Photo Gallery: China's Most Beautiful Mountains

A visual journey through 37 of China's most breathtaking landscapes — from the granite spires of Huangshan to the rainbow strata of Zhangye and the 8,000-meter giants of the Himalaya. Click any photo for the full travel guide.

37 peaks photographed 17 UNESCO World Heritage Sites 18 provinces Highest: 8,848m (Everest, Tibet)
Huangshan granite peak rising above the sea of clouds at sunrise

Mount Huangshan

Anhui · 1,864m · moderate

Photo: Pixabay (CC0)

 Mount Everest north face seen from the Tibetan plateau

Mount Everest

Tibet · 8,848m · extreme

Photo: Pixabay (CC0)

 Zhangjiajie's quartz-sandstone pillars rising from subtropical forest

Zhangjiajie National Forest Park

Hunan · 1,262m · moderate

Photo: Pixabay (CC0)

 Mount Kailash's pyramid-shaped peak in western Tibet

Mount Kailash

Tibet · 6,638m · extreme

Photo: Chinese Mountains

 Kawagarbo, the highest peak of Meili Snow Mountain, at golden sunrise

Meili Snow Mountain

Yunnan · 6,740m · hard

Photo: Pexels

 Namcha Barwa peak towering above the Yarlung Tsangpo gorge

Namcha Barwa

Tibet · 7,782m · extreme

Photo: Pexels

 Gongga Shan (Minya Konka) summit glowing at sunrise

Mount Gongga

Sichuan · 7,556m · extreme

Photo: Pexels

 Granite cliffside path of Mount Hua winding up the sheer face

Mount Hua

Shaanxi · 2,154m · extreme

Photo: Pixabay (CC0)

 Golden Summit temple of Mount Emei above a sea of clouds

Mount Emei

Sichuan · 3,099m · hard

Photo: Pexels

 Karst peaks of Guilin reflected in the Li River

Guilin Karst Mountains

Guangxi · 214m · easy

Photo: Pexels

 Sanqing Mountain granite pillars and pine trees at dawn

Mount Sanqing

Jiangxi · 1,817m · moderate

Photo: Chinese Mountains

 The Four Sisters peaks of Mount Siguniang in western Sichuan

Mount Siguniang

Sichuan · 6,250m · extreme

Photo: Chinese Mountains

 Alpine meadows and snow-capped peaks of the Tianshan range

Tianshan Mountains

Xinjiang · 5,445m · hard

Photo: Chinese Mountains

 Haba Snow Mountain summit with clouds

Haba Snow Mountain

Yunnan · 5,396m · extreme

Photo: Chinese Mountains

 Mist rolling through Mount Lushan peaks with colonial villa

Mount Lushan

Jiangxi · 1,474m · easy

Photo: Chinese Mountains

 Red Cloud Golden Summit of Mount Fanjing with twin temples

Mount Fanjing

Guizhou · 2,570m · hard

Photo: Chinese Mountains

 Turquoise Kanas Lake with golden birch forest in autumn

Kanas Nature Reserve

Xinjiang · 1,374m · moderate

Photo: Chinese Mountains

 Wudang Mountain temple on a misty peak at dawn

Wudang Mountains

Hubei · 1,612m · moderate

Photo: Chinese Mountains

 Mossy Daoist temple pavilion on Mount Qingcheng

Mount Qingcheng

Sichuan · 1,260m · easy

Photo: Chinese Mountains

 Rainbow-striped sandstone formations of Zhangye Danxia

Zhangye Danxia Landform

Gansu · 1,850m · easy

Photo: Chinese Mountains

 Nine-Bend River winding through Wuyi Mountain cliffs with bamboo rafts

Mount Wuyi

Fujian · 2,158m · moderate

Photo: Chinese Mountains

 Mount Laojun temples on knife-edge ridge

Mount Laojun

Yunnan · 4,247m · moderate

Photo: Chinese Mountains

 Mount Tai stone stairway with ancient inscriptions at dawn

Mount Tai

Shandong · 1,545m · moderate

Photo: Chinese Mountains

 Jade Dragon Snow Mountain towering behind Lijiang Old Town

Jade Dragon Snow Mountain

Yunnan · 5,596m · moderate

Photo: Chinese Mountains

 Tianmen Cave — a massive natural arch at 1,300m

Tianmen Mountain

Hunan · 1,518m · moderate

Photo: Chinese Mountains

 Jiuhua Mountain temples emerging from morning mist

Mount Jiuhua

Anhui · 1,342m · moderate

Photo: Chinese Mountains

 Putuo Island temple with ocean backdrop

Mount Putuo

Zhejiang · 291m · easy

Photo: Chinese Mountains

 Cangshan peaks with Erhai Lake

Mount Cangshan

Yunnan · 4,122m · moderate

Photo: Chinese Mountains

 Tibetan Buddhist monastery on Mount Wutai

Mount Wutai

Shanxi · 3,058m · moderate

Photo: Chinese Mountains

 Shaolin Temple at the foot of Mount Song

Mount Song

Henan · 1,512m · moderate

Photo: Chinese Mountains

 Hailuogou Glacier cascading from Mount Gongga

Hailuogou Glacier Park

Sichuan · 2,850m · easy

Photo: Chinese Mountains

 Crescent Moon Lake amid golden dunes

Mingsha Mountain

Gansu · 1,715m · easy

Photo: Chinese Mountains

 Misty forest temple on Mount Heng Hunan

Mount Heng (Hunan)

Hunan · 1,300m · moderate

Photo: Chinese Mountains

 Heaven Lake in the crater of Changbai Mountain

Changbai Mountain

Jilin · 2,744m · easy

Photo: Chinese Mountains

 Stone Forest limestone formations

Shilin Stone Forest

Yunnan · 1,800m · easy

Photo: Chinese Mountains

 The Hanging Temple on Mount Heng Shanxi cliff

Mount Heng (Shanxi)

Shanxi · 2,016m · moderate

Photo: Chinese Mountains

 Yandang Mountain peaks at night

Mount Yandang

Zhejiang · 1,108m · moderate

Photo: Chinese Mountains