Ancient buildings testify to the mountains' position as various faiths' place of pilgrimage.

The Three-Religion Pavilion, for instance, affirms to its importance to Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism. The structure stands uphill from a still-operational ancient Taoist center and Buddhist temple.

Only the fittest hikers can conquer the tough, final slog to Fenghuang's 836-meter-high apex within a day.

A stretch that makes the trek physically easier but psychologically harrowing is a glass platform soaring hundreds of meters in the air. (Seriously, don't look down.)

Fenghuang's topography is anthropomorphically rendered as Buddha statues, dragons and turtles, with a folktale to explain each shape.

So are the summits of Dandong's Hushan (Tiger Mountain), so named because it resembles a crouching tiger upon which rode Buddhism's goddess of mercy, Guanyin. She's also silhouetted as a nearby mount.

The Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) Great Wall's easternmost endpoint crowns Hushan. Dandong' surviving 2-km stretch of the bulwark peaks at 146 meters high.

Given Dandong's ecological offerings, the colorful concept of "come for the red, stay for the green" may just be the city's golden tourism ticket.