HEFEI, March 19 (Xinhua) -- Lotus Peak, the highest peak in Huangshan Scenic Area, is to reopen to tourists Wednesday after closing for five years, according to the Huangshan Mountain administration committee.

Located at 1,864 meters above the sea level, Lotus Peak is the highest peak of Huangshan Mountain, east China's Anhui Province. It is called Lotus Peak because the main peak is protruding and the small peaks are clustered, resembling a lotus blossom.

In order to protect the natural ecology, a number of popular Huangshan Mountain sites, including Lotus Peak and Tiandu Peak, open to the public on alternate turns, a practice initiated by Huangshan in 1987 and later adopted by other mountain scenic spots.

Tiandu Peak will be closed to tourists starting Wednesday.

Huangshan Mountain, also known as the Yellow Mountain, is a UNESCO world heritage site covering an area of 1,200 square kilometers and famous for its peculiarly-shaped rocks, cloud-shrouded peaks, pines and hot springs.

In recent years, Huangshan Mountain has received an average of nearly 3 million visitors per year. It has been acclaimed through art and literature during a good part of Chinese history. Today it still holds fascination for visitors, poets, painters and photographers the world over.