Escape the heat in Mount Wutai

A heat wave pushed temperatures to above 40 C in some northern and central parts of China on July 13.

The China Meteorological Administration said temperatures hit 35 C in 14 provinces andmunicipalities, while parts of North China recorded temperatures of 41 C. The hot weather will continue until July 15.

The heat wave also worsened the severe drought in northern China, which has received just halfof its normal rainfall since June, said Yin Xiaohui, chief forecaster at the Beijing Meteorological Center.

To the contrary, the climate is cold in Mount Wutai, with ice on the top all year round. In midsummer, it is cool, so it is referred to as Qingliang (Clear Cool) Mountain.

It is a popular summer resort with the vegetation mainly consisting of grass and meadows, which are excellent pastures in summer. The average annual temperatures of -4℃. Its hottest period is July to August, when average temperatures run around 8.5 - 9.5℃. January is the coldest month, with average temperatures of -18.8℃. Spring comes to the Taihuai area a month earlier than up on the top of the mountains, and autumn a month later. Average annual temperatures in the Taihuai area are 2 - 3℃, with the lowest being -30℃ and the highest 30℃, with the clouds comparatively low and full of moisture, and rainy days.

Mount Wutai is in Wutai county, near the city of Xinzhou in the northeastern part of Shanxi province, 230 kilometers from Taiyuan, Shanxi's capital, 78 km from the Wutai county seat, and 150 km from the city of Xinzhou, and is one of China's four sacred Buddhist mountains, the others being Putuo in Zhejiang province, Jiuhua in Anhui, and Emei in Sichuan.

It was designated a national forest park by the Agriculture Ministry, in 1992, the first national AAAA tourist attractions by the National Tourism Administration in January 2001, a national geopark, in September 2005, a national AAAAA tourist attraction by the National Tourism Administration in August 2007, and added to UNESCO's World Heritage List by the World Heritage Committee in Seville, Spain, on June 26, 2009.