Walter Dalkeith

Inspiring generations of writers, poets and artists, Huangshan holds an imperious position in Chinese culture, legend and spirituality. Millions each year ascend into the mountains to marvel at the towering granitic peaks embedded with ancient, twisting pine trees while all-encased in a swirling mass of clouds. Huangshan’s beauty is arresting. It is otherworldly, ethereal, and alive. It breathes and pulses. Outside of its embrace, time and life march on, but within, there pervades an aura of timelessness. The senses are engulfed, the mind is quietened and thoughts dissolve. Nature, at its essence has the ability to remove us from the confines imposed by society and our egoic mind, offering us enlightenment, rejuvenation and a return to conscious awareness.  It is more than just the visible physicality and form. It is the invisible, the intangible, the world that is to be sensed that makes it so affecting. Huangshan embodies this force, enabling us to feel and recognise the deep connection we as humans have as a part of nature, an aspect of ourselves that has slowly eroded in recent history.