Mount Hua (華山) is a mountain located near the city of Huayin in Shaanxi province, about 75 miles east of Xi'an. It is the western mountain of the Five Sacred Mountains of China, and has a long history of religious significance. Originally classified as having three peaks, in modern times the mountain is classified as five main peaks, the highest of which is the South Peak at 7,067 ft. As early as the 2nd century BC, there was a Taoist temple known as the Shrine of the Western Peak located at its base. The Taoists believed that in the mountain lives the god of the underworld. The temple at the foot of the mountain was often used for spirit mediums to contact the god and his underlings. Hua Shan has a variety of temples and other religious structures on its slopes and peaks. The route up the mountain has been named as one of the most dangerous hikes in the world. A network of dangerous and precipitous trekking trails allows them to access the Hua Shan mountain’s five summits, each of which has a religious structure. Monks, nuns and pilgrims carved a network of stairs and trails leading to the mountain’s peaks. The paths have been reinforced due to a recent influx of adrenaline rush seeking mountain hiking tourists, but they are nonetheless dangerous and carry a reputation for fatal falls. Although no official statistics are kept, some say that the number may be as much as about 100 fatal falls a year. Some of the more dangerous parts of the trails have names like Thousand-Foot Precipice, Hundred-Foot Crevice, and Black Dragon Ridge.
