally alpine scrub and bare rock, holding small glacial lakes near the summit, of which Daye Haizi is the best known. Snow lies on the top for much of the year, which is where the name, great white, comes from. Multi-day traverses cross the range.

History

In legend the mountain was first called the Mountain of Rich Goods, then Mount Taiyi under the Xia, after the brightest star of Chinese astrology and a supreme Daoist deity; by the time of Emperor Wu of Han a Daoist temple already stood on it. A Tang text says the essence of the Golden Star fell here and became white jade, so it was named Taibai, an old name for Venus, and the name, great white, also fits the snow that lies on the summit; Li Bai wrote of great Taibai with the stars arrayed across its slopes (Wikipedia, Mount Taibai).

The landscape

• The summit ridge - the highest ground in the Qinling at 3,767 metres.
• The glacial lakes - small alpine tarns below the top, notably Daye Haizi.
• The vegetation zones - forest changing to conifer, birch and alpine scrub.
• The north-south divide - the range separating two halves of China.

When to go

June to September for the summit; snow closes the upper mountain for much of the year and the traverse routes are serious in bad weather. Even in summer, nights near the top are near freezing.

Things to know

The full traverse is a multi-day mountain walk needing preparation, not a day trip. The developed side reaches only partway up by shuttle and cable car. Weather changes fast.

Nearby

Baoji lies north; Xi'an is northeast.

Key facts