Snow-falls on the Yellow Mountains concentrate in January and February. But snow can hardly stay on trees, for it is soon swept away by strong winds. When the wind drops, however, mist rises and freezes into frost which thickly coasts the pines. the Yellow Mountains rime scenes are really a marvel. You seem to be in a crystal world, and your eyes are dazzled by the glittering light all round.

The pine of the Yellow Mountains is a variety of Chinese pine created by the special environment of the mountain.

It is said that on every rock there is a pine and that every pine has its peculiar form. Pines grown on high altitudes from 800 metres above sea level upwards, most of them at1,500-1,7500 metres on northern slopes and at 1,000-1,600 metres on southern slopes.

The most notable Yellow Mountains pines are: Yingkesong (Greeting Pine in front of Lion Stone at Jade Screen Tower), Songkesong (Farewell Pineto the right of Jade Screen Tower), Putuansong (Hassock Pine in Lotus Gully), Feng huangsong (Phoenix Pine in Heavenly Sea), Qipansong (Chessboard Pine at Pingtian Stone Bridge), Jieyinsong (Usher Pine on Beginning-to- Believe Peak), Qilinsong (Unicorn Pine, on the way from North Sea Guesthouse to Cool Terrace), Heihusong ( Black Tiger Pine, on the way from North Sea Guesthouse to Beginning -to- Believe Peak), Tanhaisong or Wusong ( Probe-the- Sea or Dancer Pine by Crucian Carp's Backon CelestialCapital and Wolongsong (Recumbent Dragon Pine below Beginning-to- Believe Peak) . These are the ten most famous pines of Yellow Mountains. Of course, they are only representatives, for you can count famous pines by the thousand, each with its own distinct beauty and grace.

The fantastic forms of Yellow Mountains pines have a lot to do with the natural environment. The rugged terrain with a host of cliffs and crags makes it very difficult for pines to grow straight, so they have to twist, bend or sometimes even stretch downwards.

In order to resist strong winds and withstand frost and ice, they usually grow a flat top with short, hardy needles forming a dark green mass, and their trunks and boughs are both tough and resilient. There is another peculiarity: swept by the wind, or attacted by the sun, many pines branch out only on one side.

These graceful but sturdy pines have to fight very hard for their existence. There being little soil on the peaks, they have to strike roots deep into crevices to draw water and nourishment. The roots are often several times the length of the trunk.And they are able to absorb nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium from granite. With such deep roots, they stand firm on the rocks, braving wind and snow and remaining evergreen.

by Li Bai

Thousands of feet high towers the Yellow Mountains
With its thirty-two magnificent peaks,
Blooming like golden lotus flowers
Amidst red crags and rock columns.
Once I was on its lofty summit,
Admiring Tianmu Pine below.
The place is still traceable where the immortal
Before ascending to heaven made elixir out of jade.
Now you embark on your journey there alone---
Another Wen Boxue I happened to meet---
Who've been to Five Mountains for beauty of nature,
Leaving behind countless ranges of hills.
Homeward you go back to White Goose Ridge,
Back to drink from your Elixir Well.
If by chance I pay you a visit,
I expect to be met by your light carriage.
Eastwards from Lingyang you bend your steps,
And pick your way through fragrant bushes,
Many a stream and many a ford,
Peaks upon peaks shutting out the sky
That's where I'll call on you some other day
Across a bridge that spans cliffs like a rainbow.
*Wen Boxue, mentioned by Zhuang Zi as a wise scholar contemporary with Confucius.