No one talks about the workers who dug those steps in the mountain face and put all the bolts in the walls to attach the cables. Hats off to them and their bravery
The plank walk was built centuries ago by Taoist monks to commute to their temples. Back then they had no safety harnesses they just did it one plank at a time
This was an ancient walkway uses by Taoist priests. Back then there were no safety harnesses, no barriers nor steel steps. Just rocks, stone steps and wooden planks which the priests built.
I second that 100%. I’m from South Dakota and I couldn’t tell you how many times in school and wherever I’ve seen documentaries about carving Mt. Rushmore and it’s amazing the balls those guys had. Literally hanging off sheer cliff faces lighting dynamite and using jackhammers back in the early 1900s has always been insane to me. It takes special people to do things like that. To be fair though I’m not a fan of defacing nature in that manner but I assume it least in this case it was probably more about providing a trail for villagers to get back and forth
The original version only had wooden boards, no safety ropes, and no other auxiliary tools. So you can imagine that the mental and physical qualities of those people in the past were very amazing. Those people devoted themselves to practicing martial arts and spiritual practice.
Most foreign tourists always visit China's cities. China has countless natural beauty and places of interest (many of which are world class) that are actually more worth visiting.
I climbed Hua Shan on the night of 2009, starting at 11pm, reaching the top of the mountain at about 4am, and watching the beautiful sunrise, which is definitely an unforgettable memory.
Hi Joel, please read this comment carefully if you ever consider come back Mount Hua. Firstly, best time to climb is summer. If you spend a night there, you'll see fireflies around the valley. But do bring enough clothes coz sometimes it snows during the night even in summer. Yes. snows. Secondly, the best route is to climb up on foot, starting early morning, to the west peak. so that you won't miss the stunning view on the way, which I think it the best part of Mount Hua. and remember to reach west peak before sunset, coz you can watch one of the best sunsets there. after that, you can go to the same hostel and take a short break. Do you know why there are noisy people during night? Because they are getting ready for the stunning sunrise at the East Peak. So get up at 3'am and put on your warmest jacket, then go to the East Peak, there you are going to watch the red sun rising from ocean of clouds. Amazing view. After that, you can either take a cable or a roller-coaster (yes you are reading it right) to get down to the ground. Another stunning point that you have missed is a place called "edge of eagle". Trust me, it is even more breath taking than the plank walk. This mountain is called Mount Hua because it has five peaks and looks like a flower from the top. You have explored only two peaks so definitely worth coming back. Love your video!
and remember don't climb the mountain during night. You will miss all the view on the way~ Many taxi drivers or tour guides may persuade you to climb during night, only for their benefits. Do climb during daytime.
No, Hua isn't flower but Hua as in 华. They are 2 different characters and different meanings. Still a cute way to remember the name of the mountain though. Also thank you for your guide! Next time I will use it.
This is the best mountain I even been, I was there 25 years ago and climbed from 9:00pm and reached the north peak at 5:00am next day without taking any cable car, then walk around to the other 4 peaks then went to the botton, finally when I reached my home, I took a rest for one week. there are millions and millions stairs there. if you took the cabe car, you have no experience about how crazy it is. it was definitely the best memories in my life. sometimes when I have a hard time, I always recalled I did climbed mountain Hua. now I'm 48, I don't know if I can still do that again
hey man i dont know if your are chinese or not? but my dad did the exact same thing as you when he was young, and he told me the exact same story as you did. he walked all the way up during the middle of the night to see the sunrise, and got really ill for an whole week from the tiredness. i almost thought my dad wrote this comment, but he does not speak a word of english. what an amazing world.💙
China is such an incredible country: massive, extremely diverse, rich with history and cultures. It is refreshing to see you show the country without politics or government things. To see the regular life is good. Most of us all over the planet have a regular life in general. We all eat, sleep, work, have family and friends. We all come from somewhere we grew up. We all have interests and hobbies, likes and dislikes, and feelings, thoughts and dreams. We are ALL much more alike than not. Subbed :)
I have been to China twice on tours. I was treated with respect and honoured by the people I have met. Hopefully I can go there again in my future. Thank you to all my Chinese friends.@@clarezhao3071
Think about their ancestors do the same hike without morden equipments hundreds of years ago. Then think about some of their ancestors who managed building the plank path first. Dude...Thats wild...
