Zhangjiajie Travel Guide-book

ZHANGJIAJIE AVATAR WORLD PREFACE

Travel in Zhangjiajie,You will be deeply attracted to its thousands of quartz sandstone mountains.

Travel in Zhangjiajie,You will be immersed in its magnificent sceneries.

Travel in Zhangjiajie,Seems you are traveling in a real Pandora world!

Sunshine comes after rain,Mountains floating upon the sea of clouds, every single mountain gets a life.

When you stand on the top of the floating mountain,looking down all the mountains,you will be deep in thought:is it a real world?

It is not known until the early 1980's, people marvel at such a beautiful and unique place losts for a long time.

Zhangjiajie is the pandora world hiding in our world,it is the huge enlarge of the IMAX movie Avatar,it is the fairyland you awaited. When you're in this fairyland,maybe you can find thousands of floating mountains,colorful rainforest,fantasy creatures,maybe the blue skin Nahavi people are riding their dragons among the mountains.

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ZHANGJIAJIE OVERVIEW

Geography and Climate

Located in the northwest of Hunan Province,About 400 kilometers away from Changsha,capital of Hunan,covering a total area of 9,563 square kilometers,Zhangjiajie is a tourist city for its unique natural scenery and abundant tourism resources.

Zhangjiajie is a prefecture-level city consisting of Yongding and Wulingyuan Districts, Cili and Sangzhi Counties. Within it is located Wulingyuan Scenic Area which is designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1992. What’s more, Zhangjiajie was awarded the title of “World Geological Park” in 2004.

The outstanding landscape features of Zhangjiajie are Quartz Sandstone Peak Forest and Karst Caves constitute, which are rare in the world.Here you'll find hundreds of grotesque peaks,beautiful waters,towering trees,deep valleys,marvelous caves and exuberant forest that have formed a complete primitive ecological environment.The most notable geographic features of the park are the pillar-like formations that are seen throughout the park.They are the result of many years of erosion.The weather is moist year round,and as a result,the foliage is very dense.Much of the erosion which forms these pillars are the result of expanding ice in the winter and the plants which grow on them. Actually,Zhangjiajie,honored as "The most fantastic mountain under heaven" and "A living Chinese landscape painting".It is also widely acclaimed as“An enlarged potted landscaping”,“A miniature fairyland” and “A maze of nature", Attracting a growing number of tourists from home and abroad.

Zhangjiajie History

In ancient times,Zhangjiajie was regarded as remote and inaccessible.The history of Zhangjiajie can be traced back to the Neolithic Age when it was still named “Dayong”. The first human traces in this area have been registered about 100,000 years ago.Like other places in China,a legend has been developed by ancient people.It said that Zhang Liang-a famed strategist of the Western Han Dynasty (206BC-24AD),lived here after leaving the imperial court.He lived in fear he would be killed by Liu Bang,the first emperor of the Han Dynasty who had ordered some of his subjects executed out of suspicion they might rebel against him.Zhang found Qingyan (Now Zhangjiajie) Mountain is an ideal refuge due to its haunting beauty and tranquility. He became a hermit. It is said he planted seven ginkgo trees here.He was buried below Qingyan (Now Zhangjiajie) Mountain. Zhang's descendants also are believed to have lived here, which is how the name Zhangjiajie originated. Zhang refers to Zhang Liang's surname, while Jia means family and Jie represents homeland or border.

Minority in Zhangjiajie

Zhangjiajie is rich in water resources despite not being a coastal city. The region covers 91,563 square kilometers and it has a large population of 1.5 million, most of whom belong to the Tujia, Bai and Miao minorities. So the local custom is quite interesting and different from Han people.The Tujia people have a long history.They are simpleminded and warm-hearted. There are three main ethnic minority groups in Zhangjiajie: Tujia, Bai and Miao. These groups make up 77 percent of Zhangjiajie's total population and many visitors count their festivals among the highlights of their visit.

Tujia Ethnic

Tujia are one of the main minority groups in Zhangjiajie and they live in Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture.Their diet consists mainly of rice and corn. The local flavored products are Ciba,Tuansa and preserved ham. They have their own dress style and their own folk music. It is worthy to mention that Tujia Brocade is one of the five excellent brocades in Zhangjiajie. Main cultural festivals include the Sheba Festival and Gannian Festival.The Sheba Festival is usually held during the 3rd -15th day of the first month,the 3rd day of the third month,and the 6th day of the sixth month of the lunar calendar.It is an age-old celebrated happy event of Tujia minority group.Gannian Festival is the most ceremonious happy event and it is usually held in 28th or 29th of the twelfth month of the lunar calendar.It is to celebrate the coming Chinese New Year.

