Baishi Mountain



Baishi Mountain, also known by its Chinese name Baishishan, is a mountain in Laiyuan County, Baoding Prefecture, Hebei Province, China. Its highest peak has an elevation of 2096 m and its main ridge stretches for over 7000 m. Parts of the Great Wall snake around its foothills. Baishi Mountain forms the northern end of the Taihang Chain and is located about 200 km southwest of Beijing.

Background
Its name refers to the white marble making up parts of its bedrock. The roughly 20 sqkm of dolomite making up the top of the mountain was formed about 1 billion to 700 million years ago and was pushed into place by about 54 sqkm of newly forming granite created by a magma intrusion at the mountain's base about 140mya.

China's National Tourism Administration established the Baishi Scenic Area in 2004. The same area was declared the Baishi National Geological Park when it was named a world geological park by UNESCO in September 2006. The CNTA declared it a AAAAA-level tourist attraction in early 2017. It is particularly well known for its appearance during overcast days, when the tops of nearby peaks can be seen jutting out from within low-lying clouds and mist. Since September 2014, it has also had China's longest, widest, and highest glass skywalk, stretching 95 m over a ravine at an elevation of 1900 m. A second skywalk opened in August 2015, with an elevation of 1600 m. There is also a regional tourism campaign aimed at promoting the mountain as a spot for lovers.

The spider species Clubiona baishishan takes its name from its discovery near the mountain.