When I was in college, I went to Xi'an with my classmates. We were unsure about climbing Mount Hua, and my parents didn't agree with me going because they thought it was too dangerous. It ended up raining the whole time we were in Xi'an, so I easily decided not to go without any hesitation. Watching your video, I felt nervous along with you, and I couldn't help but gasp at the thrilling parts. Unfortunately, the fog hid some of the best views. It was a very interesting video! By the way, the people who built the mountain paths on Mount Hua are amazing!!!
Thank you so much, I really appreciate this 🙌🏼 It's such a beautiful mountain such a shame about the views, when it was clear the views were absolutely incredible! I hope more people visit Mount Hua from abroad!
I climb this mountain when I was in university. Back then, There is no cable tram or any safety harness except steel chains along the road. I start climb from bottom of mountain around 7:00 pm and reach south peak around 4:00am to watch sun rise. It is most dangerous and rewarding hike I experience .
@@Harry-uq9qd The original version only had wooden boards, no safety ropes, and no other auxiliary tools. So you can imagine that the mental and physical qualities of those people in the past were very amazing. Those people devoted themselves to practicing martial arts and spiritual practice.
@@edidervishi7102 Yeah, it looks like it has been "upgraded" a lot. For example, where he traverses those deep stone steps notched into the rock you can see old, eroded holes that seem to be where the wooden supports for the original plank walkway might have been anchored. I guess those old unreliable boards weren't a real plus for this as a tourist destination!
It's absolutely mad for the danger you put yourself into climbing huashang. I am glad you are back in one piece and I bet you won't forget it the rest of your life !
It's scary but not dangerous at all. You are double attached to a steel wire that is embedded in the stones a lot. There is no way it will break unless the steel wire corrodes and you can see corrosion.
My previous company offered a free trip to Mount Hua once a year. Employees who chose not to go received a consolation of 2000 RMB (300 USD), which was a substantial amount at the time. I never went because I was afraid. See, being timid can even help you make money!
Thanks for taking me to this freaking crazy scene. I stay in Hong Kong and didn't know such an adventurous place. China is definitely a must-go place in lifetime and welcome!
I believe you are one of first westerners/RU-vidrs who managed to climb the most dangerous Hua mountain in China…what an incredible achievement! Well done, mate!👍🍻🎉🎉🎉
In the summer Chinese people usually climbed the mountain during the night, the next morning first watch the sunrise, and then other activities, by noon going downhill…… I have been to the mountain in 1986 when there’s no cable cars, no protection gears while walking on the plank road…..
it is scary, but not dangerous because facility. if it is dangerous, it will not open for tourist. you should know why he said only phone is allowed to take by him. because China government afraid someone suicide in this place.
@@isaacbauman8174It could simply be because with complicated cameras and video recorders, it could clog up the queue and they don’t want people waiting on cliff edges for someone to finish putting away all that equipment. Some people might be having anxiety attacks and need to get moving and off quickly.
Gotta admit, kind of jealous lol, I made it all the way to the door and then a storm rolled in, but I'm so happy that you were able to share your experience with us. Cheer!
The cloudy weather actually is better than sunny days to walk on the plank. At least you cannot see the stuff under the cliff... 😂😂 Sunny days are more horrible
Another reason why it’s relatively empty is because it’s actually quite expensive. If you add up the bus rides, entrance tickets and gondola rides, I think it comes out to be something like 500rmb per person, which is a lot more expensive than other public attractions
Friend, your video has gained more than one million plays and more than 100,000 likes on China's social media bilibili.If you can open an account, you will gain a lot of China fans.❤
@@Rav01508 He certainly has a job and he is doing it, can't you tell? For someone who truly dislikes China, he won't even watch the video let alone read the comments. It is reasonable to believe he actually got paid for it.