Bai Ethnic

The Bai are well-known as a hospitable minority group by the drinking customs of "Three-Course Tea". The first cup called "The tea of light bitter" is infused by using only the material of bitter tea leaf. The second cup is called "The sweet tea" because it adds the material of brown sugar,sesame,Walnut Seed. And the third cup called "Aftertaste tea" because it tastes bitter as well as sweet and spicy by adding the honey and a little Chinese prickly ash. If you come to the village of Bai minority group in Zhangjiajie, you can enjoy the treat. Their most special festival is the Torch Festival which is held on 25th June of the lunar calendar.On that evening every family in the village lights a torch and then all the torches are collected in the center of the village.People pray for the crops' safety in the manner of striding across the fire.In this way the festival aims to aid the destruction of vermin and therefore protect the crops.

Miao Ethnic

The Miao minority group is a populated and widely distributed group throughout Chinese nation.In the area of Zhangjiajie where the Miao minority group mostly lives you can see many traditional ceremonious activities.Their special festivals include Miao Folk Song Festival and Antiphonal Singing Festival (Also called Miao's Valentine's Day).The former one is celebrated on the 6th day of the sixth month of the lunar calendar in the memory of their folk heroes.And the latter one is celebrated on the 3rd day of the third month of the lunar calendar.

ZHANGJIAJIE HIGHLIGHTS

Step on the view platform,view the peerless scenery

Three thousand strange peaks and eight hundred great water,all the sceneries give travelers a very stunning visual effects,words are poor to describe the beauty of Zhangjiajie,wanna see the real pandora world? All places you are going to visit are the shooting places for the movie AVATAR!

Enjoy great sunrises, feel the miraculous nature

Tired of those regular itineraries? Come and join the most popular sunrise tour in Zhangjiajie.Watching the sunrise above the clouds at Zhangjiajie National Forest Park is a unique and memorable experience,it is truly an awesome place to watch the clear night sky and stars fade away as the sun lights up the sky and earth.

Walk along the Golden Whip Stream, traveling in a pictorial world

Golden Whip Stream, famous for its pristine water, verdant mountains, free oxygen, steep cliffs and serene valley, covers a distance of 7.5 km from north to south, it has been called "The Most Beautiful Valley in the World".

Explore the pillar-like formations, shooting the floating rocks

The most notable geographic features of Zhangjiajie's park are the pillar-like formations that are seen throughout the park.It is known for its exquisite forests,odd-shaped peaks and rocks, the beautiful canyons,the limestone caves,and the breath-taking panoramic views.As the first state-level forest park in China,it has been described differently,such as,majestic,eccentric,tranquil,delicate and wild.

Take Tianmen cableway,soar into the sky

Tianmen Mountain Cableway the longest passenger cableway in the world with a length of 7,200 meters and a height gap of 1,277 meters.The local gradient from the middle station to the upper station is as high as 37 degrees,which is rare in the world.Tourists marvel at it,which is worth the title of the Top Highway Wonder in the World.

Visit Yellow Dragon Cave, discovery the mysterious underground

With an area of 100,000 square meters,length of 7.6 kilometers,height of 140 meters,two underground rivers,four waterfalls,13 caverns and 10,000 stalagmites and stalactites,it is a huge limestone cave.Experts from UNESCO said that Yellow Dragon Cave is the most beautiful cave in the world and it is unbelievable that there is so long Underground River in the cave.

Walk in Phoenix Ancient Town,experience the romantic and deep culture

Hemmed in by rolling mountains and watered by a smoothly flowing river,flagstone streets,rows of traditional wooden houses built on stilts,towers,bridges everywhere,small boats rowed down the river,that's a portrait of Fenghuang. At night the streets in Fenghuang's old town are full of street food vendors,serving grilled meats,dumplings,fried potatoes,flat breads and grilled vegetables.When all neon lamps turn on at night,it's very beautiful,peaceful and romantic.Being endowed with beautiful scenery,Ancient Town of Phoenix is also a famous historic and cultural city.

