China: Chang Kong Cliff Road Walk

This is my "Chang Kong Cliff Road" walk on Mount Hua (Huashan) 12.6.2017.
Mount Hua is a mountain in Shaanxi province, about 120 kilometers east of Xi'an, China.

Huashan Plank Walk was first built by a Taoist priest named He Zhizhen more than 700 years ago with stone nails carved into the cliff supporting the wooden plank for people to walk on. Now it has been improved with metals considering safety issues, but the path is still very narrow. So you are literally one step away from the bottomless chasm with no protection from the guardrails. In addition, the walk does not lead to other paths on the mountain, which means you need to return by the way you came. So you can experience this thrill twice and imagine how you will feel when you happen to meet someone who heads to the opposite direction on this cramped plank walk in the sky.

The Plank Walk is only about 130 meters long, consisting of three sections. The upper section is from South Heavenly Gate to Chaoyuan Cave, where you buy and get the safety rope. This section is about 20m long and 70cm wide with iron guardrails. So it is rather safe.

Under the instruction of the staff, you need to tighten the safety rope around your chest and then keep your adventure to the middle section. This may be the time when you feel your heart start racing. Because this 10m section is nearly vertical. You need to get down holding to the iron chains from the so-called stairs, which are actually metal bars carved into the crevice.

Then keep walking and you will come to the lower section, which is also the most dangerous part. Stone holes are chiseled on the cliff to wedge piles so that the planks can be put there (in some part there is even no plank and you have to pass stepping on the stone holes one by one). Tourists coming here usually need to cling to the cliff and move horizontally inch by inch. After reaching the end of the path, you need to walk the same way back.