Emerald Valley is located 8 kilometers northeast of Tangkou Town, Huangshan City, and is relatively close to the south gate of the Huangshan Scenic Area. Streams accompany the canyons, forming dozens of pools with emerald-like colors and a series of waterfalls. Bamboo groves sway on both sides of the stream, making Emerald Valley a great choice for those visiting Huangshan and looking to enjoy water features. In 1986, 36 young men and women from Shanghai visited the not yet fully developed Emerald Valley and were trapped for three days, during which true feelings emerged, leading to 10 couples becoming lifelong partners. Hence, Emerald Valley is also known as Lover’s Valley. The movie ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’ was filmed here. The valley runs from north to south, with the entrance at the southern end. Walking towards the depths of the canyon, the slope is so gentle that one hardly feels like they are going uphill, making the entire tour quite relaxed. Each pool presents various colors such as light yellow, light green, dark green, and lake blue, all clear to the bottom. On sunny days, the colors refracted by sunlight are even more beautiful. Summertime after rain is also a good time to visit, as the water volume increases, and even the paths are thinly covered with small streams, making a walk in the canyon feel very cool. From the entrance, you pass by the Green Lion Pool, the Sea Clam Beach with layered rock patterns by the pool, and the Dragon and Phoenix Pool. The fourth pool is the Flower Mirror Pool, where scenes of love from ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’ were filmed, and the Suspension Bridge of Lovers is adorned with locks of love. Behind the Flower Mirror Pool is the Green Pearl Pool, another filming location for ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,’ featuring scenes of searching for a sword in a deep pool. Continuing on to the Magpie Bridge, there are sometimes tightrope performances during holidays. At the ‘Love Stone,’ a flat rock engraved with a large red ‘Love’ character, couples can take photos. A little further from the ‘Love Stone,’ between two huge rocks on an inconspicuous mountain wall, there is a round stone known as the ‘Alchemical Platform,’ said to bring romantic luck when touched. Along the way, you can also search for stone tablets with 99 different fonts of the character ‘Love.’ At the entrance of the scenic area, there is an Emerald Valley Love Post Office, selling love-themed postcards, love passports, etc., and providing free love commemorative postmarks to mail postcards to your loved ones. Next to the ticket office at the entrance, there is a shop, and a snack bar at the ticket inspection point where you can buy food and drinks. There are not many snack bars inside the scenic area, but since the tour of Emerald Valley does not take long, it is not necessary to prepare dry food. Generally, tourists visiting the Huangshan Scenic Area have half a day of leisure, so they visit Emerald Valley. Especially for tourists starting from places like Shanghai, the classic three-day Huangshan tour usually leaves half a day open, often visiting Emerald Valley in the afternoon of the first day or in the morning of the third day. If they are in a hurry, they can also visit after coming down from Huangshan on the second day, and arrange for other scenic spots on the third day.
It is recommended to visit Emerald Valley before Huangshan, as the soreness in the legs after descending from Huangshan may reduce the enthusiasm for visiting Emerald Valley. Outside the main gate of Emerald Valley, there is a residential area called Emerald Village, composed of villas suitable for accommodation, which is ideal for tourists traveling by car. Self-driving tourists can also choose to stay in Huangshan City, allowing them to explore Tunxi Old Street in the evening. For non-driving tourists who wish to have more time at Huangshan the next day, it is suggested to stay in Tangkou Town, as there are no direct buses from Emerald Valley or Huangshan city to the Huangshan Scenic Area; one must go to the Tangkou’s Huangshan Scenic Area transfer center to take the new national line. Opening hours are from 06:30 to 18:30 all year round; preferential policy opening hours are from 07:30 to 18:00.
Children: Free entry for children under 1.2 meters (not including); Children: Half price for children between 1.2 meters (including) and 1.5 meters (including); Elderly: Free entry for those aged 65 and above; Elderly: Half price for those aged 60 and above with a senior citizen card; Students: Half price for students with valid student cards containing registered information (excluding correspondence, adult education, network education, distance education, continuing education, postgraduate, and master’s student cards); Military personnel: Half price for those with active military service cards; Disabled: Half price for those with verifiable disability certificates (including minor disability certificates) between levels 5 and 8, and military disability certificates between levels 5 and 8.
Service facilities: Parking lot: [Scenic Area Parking Lot] Reference price: ¥10 per entry; Address: At the entrance of the scenic area; Capacity: 200 spaces. WIFI: Account: feicuigu; Password: No password required; Coverage: Visitor Center. Restrooms: Multiple restrooms available, all with signs. Designated smoking areas are located at several points within the scenic area, where visitors can only smoke in designated areas. Convenience store: Located in the ticketing area of the scenic area.
Essential tips: 1. When taking the Emerald Valley zip-line, photos will be taken and printed for sale, but the vendors will not inform you in advance that this service is chargeable. 2. When hiring a car to Emerald Valley, drivers may take you to places selling tea. It is recommended to hire cars through reliable channels such as hotels, and if a driver refuses to carry you because you do not purchase tea, you can call the hotel to resolve the issue.
