Guifeng Mountain

This guide to Guifeng Mountain outside Xi'an follows the Song-dynasty statesman Fan Zhongyan, who by legend once climbed here with a jar of wine to watch the moon rise, giving the view its own name among the region's treasured sights. It traces the mountain's odd shape, said to resemble the jade tablet ancient officials carried at court, and the roughly nine-kilometer path that climbs past resting pavilions, General Stone and the gate called Nantianmen. Look for the granite natural bridge at the mountain's foot before you start the climb.