Nature lovers should heed the clarion call sounded by Mount Li, which forms part of the scenic Qinling Mountains in Xi’an, which boasts a proud and impressive history that is worth exploring when you’re in the region. Secure some quality Xian accommodation while you’re at it, in the form of the Citadines Central X’ian which features a stellar array of service apartments Xian has to offer its leisure and business visitors. The Mount Li National Park is perfect when you have a day free for a spot of hiking and scenic sightseeing in the great outdoors of the Xi’an province. Mount Li is a superb option, as it towers 1,256 metres in height and spans over 20km across. Assuming the stance of a stallion poised to take off at a gallop, it is unsurprising that the mountain is a steady feature of many postcards and other scenic captures of Xi’an’s landscape. A hike through the area will reveal an intriguing array of ancient buildings, foremost amongst them is the Laojun Palace as well as the remains of the Huaqing Palace Court, which was the primary place of worship for Lao Zi, who founded the Taoist school of thought. You will also come across Bingjian Pavilion, famous for the “Xi’an Incident” of December 12, 1936, when General Zhang Xueliang and Yang Hucheng had the president arrested by the army in order to convince him to unite the country to fend off the Japanese invasion. Once you reach the summit of Mount Li, you will be treated to a majestic panorama of the Xi’an landscape unfolding before you that makes it one of the eight scenic spots in the region popularly believed to “shine like a beacon in the evening sunlight.”
Angela Fernando is an impassioned travel writer who composes pieces under the pen name Sumaira Narayan. She loves writing about new and exciting places around the world and intends to visit them all someday.