Mount Hua Shan Plank Walk

located near the city of Huayin in Shaanxi Province, about 120 kilometres (75 mi) east of Xi'an. It is one of China's Five Great Mountains, and has a long history of religious significance.

The most popular walking trail is the traditional route in Hua Shan Yu (Hua Shan Gorge) first developed in the 3rd to 4th century A.D. and with successive expansion, mostly during the Tang Dynasty. It winds for 6 km from Huashan village to the north peak. A new route in Huang Pu Yu (Huang Pu Gorge, named after the hermit Huang Lu Zi who lived in this gorge in 8th century BC) that follows the cable car to the North Peak is actually the ancient trail used prior to the Tang Dynasty, which has since fallen into disrepair.

It had only been known to local villagers living nearby at the gorges until 1949, when a group of climbers with a local guide used this route to ascent to North Peak. This trail is now known as "The Route Intelligent Take-over of Hua Shan" and was reinforced in early 2000.

Huashan has historically been a place of retreat for hardy hermits; access to the mountain was only deliberately available to the strong-willed, or those who had found "the way". With greater mobility and prosperity, Chinese, particularly students, began to test their mettle and visit in the 1980s. The inherent danger of many of the exposed, narrow pathways with precipitous drops gave the mountain a deserved reputation for danger.

Despite the safety measures introduced by cutting deeper pathways and building up stone steps and wider paths, as well as adding railings, fatalities continued to occur. The local government has proceeded to open new tracks and created one-way routes on some more hair-raising parts, such that the mountain can now be scaled without significant danger.

Chang Kong Cliff Road

The potential vertigo-inspired images of 'tourists' (the term is used with poetic licence!)navigating a treacherous foot-wide walkway along a rock face in China's Shaanxi Province.

The Chang Kong Cliff Road on Haushan mountain was built more than 700 years ago by hermit's seeking 'immortals' they thought were living in the mountains.

Anyone brave enough to navigate the path thousands of feet up the sheer mountain-face need to wear a safety harness! I doubt if it has an approved Health and safety certificate!