As I trekked through the mists of the Huang Shan mountains, I came upon a young man painting the scenery with traditional brush and ink on rice paper. He smiled proudly as he showed me his work. It was indeed quite beautiful ... for a painting, but it paled in comparison to the living scene before my eyes: a silken shimmer of pastel clouds clinging in tendrils to the tops of mountains, an endless dance of wind and fog that alternately revealed and concealed subtle changes in the dark hills beneath. How futile it must feel for a mere mortal to try to capture that, I thought.

Yet for centuries, these mountains in the heart of China, 250 miles southwest of Shanghai, have been a destination for artists and poets (among them the renowned Li Bo), who come to commune with nature in one of its more striking poses—and struggle to replicate its beauty. Along with the artists and poets come lovers, who clasp locks symbolic of their undying fidelity to the chain fences that protect hikers from the plunging precipices. Seventy miles of trails wind around 72 peaks, the two most majestic of which are Capital of Heaven and Lotus Flower. The highest of the mountains is less than 6,150 ft., but their steep, stark slopes impart a distinctly higher authority.

In 1990, UNESCO declared Huang Shan a Cultural and Natural Property, thereby ensuring that the area's physical beauty will be preserved in perpetuity. Pheasant and deer abound. There are hundreds of indigenous plants, including ginkgo, actinidia and tinder fungus, which are said to heal the body and arouse the senses. The famous hot springs are known for their healing qualities and beautiful clear jade-green color. An hour's meditation in one of these thermal pools is a great way to end a day of hiking.