{{short description|Hill and tourist attraction in China}} {{Coord|24|43|42|N|110|28|2|E|display=title}} {{Refimprove|date=March 2013}} [[File:moonmtyangshuo.jpg|thumb|Moon Hill from below]] '''Moon Hill''' ({{zh|c=月亮山|p=Yuèliàng Shān|l=Moonlight Mountain}}) is a hill with a [[natural arch]] through it a few kilometers outside [[Yangshuo]] in southern [[People's Republic of China|China's]] [[Guangxi]] autonomous region. Moon Hill is part of the [[Guilin]] Mountains. It is so named for a wide, semicircular hole through the hill, all that remains of what was once a [[limestone]] [[cave]] formed in the [[phreatic zone]]. Like most formations in the region, it is [[karst]]. It is also a popular tourist attraction. <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.travelchinaguide.com/attraction/guangxi/yangshuo/moonhill.htm|title=Moon Hill|date=2019-10-03|website=travelchinaguide.com}}</ref>
==Description== [[File:1 yangshuo moon hill view 2011.jpg|thumb|A view from the top]] It takes roughly 20 minutes to climb up to the arch (about 1000 steps),<ref>{{Cite web|date=2015-09-28|title=Moon Hill {{!}} China & Asia Cultural Travel|url=https://www.asiaculturaltravel.co.uk/moon-hill/|access-date=2021-05-28|website=www.asiaculturaltravel.co.uk|language=en-US}}</ref> or considerably longer for those who wish to reach the summit. Visitors must pay an entrance fee in order to climb the hill.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Moon Hill - Moon Hill Yangshuo - Visit Guilin {{!}}|url=https://visitguilin.org/things-to-do/yangshuo-attractions/moon-hill/|access-date=2021-05-28|language=en-US}}</ref> Souvenir and refreshment vendors often follow climbers up and down the path.{{Citation needed|date=March 2023}}
In addition to a concrete tourist path which passes through the arch, and a somewhat rougher, steeper path leading to the summit above the arch, Moon Hill has several [[rock climbing]] routes, many of which were pioneered by the American climber [[Todd Skinner]] in the 1990s.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2015-09-28|title=Moon Hill {{!}} China & Asia Cultural Travel|url=https://www.asiaculturaltravel.co.uk/moon-hill/|access-date=2021-05-28|website=www.asiaculturaltravel.co.uk|language=en-US}}</ref> It has also been used for [[abseil]]s in several adventure races.{{Citation needed|date=March 2023}}
Moon Hill offers broad panoramic views of the surrounding countryside which is characterized by the knobby karst hills found throughout the region.
==Geography== [[File:Moon Hill.jpg|thumb|Moon Hill from nearby parking lot]] Moon Hill is located to the south of Yangshuo across the Jingbao river along [[China National Highway 321]]. It has an elevation of {{convert|380|m|ft|abbr=on}}, while the hill is {{convert|230|m|ft|abbr=on}} in relative height and {{convert|410|m|ft|abbr=on}} in length. The arch is about 50 meters in height.<ref>[http://scenery.cultural-china.com/en/109Scenery10131.html Cultural China website. 'Natural Scenery'] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130512222132/http://scenery.cultural-china.com/en/109Scenery10131.html |date=2013-05-12 }}</ref>
== Climbing ban == [[File:Moon Hill Rock Climber.jpg|thumb|Rock climber on Moon Hill arch]] Moon Hill had a two-year [[rock climbing]] ban lifted in 2019.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sportbusiness.com/news/yangshuos-moon-hill-reopens-after-two-year-sport-climbing-ban/|title=Yangshuo’s Moon Hill reopens after two-year sport climbing ban|last=Tan|first=Kelvin|date=2019-09-06|website=sportbusiness.com}}</ref> The climbing ban, which went into effect in the first half of 2017, was in place due to a security guard on the viewing deck nearly being hit on the head with a piece of falling debris. <ref>{{Cite book|title=Yangshuo Rock: A China Climbing Guide|last=Hedesh|first=Andrew|publisher=Amazon.com: Books|year=2017|isbn=9780998728605}}</ref> During this time, climbing was only allowed during the annual Yangshuo climbing festival in late October.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2019-09-05|title=Yangshuo's Moon Hill Reopens After 2 Year Climbing Ban|url=https://www.rockandice.com/climbing-news/yangshuos-moon-hill-reopens-after-2-year-climbing-ban/|access-date=2021-05-28|website=Rock and Ice Magazine}}</ref> Moon Hill was leased by a new private company and, after meeting with the Yangshuo Climbers Association, they decided to remove the ban at the end of 2019. The ban was removed under the condition that the climbing routes be inspected annually, with the funding provided by the climbers' mandatory climbing insurance.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2019-09-06|title=Yangshuo’s Moon Hill reopens after two-year sport climbing ban|url=https://www.sportbusiness.com/news/yangshuos-moon-hill-reopens-after-two-year-sport-climbing-ban/|access-date=2020-06-12|website=SportBusiness|language=en-US}}</ref>
==See also== *[[Elephant Trunk Hill]], in [[Guilin]] *[[Torghatten]], in [[Norway]]
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== {{Commons category-inline|Moon Hill (Yangshuo)|Moon Hill}}
{{Authority control}} [[Category:Landforms of Guangxi]] [[Category:Hills of China]] [[Category:Tourist attractions in Guilin]] [[Category:Climbing areas of China]] [[Category:Yangshuo County]]