On Sunday, we went to Bai Shishan in Hebei. We took the Xiangyun cable car from the east gate, going directly from an altitude of 1100 meters to about 1900 meters, and then took a 5 yuan shuttle bus or walked 1 kilometer to Jiu Cai Yuan. There is a large square here, where there are sea lion or mermaid performances at certain times. After that, we could choose different routes; we chose the middle line, which most people opt for. There are more attractions, the path is relatively gentle, but it was a bit crowded. Due to the rain the night before, there was a lot of mist on the mountain, and the peaks were faintly visible among the clouds. Occasionally, when the sun came out, the mist slightly lessened, allowing us to see some of the peaks.
After walking a section of the middle line, we decided to take the branch line to the highest peak, Fo Guang Ding, from an altitude of 2000 meters to 2099 meters, covering a distance of about 450 meters, mostly steps, which were a bit steep. At this point, the sun was fully out, making it a bit hot, but reaching Fo Guang Ding was still worth it. Looking west, we could see two huge peaks together like two thick fingers extending out, with a multi-row stone wall behind them, surrounded by mist, resembling the walls of a heavenly palace. Looking north, we could see the distant city of Laiyuan County, and looking east and south, we could see the continuous mountain peaks.
After descending from Fo Guang Ding, we chose the northwest route back to the middle line. The shaded descent was very cool, but the steps were relatively narrow and steep, requiring careful walking. After returning to the middle line, we walked a bit further to the sky restaurant, which also had a large platform where we could see the twin peaks up close. We brought food, so we found a shady spot to have lunch. After lunch, we decided to take the Hong Hua Lin small loop, which could pass by the stone wall we saw above and also provide a distant view of Fo Guang Ding. This section was also quite cool, with beautiful scenery and not many people, making it suitable for sightseeing and photography.
After reaching Fei Yun Kou, there were multiple routes available. We could take the Fei Yun cable car to 1600 meters to see the beautiful scenery below, but we would need to walk a long distance to the east gate to exit, or head towards the west gate and take the Cui Ping cable car to exit from the west gate. Our car was parked at the east gate, so we had to choose to go back to the sky restaurant and walk the middle line back to the east gate. This section was basically a cliffside walkway with a few steps, not too difficult, and there were several attractions, but in the afternoon, the mist increased again, making it hard to see the peaks. We also decided to skip the famous glass walkway to avoid unnecessary expenses.
We spent about six or seven hours exploring the entire scenic area. If we wanted to visit all the routes and attractions, it would probably be best to take a day and a half or two days. The ticket price plus the cable car was 270 yuan, which is a bit expensive. If you don’t take the cable car, you can walk or take a bus along the mountain road, which can be cheaper but takes longer. The scenic area is greatly affected by the weather; on rainy or cloudy days, visibility is low, and you probably won't see much. On a clear day without mist, the peaks can be seen clearly, but it doesn’t feel as impressive. It’s best to have a sunny day after rain with some mist to see the fairy-tale-like scenery, and if you can see Fo Guang, then you are extremely lucky.