Eat the unique local food,taste Hunan cuisine

Zhangjiajie local food belongs to the Hunan cuisine series of eight main dishes departments of China,but it has its unique characteristics:Strong liquor and spicy flavor,some of dishes are very famous and good tasting.For example, "Group new year's dish",pig blood bean curd,Hezha,flesh of acid fish,loaches in bean curd,the black-boned chicken soup with elevated gastrodia,and so on.

ZHANGJIAJIE ATTRACTIONS

Wulingyuan Core Scenic Spots

Zhangjiajie city, located in the northwest of Hunan province,is well-known for the natural landscape.Wulingyuan is one of its county,so people often call the core scenic area as "Wulingyuan Science Spot" for Zhangjiajie National Forest Park is in Wulingyuan Area, Wulingyuan includes Zhangjiajie National Forest Park,Yuanjiajie,Yangjiajie, Tianzishan and Souxi vally.

Golden Whip Stream

Golden Whip Stream, also called Golden Whip vally, is 7.5 kilometers, with fresh air and crystal water, this valley is the best place for having a nice walking, there are to way to visit Golden Whip Stream, the first entry is Zhangjiajie National Forest Park and the another one is Shuiraosimen.Transportation:It is only 300 meters away from the entrance of Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, most people choose this entry to enjoy it.

Visiting Duration: 2.5 hours

Scenic Spots: Gonden Whip Rock,Splitting Mountain to Save Mother,Long-distance Meet and so on.

Tips:

1.You'd better to enjoy the valley after rain, with more water in the stream and fresh air,it looks like a natural painting,at the same time,don't forget to bring a raincoat.

2.There is a place called "Monkey Garen",please keep your food in your bags when you pass this road in case of being scratched by monkeys.

Yellow Stone Village

Yellow Stone Village lies to the west of Zhangjiajie Forest Park, with an altitude of 1,200 m and covers an area of 250mu. there is a popular saying "You cannot say that you have visited Zhangjiajie if you don't go to Yellow Stone Village".You also can give up this scenic spot if you are tired for the scenery is almost the same with Yuanjiajie. Transportation: 5 minutes on foot from the entrance of Zhangjiajie National Forest Park,pass Oxygen Square and choose to hike up or take the cablecar.

Transportation:5 minutes on foot from the entrance of Zhangjiajie National Forest Park,pass Oxygen Square and choose to hike up or take the cablecar.

Visiting Duration: 2.5 hour hiking up and 2.5 hours for sightseeing on the top of mountain.

Cablecar Fee:Single way 65RMB, The double way 118RMB

Scenic Spots: The Pick-up Star Platform, Six Strange Pagoda, the Front Garden and so on.

Bailong Elevator

The Bailong Elevator (Chinese:百龙电梯) (Literally Hundred Dragons Elevator) is a glass elevator built onto the side of a huge cliff in Wulingyuan area of Zhangjiajie,China that is 1,070 feet (330 m) high. It is claimed to be the highest and heaviest outdoor elevator in the world.Construction of the elevator began in October 1999, and it was opened to the public by 2002.

Transportation:Take the green bus from Shuiraosimen,3 minutes riding.

Ticket:Single way 72RMB.

Yuanjiajie

Yuanjiajie is also called AVATAR Mountain for the movie AVATAR is filmed here.Located in the northwest part of the Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, Yuanjiajie is a naturally formed platform mountain, surrounded by higher summits which are divided by deep valleys.You will enjoy Hallelujah Mountain, NO.1 Bridge in the world and so on.

Transportation:You can choose hiking up to the top from Long-distance Meeting which is in the middle of Golden Whip Stream or take Bailong Elevator.

Visiting Duration: 2-2.5 hours.

Enamoured Platform

This place is the first must see place when you come to Yuanjiajie,which is so beautiful that you think it is not real.with countless peaks and green trees,words are poor to describe how spectacular it is.

Hallelujan Mountain

The former name is "Qiankun Pillar",gets its new name because the movie AVATAR was filmed here in 2010. This peak owns unique shape,just likes to be splitted by a sharp knife,with vertical height about 150 meters,this mountain is the highest peak in Yuanjiajie.

NO.1 Bridge in the World

At the end of Shadao Gou,near to the right,there is a natural stone bridge crossing the top of two big peaks,you will get a whole view of the bridge with the distance of 40 meters.but it is no special feeling when you walk on it.

