China’s Dangerous Hiking Trails of Death on Mount Huashan

To the east of the ancient capital of Xi’an sits Huashan, one of China’s Five Great Mountains. A site of significant spiritual importance, for centuries it has sheltered Taoist monks, and offers some of the world’s most hair-raising hikes. The network of snaking trails leads to Mount Huashan’s 7,000-foot five-summited peak where waits a tea-house and temple accessed via a boardwalk affixed to the cliff-face. Fatal falls are frequent, and nerves are not helped by names such as the Thousand-Foot Precipice and Black Dragon Ridge.