How quickly can i finish the ascent on the eastern steps and descent by the west in Huangshan?

Dear Gary, you can finish in within 8 hours or a little longer. But you need to ascend by Yungu Cableway, and descend by Yuping Cableway. The last bus to Tunxi departs at 16:30, and the fare is CNY 17. Have a nice trip! :)

Thanks for the reply.
I just finished climbing the mountain yesterday. It is quite an easy climb and descent. You can take the bus to Yungusi. You then start the climb. It took me from 7:30am until 1:30pm (6 hours) to complete the eastern steps, see 5-6 different peaks including Beihai,Xihai etc. and descend the western steps (Yuping). The views are quite nice, but nothing spectacular. Bring one-two bottles of drinks (1 for each way) and some (烧饼) simple snacks. Everything at the top is way too expensive.

You can grab a bus back to Tangkou quite easily. The cab fare is about CNY 19. After you reach the Tangkou bus station, you can get a ticket to Tunxi (HS train station) for 17-20 yuan (they charge 3 yuan on the bus for everyone, oddly). I got the 2:30pm bus, but there are buses until 16:30. Hope this helps anyone in the future.