A stone path runs through the gap between two rock formations on the Lianhua Mountain.[Photo provided by Chen Liang/China Daily]

Lianhua Mountain

I chose to visit Lianhua Mountain scenic area the next morning. About 16 km northwest of the county town, it features a hiking route winding around a cluster of peaks shaped like a lotus. Each peak stands like a lotus petal. As a result, the mountain is named lianhua, meaning "lotus".

With a summit 1,350 meters above sea level, a local friend told me that Lianhua Mountain is like the little brother of Shengtang Mountain, the summit of the Dayao Mountains, which has an elevation of nearly 2,000 meters.

"You need barely half a day to climb Lianhua Mountain and a whole day to scale Shengtang," he said. "So I always recommend people visit the former first as it can be a good warm-up."

A stone slab lane leads into the mountain. At the beginning, it's quite flat and gentle and curves through lush subtropical forest. Exotic plants grow rampant along the route. Even in the early winter, I saw a few flowers along the road.