Cuihua Mountain

This guide to Cuihua Mountain in Xi'an traces how a prehistoric earthquake tore rock off the ridge, sent an estimated three hundred million cubic meters crashing into the valley, and dammed the Taiyi River into what's now Tianchi, the Heavenly Lake. It leads you through the boulder field into the narrow Wind Cave and the chill of Ice Cave, and past the June temple fair that still honors a village girl named Cuihua. Today the same debris field doubles as Xi'an's only natural ski slope, with room for about a thousand skiers at once.