What would you do for a cup of tea? I know what I would do for my daily morning blast of java but I doubt it would involve the world’s steepest staircase in order to access it. For all the tea in China- literally- thousands of people climb the world’s most dangerous path to end up at a teahouse that is over 7,000 feet high atop Mt. Huashan in the Shaanxi Province of China. At the mountain’s base, a gigantic set of stairs- known as The Heavenly Stairs- lead to a trail that is just so crazy it happens to be the scariest pathway ever constructed by a human being. As you climb these stairs- so high up the mountainside it’s hard to see where they end- you pass little villages and houses that have cropped up the mountain.
Once you get high enough you can take a gondola to the southern peak where the plank path starts- and then the real fun begins. Imagine you’re a rock climber like Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible, while navigating the narrowest of trails where planks serve as footing- one misstep and its oo-so-long for you- and a rail of chains are padlocked to metal stakes that have been hammered into the mountain face. There are parts you must climb that have toe holes cut out but once you make it out of the insane-zone, the reward will be a Taoist temple that was converted into the Huashan Teahouse. The five mountain peaks form the image of a flower, as this stunning location has a long history of religious significance, where the original inhabitants practiced asceticism and didn’t make a habit of traveling. Clearly. Their daily meditation was heavily accented by drinking tea, which is China’s life force. So for all you tea enthusiasts who also happen to be risk-taking adrenaline junkies, I know a great spot…I hope it’s good.
Tags: China, Culinary, Tea, Travel
