Huading Peak is the summit of Tiantai Mountain at 1,098 metres, and the place where the monk Zhiyi is said to have meditated for years before founding the Tiantai school of Buddhism. A small temple complex marks the summit plateau, and on clear days the views extend southeast across the Zhejiang hills to where the coastal plain flattens toward the sea.
The ascent takes three to four hours from Guoqing Temple through increasingly dense forest, passing subalpine meadows near the top where wild tea plants grow in the clearings. A cable car operates from the lower slopes on weekends and holidays, but the path on foot passes far more of interest, including several springs and the remnants of Sui-dynasty boundary markers. The summit is noticeably cooler than the valley and can be misty even when the lower mountain is clear — the name Tiantai means "terrace of heaven," and the cloud is part of the point.