The area is well known for its scenery, sunsets, peculiarly-shaped granite peaks, Huangshan pine trees, hot springs, winter snow and views of the clouds from above.

[6] The mountains were formed in the Mesozoic, approximately 100 million years ago, when an ancient sea disappeared due to uplift.

[15] In addition, Huangshan has multiple hot springs, most of them located at the foot of the Purple Cloud Peak.

[7] Huangshan was formed approximately 100 million years ago and gained its unique rock formations in the Quaternary Glaciation.

In 747 AD, its name was changed to Huangshan (Mount Huang) by imperial decree;[17] the name is commonly thought to have been coined in honor of Huang Di (the Yellow Emperor), a legendary Chinese emperor and the mythological ancestor of the Han Chinese.

[8] In 1982, Huangshan was declared a "site of scenic beauty and historic interest" by the State Council of China.

[17] It was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1990 for its scenery and for its role as a habitat for rare and threatened species.

[22] In addition to inspiring poets such as Li Bai,[13][6] Huangshan and the scenery therein has been the frequent subject of poetry and artwork, especially Chinese ink painting[17] and, more recently, photography.

[5][8] The mountains also have appeared in modern works; director James Cameron cited Huangshan as one of his influences in designing the fictional world of his 2009 film Avatar, and Chinese animated series Stitch & Ai, a spin-off of Disney's Lilo & Stitch franchise, is set in the Huangshan mountains.

In the early part of the twentieth century, the geology and vegetation of Huangshan were the subjects of multiple studies by both Chinese and foreign scientists.

For example, in the late twentieth century a team of researchers used the area for a field study of Tibetan macaques, a local species of monkey.

[26] Buses connect Huangshan City to the base of the mountain, where visitors can take a cable car or hike to the summit.

[17] Throughout the area there are hotels and guest houses that accommodate overnight visitors,[2][17] many of whom hike up the mountains, spend the night at one of the peaks to view the sunrise, and then descend by a different route the next day.