10:53 I think people got up early because they want to hike to the East Peak to watch the sun rise. The best strategy to hike Mount Huashan is 1) get to the West Peak by noon of Day 1, check in a hostel, do the plank walk if weather permits, watch sunset if you finish the plank walk early, also weather permits. 2) Get up early on Day 2 and hike to the East Peak to watch the sun rise, then hike to the South Peak (the highest peak) to complete the slam. This takes a lot of stamina and luck because you can't control the time. Additional itinerary for the diehards: there are 72.5 caves around the Huashan Park. Check them all out if you like 😂
During our internship in Xian, my whole class went to climb this mountain. We started off at midnight at the hill foot and climbed for hours to catch a view of the sunrise. The mountain trail, lit by dim yellow lamps, was bustling with climbers and vendors. Time flies; it has been twenty years.
Maybe the bad weather is a blessing, if there were no cloudy clouds blocking your view, you would feel more horrible. But I still admire your courage, because even many Chinese people dare not go to the Huashan Plank Road.
oh I did that hike about 10 years ago. It was alright. You seem way more prepared than me. I did it in jeans and brought a bottle of water. good stuff!
A a Chinese, I never visited Huashan Plank Walk, this year I will plan a trip there, this video really gave some useful guidance for me, enjoy your stay in China, bro😀
The noodles are not peanut butter but sesame sauce, Xi'an has a lot of food, but they are famous for carbohydrates, especially noodles. As a Chinese Xi'an, I am from abroad, but I would like to say that China welcomes people from all over the world to travel.
I think you can open an account on Chinese social media(such as bilibili) ,and upload your videos of traveling in China, because the quality of your videos has surpassed many Chinese youtubers, and I think it will make you very popular in China。
The mountain being so high has its own ecosystem as many tall mountains do, thus it’s often enshrined in clouds and rains a lot. When we were there we met some photographers stationed at the base of the mountain waiting for people up there to tell them that the clouds had lifted. Hilarious.
Thank you so much for posting this video of your hike on the Huashan Plank hike. Now I don't need to do it myself. I can just watch videos like yours from the comfort of my home. Even viewing these videos of the hike is scary.
I climbed Hua Shan the summer of 1990 before any cable cars or crowds. My GF and I spent the night at the top in a temple with some funny Daoist priests (I speak Chinese at an advanced level). Was there a plank walk at the time? I doubt it but opportunities certainly existed for falling into the void.
@@红苹果 The fact is that this very dangerous road was built 700 years ago. The safety measures in the video such as the steel cables were indeed built recently, but the road was built long ago and has been continuously maintained by local residents and the government. As a modern Chinese, I am a little confused as to why these ancient Chinese would rather risk falling off the cliff to build a road to the top of this mountain.
@@corvo6568 The hiking trail(which is quite dangerous indeed, but not as insane) was built 700 years ago, not the plank walk. The plan walk was constructed in late 1990s for tourists, that's why it doesn't lead to anywhere and you have to make a uturn back to where you start
@@kevintang5473 No. The plank walk was there hundreds years ago. It is called 长空栈道(Sky high plank-walk) and the plank walk actually leads to a Tao Temple at the end of the walk. He may have missed it. 长空栈道的尽头是一座小道观,看完了之后原路回。长空栈道也有几百年历史了。只有安全带是最近二十年装的。
We went there a few months ago.. unluckily it suddenly snowed while we're in the mountain, and the plank walk was closed 😭. However it was quite an experience doing those mountain walks in snow, and had to hide under some rock to wait for the heavy snow to stop. 🥶
It is very rare for foreigners to find the opportunity to travel to Mount Huashan. Btw, there is always wireless internet on this mountain, tourist area. A nice video bro.
