Baiyun Mountain, also known as White Cloud Mountain, is a mountain located a few miles to the north of

Guangzhou Guangzhou (, ; ; or ; ), also known as Canton () and alternatively romanized as Kwongchow or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of Guangdong province in southern China. Located on the Pearl River about north-northwest of Hong Kon ...

, China. It has a height of .

Name

''Báiyún'' is

Mandarin Mandarin or The Mandarin may refer to: Language * Mandarin Chinese, branch of Chinese originally spoken in northern parts of the country ** Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Mandarin, the official language of China ** Taiwanese Mandarin, Stand ...

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...

for "White Clouds", derived from views of the mountain's peaks shrouded in mist during late Spring or after a rain. Its former English name, Pakwan, is a form of the

Cantonese Cantonese ( zh, t=廣東話, s=广东话, first=t, cy=Gwóngdūng wá) is a language within the Chinese (Sinitic) branch of the Sino-Tibetan languages originating from the city of Guangzhou (historically known as Canton) and its surrounding ar ...

pronunciation of the same name. In English, it is also known as or—since the "

mountain A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually highe ...

" is, properly speaking, a "

mountain range A mountain range or hill range is a series of mountains or hills arranged in a line and connected by high ground. A mountain system or mountain belt is a group of mountain ranges with similarity in form, structure, and alignment that have arise ...

"—the "Baiyun Mountains". Baiyun is informally known as the "City's Lung" (), from its greenery. It is also acclaimed as the "First Beauty in Guangzhou” () or the “Most Famous Mountain South of Ling” (). Moxing Peak, its highest point, is similarly sometimes called the “First Peak under the Southern Sky” ().

History

Baiyun Mountain has been famed as a scenic spot since

ancient times Ancient history is a time period from the beginning of writing and recorded human history to as far as late antiquity. The span of recorded history is roughly 5,000 years, beginning with the Sumerian cuneiform script. Ancient history cov ...

.. Its visitors predated the foundation of

Panyu Panyu, alternately romanized as Punyu, is one of 11 urban districts of the prefecture-level city of Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong Province, China. It was a separate county-level city before its incorporation into modern Guangzhou in 200 ...

(now

) in 214 BC, with various celebrities of the

Warring States period The Warring States period () was an era in ancient Chinese history characterized by warfare, as well as bureaucratic and military reforms and consolidation. It followed the Spring and Autumn period and concluded with the Qin wars of conquest ...

(5th–3rd centuries BC) known to have traveled there. Its beauty was again celebrated during the 3rd–5th century Jin Dynasty and the 7th–9th century

Tang Tang or TANG most often refers to: * Tang dynasty * Tang (drink mix) Tang or TANG may also refer to: Chinese states and dynasties * Jin (Chinese state) (11th century – 376 BC), a state during the Spring and Autumn period, called Tang (唐) b ...

.. & Since the

Song A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetit ...

, various scenes at Baiyun have been named among the

Eight Sights of Ram City 8 is a number, numeral, and glyph. 8 or eight may also refer to: Years * AD 8, the eighth year of the AD era * 8 BC, the eighth year before the AD era Art * The Eight (Ashcan School), a group of twentieth century painters associated with the ...

, lists of Guangzhou's loveliest spots.. . However, few of the historical sites have survived to the present day and others—such as the view of Guangzhou's old walled city at dusk—have changed drastically as the city has expanded to and around the mountain.

Gallery

File:锁爱台.JPG, Suoai Tai File:Moxing Summit gate.jpg, The entrance to Moxing Peak File:Moxing Summi Guangzhou China mobile towers.JPG,

China Mobile China Mobile is the trade name of both China Mobile Limited () and its ultimate controlling shareholder, China Mobile Communications Group Co., Ltd. (, formerly known as China Mobile Communications Corporation, "CMCC"), a Chinese state-ownedSt ...

's telecom tower File:"锦绣南天"牌坊.JPG, The Beautiful Southern Sky (, ''Jinxiu Nantian'') Memorial Arch

Wildlife

The

White Cloud Mountain minnow The White Cloud Mountain minnow (''Tanichthys albonubes'') is a hardy species of freshwater fish and coldwater fish often kept in an aquarium. The species is a member of the carp family (family Cyprinidae) of the order Cypriniformes, native to C ...

, now a popular aquarium fish worldwide, was discovered in this area in the 1930s..

References

External links

Official website
{{coord, 23.186642, 113.294749, display=title Mountains of Guangdong Baiyun District, Guangzhou Tourist attractions in Guangzhou