Tips:

1.Yuanjiajie is a must-see place for the tourism groups,so it will be very crowded and noisy.You'd better not visit this place against the stream of people in the peak season(From east to west).

2.Please be careful when you are enjoying the beauty, there are so many steps along the sightseeing road,what's more,it is the deep valley with depth of 300 meters if you fall down.

Yangjiajie

Do you want to get away from big tourism groups,just come to Yangjiajie.Yangjiajie is situated in the northwest of Zhangjiajie,covering an area of about 34 sq km.Yangjiajie is an area that is comprised of peaks,cliffs,waterfalls, streams, gullies and other natural landscapes.There are 110 scenic spots in total that can be viewed in the area. (8.4 thousand acres).

Transportation: Take green bus from Yuanjiajie to Wullong Village, 15 minutes bus riding,visit Wulong Village-Tianbofu (Return the same way)- One Step to the Heaven.

Visiting Duration:5 hours.

Main Spots:

One Step to Heaven: "Who can say heaven posseses the best scenery? Natural scenery of this area is even more fancinating".Between Yangjiajie and Tianzishan,lies a wide canyon.A multitude of strangely shaped sandstone peaks form a veritable sea.When the gentle breezes blow,we can even taste the taste the flavor of the majestic mountains. Within this sea of peaks,six massive columns stand in a line,rising about 200 meters high from the base of the canyon.The two in the middle are a little higher than their comrades,and when the sun bathes the landscape after a rain,occasionally a brilliant rainbow will span the sky connecting the peaks like a celestial bridge.Such a "Heavenly bridge" doesn't appear often, but the six peaks can always be viewed,so this spot is called "One Step to Heaven".

Wulong Village:The former name is Heilong Village, is a place where the Bandit inhabited long time ago.There are a lof of deep cliffs around the platform.Now you even can see the old houses bulit 300 years ago.

The Grand Sightseeing Platform

There are 4 natural spectacles - The clouds of mist that circle the peaks of the mountain,the amazing views of the rising sun,the moonlit nights and snowcapped winter peaks. The Grand Sightseeing Platform is the only place where you can see the sunrise.Gazing into the distance,you will have a panoramic view of numerous peaks.

Transportation:Take green bus to The Grand Platform

Visiting Duration:2-3 hours.

Scenic Spots:The Grand Sightseeing Platform,Emperor Pagoda

Tips:

You need to stay in Dingxiang Rong downtown if you want to see the sunrise in The Grand Sightseeing Platform. The sunrising time is different according to the seasons, basically speaking, 5 o'clock in the morning in summer and 7 o'clock in winter.Zhangjiajie Tour Club has a good cooperation with a lot of hotels in Dingxiang Rong downtown,all hotels are clean and economic.

Tianzi Mountain

Tianzi Mountain Nature Reserve boasts rocky peaks in grotesque shapes and shrouded in drifting mist.There are many scenic attractions,such as the lofty Imperial Writing Brush Peak,Fairy Maid Scattering Flowers,and the Mid-Air Farmers’Cottage.The highest peak is 1,260 meters (4,130ft) above sea level and provides stunning views of the surrounding mountains and valleys. Waterfalls, bridges, stone forests and caves are found throughout the mountains. There are not just beautiful landscapes,but also simplicity,peculiar folk custom and local folk food of special flavor awaiting the arrival of visitors.

Transportation:Starting from Zhangjiajie bus station to the entrance of Tianzi Moutain, bus ticket is 13RMB,then take the green bus in the park to the top of Tianzi Mountain,2 hours.

Wulingyuan Scenic Spot:You can take green bus to Tianzi cablecar station and take the cablecar up to the mountain.

Scenic Spots: Helong Park,The Fairlady Presenting Flowers,The West Sea.

Visiting Duration:3 hours.

Cablecar Fare:67RMB for the single way.

Surrounding Scenic Spots

Tianmenshan National Forest Park

Many people get Tianmen Mountain mixed up with Tianzi Mountain,They are two different scenic areas.Tianmen Mountain,is approved to be National Forest Park in 1992,has an elevation of 1518.6 meters.It is only 8 kilometers far from the downtown and is one of the most representative natural sceneries of Zhangjiajie.For a long time, Tianmen Mountain not only attracts the attention of the people by its miraculous and unique geographic landform and unparalleled natural landscape,but also well known for its profound cultural connotations and famous colorful humanistic sites.It is revered as the soul of culture and spirit of Zhangjiajie,China.