I was there 3 weeks ago and the line was 3-4 hours wait. We only scheduled one day for Huashan so didn’t get to do the plank walk. What a shame! You have a much better strategy than us! Good job 👍
I visited Mount Hua in April this year. I arrived a day early and stayed at a hotel at the foot of the mountain. The next morning, I took a cable car to the North Peak and hiked through the North, Middle, East, and South Peaks, finally descending via cable car from the West Peak. The entire hike took nearly 12 hours. I didn't get to try the Changkong Plank Trail because I went too late, and the line was too long. However, I did get to experience the Yaozi Fanshen, which was equally thrilling despite the half-hour wait. One thing puzzled me: why did you only have one safety harness? For the Yaozi Fanshen, each person is equipped with two safety harnesses. Whenever you need to change ropes, you must keep one harness attached to the rope at all times. You only unclip one harness at a time to attach it to the new rope before unclipping the other. This way, you are always secured by at least one harness. Seeing you with just one harness seemed very dangerous to me. Nevertheless, I’m glad you completed the challenge safely. Anyone who conquers the Changkong Plank Trail or Yaozi Fanshen is truly a brave soul.
Why only one harness ? Observe carefully how he pushed the hook of harness through those pegs secured on the cliff. This is a new design which does not require climber to release the hook and reattach the hook again and agin through those pegs on the cliff. Few years back I saw climbers were still using those double-hook old design to get through the plank.
Originally there were two harnesses. But after someone committed suicide after releasing both hooks in 2018, and videos about people unintentionally unclipped both harnesses went viral (including some videos on RU-vid), the plank went under refit. The harness was redesigned so that it can't be detached from the security cable on the cliff.
Great video. The intro travel stuff leading to the plank walk was terrific and I'm sure useful to others headed there. I'm going to go watch your other videos too. The cinematography was perfect as was the narrative. Thank you !
I can't help but think of the workers who built the stairs. It must be an incredibly challenging job for them, and this thought makes me feel a bit sad every time...
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imagine the level of danger it took to carve out and lay this path in the first place. it's children's play in comparison to walk across after the work is done
Wow. This brings back memories! It has also completely changed since I climbed Hua Shan in 2006. We took a local bus from Xian. We didn’t do the cable car, walked up over a few days time staying in guest houses. The plank walk was closed due to rain, but still the trekking was amazing.
There used to be no protective gears at this plankwalk a bit more than 10 years ago when I visited Changkong Plankwalk at Huashan Mountains. There was only that thick iron chain and you could only survive by holding onto it with your bare hands. It was said that there were always fatalities there every year until they installed the protective gears and put up managements to make sure everybody comes back safe.
This man have gained some notoriety in bilibili, but not in a bad way. He actually filmed it with phone in 1 hand, while others is holding to the rope with both hands, especially when stepping down those steel beams ladder. 😂
I am an adventurous guy but this is too much. But I’m glad you did this so that we can experience the thrill of near death vicariously 😉 Glad you survived Joel! Great video as usual!
I am glad you lived to tell the story. My palms and my forehead were sweating watching you guys. Did you say you want to go back on a clearer day in the future and do it all over again?
It’s such a shame that it was so cloudy and you couldn’t see over the ledge. As scary as it was, I’m sure that if you could actually look down to see how high up you was, it would have been absolutely terrifying. Thanks for sharing you adventure.
I was climbed 40years ago! No cable car , concreted path/ road and no safety wire . Only have a chain hold it on cliff and walked on two pieces of wooden floor on cliff. Foreigner were Not permit to climb. But now more safety , so more open!
Great video, Joel! The Huashan Plank Walk looks absolutely thrilling and your footage really captures the intensity of the hike. If you haven’t been to Yunnan already, you should definitely check it out. The landscapes and culture there are breathtaking. Keep up the awesome adventures!