China Travel Guides
Weinan

Northwest China · Shaanxi

Weinan

Updated 2026-10-21

Weinan Travel Guide: Mount Hua, the Xiyue Temple and Hancheng

Weinan, the prefecture east of Xi'an, is where you climb Mount Hua (Huashan), the western of China's Five Great Mountains and famously one of the steepest. Its five granite peaks top out at the South Peak, 2,154.9 m. High-speed trains from Xi'an North reach Huashan North in about 30–40 minutes, and a free bus runs to the visitor centre. In 2026 the peak-season ticket is ¥160, with cable cars to the North Peak (¥80 one way) or West Peak (¥140). Plan a full day on the mountain, add the old Xiyue Temple in Huayin, and keep Hancheng, home town of the historian Sima Qian, for a separate trip north.

Getting in and where to stay

Huashan North station is on the Zhengzhou–Xi'an high-speed line. From there, a free bus or shuttle reaches the Huashan visitor centre in 15–25 minutes, where the scenic buses leave for the cable car stations: about 20 minutes to the North Peak cable car and 40 minutes to the West Peak. Weinan city itself is just a transport stop for most visitors.

Stay in Huayin, near the visitor centre, if you want an early or overnight start. Day trips from Xi'an work if you take an early train.

Places worth visiting

Mount Hua

Steep granite cliff face of Mount Hua framed by pine branches
Mount Hua (Huashan). Photo from Wikimedia Commons, by Alexey Komarov, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Mount Hua, about 120 km east of Xi'an at the eastern end of the Qinling range, has five main peaks: North, East (Zhaoyang, about 2,096 m), South, West and Central. The classic plan is to ride the North Peak cable car up and walk the ridge. Black Dragon Ridge (Canglong Ling), long the only way onto the high plateau, leads to the Golden Lock Pass, and from there paths fan out to the East, South and West peaks. Ride the West Peak cable car down. The ridge walk alone takes several hours of steep stone stairs with chains. Daoists have lived here since at least the 2nd century BC; most temples on the mountain were handed to the China Daoist Association in 1998. The famous plank walk on the South Peak, a ledge bolted to the cliff, is an optional extra with a harness.

Tickets and transport, 2026 peak season (March–November):

  • Entry ¥160.
  • North Peak cable car ¥80 one way, ¥150 return; West Peak cable car ¥140 one way, ¥280 return.
  • Scenic bus from the visitor centre: ¥20 to the North Peak station, ¥40 to the West Peak station.

Many people climb overnight to watch sunrise from the East Peak; the mountain is cold at night even in summer.

Xiyue Temple

Red gate tower and walls of the Xiyue Temple in Huayin
Xiyue Temple, Huayin. Photo from Wikimedia Commons, by Acstar, CC BY 3.0.

Emperors sent offerings to Mount Hua from this temple in Huayin. A palace was first built at the mouth of a gorge in 134 BC and moved to the present site in the Eastern Han. The surviving buildings are Ming and Qing, laid out like a small walled palace: walls 10 m high with corner towers, three courtyards along a 498 m axis, and the nine-bay Haoling Hall at the back. It is a national protected site and a quiet hour or two before or after the mountain.

Hancheng: the Sima Qian Temple and Dangjia village

Hall with red columns and a grey tiled roof on a stone terrace at the Temple of Sima Qian, Hancheng
Temple of Sima Qian, Hancheng. Photo from Wikimedia Commons, by N509FZ, CC BY-SA 4.0.

In the far north of the prefecture by the Yellow River, Hancheng is the home district of Sima Qian, author of the Records of the Grand Historian, born around 145 BC near the modern city. His temple and tomb climb a hillside south of town. About 9 km northwest of the city, Dangjia village keeps more than 100 Ming and Qing courtyard houses along stone-paved lanes; it is a national protected site and a historic village. Hancheng needs its own day from Xi'an or a night there.

When to come

April–May and September–October have the clearest air and safest paths. Summer is hot on the stairs, with thunderstorms on the ridges. In winter the steps ice up and some routes or cable cars can close, but off-season tickets are cheaper. National holidays bring very long cable car queues; avoid them.

Eating in Weinan

Guanzhong noodles and flatbreads are the everyday food. Eat a proper meal in Huayin before the climb, and carry water and snacks on the mountain, where everything costs more the higher you go.

How to arrange the route

  1. Day 1: early train to Huashan North, shuttle to the visitor centre, North Peak cable car, ridge walk to the East, South and West peaks, West Peak cable car down. Sleep in Huayin.
  2. Day 2: Xiyue Temple in the morning, then back to Xi'an, or north to Hancheng.

Heading east, the same high-speed line continues toward Luoyang.

What to cut if short on time

On a day trip from Xi'an, use both cable cars and cut the plank walk and the Xiyue Temple. Hancheng is a separate trip.

Things to confirm before you go

  • Real-name tickets and cable car bookings; holiday quotas fill up.
  • Weather and closures on the ridges.
  • Last cable car and last scenic bus down.
  • Your head for heights: the ridges are exposed.

Frequently asked questions

Can I visit Mount Hua as a day trip from Xi'an?

Yes. Take an early high-speed train to Huashan North and use the cable cars both ways.

Which cable car should I take?

The North Peak cable car is cheaper and shorter; the West Peak cable car gets you higher. Up one and down the other is the usual plan.

Is Mount Hua dangerous?

The main routes are railed and busy. The plank walk and some side paths are genuinely exposed, so skip them in wind, rain or ice.

Sources

The facts in this article were checked against the following sources, retrieved September 29, 2026, and rechecked on October 21, 2026.

  1. Weinan https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weinan
  2. Mount Hua https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Hua
  3. 西岳庙 (Chinese Wikipedia) https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/西岳庙
  4. Sima Qian https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sima_Qian
  5. 党家村 (Chinese Wikipedia) https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/党家村
  6. Huashan official site, visiting information https://www.chinahuashan.com/front/wzhs.htm
  7. Huashan peak-season prices and hours (Huashan scenic area news) https://www.hshan.com/news/xsnews/hy/2024-02-29/891506.html
  8. From Huashan North station to the scenic area (Xi'an tourism) https://www.tang.org.cn/53038.html

Ticket prices are 2026 peak-season listings; check the official site before you go.

All photos are from Wikimedia Commons, used under CC licenses or public domain; re-use requires attribution.

  • weinan-huashan.jpg from File:Mount Hua, May, 2018-10.jpg, by Alexey Komarov, CC BY-SA 4.0
  • weinan-xiyue.jpg from File:西岳庙.JPG, by Acstar, CC BY 3.0
  • weinan-simaqian.jpg from File:Temple of Sima Qian, Hancheng (20250113111702).jpg, by N509FZ, CC BY-SA 4.0