Visiting Duration:5 hours

Ticket Fare:258RMB

Main Attractions in Tianmen Mountain:

Tianmen Cave

Tianmen cave the natural mountain-penetrating karst cave with the highest elevation in the world, hangs on the towering cliff.It is a natural water-eroded cave with the highest elevation in the world.It is actually a big hole in the mountain but people call it a cave and it has become a major attraction.In 1999,in an acrobatic show,three airplanes flew through it.The live telecast drew an estimated audience of 800 million people worldwide.The cave become the unique sight under heaven and breeds the profound and grand heaven culture of Fairy Mountain in the local area.

Tianmenshan Glass Plank Road

Tianmenshan Glass Plank Road lies in the west of Tianmen Moutain. Its overall length is 60 meters. The highest point of this bridge arrives about 1,430 meters. Glass Plank Road is seen as another masterpiece after Ghost Path, Glass deck and wooden bridge over the gorge.

Tianmenshan Glass Plank Road can compare favorably with world-known glass corridor in American Grand Canyon. In fine days, the shadow of blue sky and white cloud overspread the whole Glass Plank Road, which can bring visitors a feeling of walking in the edge of cloud. In mist days, Glass Plank Roa is partly hidden and partly visible.

In order to insure the transparency and cleanness, all visitors are required to wear shoe covers when walking on Glass Plank Road.

Tianmen Mountain Cableway

Tianmen Mountain Cableway the longest passenger cableway in the world with a length of 7,200 meters and a height gap of 1,277 meters.It will give you an unforgettable memory in all your life.It is one of the few cable cars within China with a height gap over 1,000 meters.The local gradient from the middle station to the upper station is as high as 37 degrees, which is rare in the world.It is the cableway with the largest local gradient as well as one with most brackets in China.

Tongtian Avenue (Avenue toward Heaven)

Tongtian Avenue has 99 turns symbolizing that the Heaven has nine palaces.It is worth the title - wonder of highway in the world.Through Tongtian Avenue,one reaches directly the Tianti - celestial ladder. The grand celestial-like scene came into view.

Tianmen Mountain Temple

Tianmen Mountain Temple was first built in the Tang Dynasty as a center of Buddhism in the area of western Hunan.The present Tian Men Mountain Temple is rebuilt on the basis of the original site with a plot area of more than 10,000 sqm.It adopts an official style of the Qing Dynasty and the buildings in the Temple compare well with the famous classical houses at home.The Temple is located in the mountain hollow with a broad vision.If one gazes into the southeast,all the hills seem to be so small that the Temple is really like an overlord.

Yellow Dragon Cave

Yellow Dragon Cave is a typical Karst cave,consisting of an area of irregular limestone in which erosion has produced fissures,underground streams,and caverns.So far,the discovered cave area is about 15 kilometers long and 140 meters high,and covers 48 hectares.The Cavern can be divided into two parts.One is the dry cave and the other is the water cave.In the Yellow Dragon Cavern are caves inside caves, and one cave may lead to many others. Sometimes there are also underground caves. Stalactites, stalagmites, stone blossoms, stone curtains, stone branches, stone canals, stone pearls, and stone macrospores can be seen in various places in the cavern, constituting a fantastic yet natural scene.

Ticket Fare:100RMB

Visiting Duration: 2 hours

Opening Time:Peak season 07:30-17:30,Low season 08:00-17:00

Tips:The temperature is low in the cavern. Not recommended to visit in cold season.

Baofeng Lake

The Baofeng Lake Scenic Area is part of the larger Wulingyuan Scenic Area,one of the world's natural heritages. It is situated at the back of Mount Baofeng, with an area of 274 hectares.The area comprises Baofeng Lake and Yingwo Stockaded Village.The natural beauty of the lake and the mountain complement the human culture and landscape.

Baofeng Lake features beautiful natural scenery. It is located in the mountains, where there is abundant water and fresh air. Green trees and stone peaks of various shapes surround the lake. There are also marvelous running waterfalls pouring out like troops from heaven descending to the world. Yixiantian Valley, less than an average of four meters wide, is another wonderful scenic spot. Only a line of the sky can be seen from the bottom of the valley, which resembles a seemingly long and thin silk thread. The length, narrowness, and depth here are rare for national scenic spots.

Ticket Fare:96RMB

Visiting Duration:2 hours

Opening Time:08:00-17:00