During the May Day festival that just passed, scenic spots across China were crowded with people. However, one scenic spot seemed particularly unique.
Compared with Chinese people, foreign tourists are more frequent here, especially Korean tourists from far away. They regard Zhangjiajie as a holy place they must visit in their lifetime.
In South Korea, there is a popular saying: “If you have not set foot in Zhangjiajie, how can you be called an old man at the age of 100.”
For many Koreans who love mountain climbing, being able to visit Zhangjiajie in this lifetime has become a firm belief in their hearts.
According to the Beijing News, Korean tourists can be seen everywhere in Zhangjiajie at this time, and buses full of them shuttle through the scenic spots.
According to statistics from the Hunan Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, this small town with a permanent population of less than 1.5 million has welcomed 261,200 inbound tourists in just one quarter, of which Korean tourists accounted for 40.23%. The proportion is as high as 105,100 people.
In order to meet the needs of these Korean tourists, the Zhangjiajie Municipal Government has specially opened a personal Korean won cash exchange business to make their local shopping and consumption more convenient.
As China’s first national forest park, Zhangjiajie is not only included in the World Natural Heritage List by UNESCO, but is also highly recommended by Lonely Planet magazine.
Although it is not among the traditional Chinese Three Mountains and Five Mountains, its unique fantasy and magnificence are unmatched by any other mountain scenery.
Why do they all have a soft spot for Zhangjiajie?
Perhaps, only when you truly set foot on this land can you deeply understand the persistence and love.
Zhangjiajie
No scenery throughout the year, off-season
When traveling to Zhangjiajie in the spring, you will experience the vibrant bustle. The mountains are so majestic that they seem to be able to accommodate all the excitement in the world, but this “noise” is even more the lightness and joy of spring.
At this time, Zhangjiajie looks like a vivid watercolor painting, with cherry blossoms, peach blossoms, and apricot blossoms blooming in the mountains, and the fragrance is overflowing, like a dream.
Traveling to Zhangjiajie in the summer brings you the rare coolness and tranquility. While other places are being scorched by the scorching sun and making people restless, Zhangjiajie is like a paradise forgotten by summer.
People can enjoy the coolness here, enjoy the spectacular sea of clouds and waterfalls, and feel the magic and tranquility of nature.
When you travel to Zhangjiajie in autumn, you will experience the profound charm. The green hills were dressed in red, and the scorching maple leaves set the hills ablaze.
The gentle breeze stirred, and ripples appeared in the silent mountains. It was the rustle of the wind blowing through the dense forest, the clear impact of the stream flowing over the stones, and the mischievous monkeys awakening the entire forest.
When you travel to Zhangjiajie in winter, you will experience the purity and ethereal nature.
When the sky is clear, the thick ice hanging in the sun shines with dazzling golden light, making Zhangjiajie even more tough and shocking.
The thin layer of white snow adds an ethereal feel to the tough mountains.
On a cloudy day, the clouds and mist are lingering, but even so, it is picturesque, as if Chinese landscape painting has come into reality, making people intoxicated.
Zhangjiajie
Behind the miraculous craftsmanship is Youye
When it comes to the essence of Zhangjiajie, it is almost captured by Wulingyuan.
Golden Whip Creek
Golden Whip Creek, this winding stream, is undoubtedly the brightest pearl in Wulingyuan and is known as “one of the most beautiful canyons on earth.”
Walking forward from the entrance of Zhangjiajie Forest Park, you can see the entrance only 300 meters away.
The stone peaks on both sides are steep and beautiful, full of green, like screens inlaid with jasper, looking at each other silently for thousands of years.
The Golden Whip Stream is a touch of agility in this lingering world. It turns thousands of times, is gentle and lively.
Between this quiet world, Golden Whip Stream is like a beauty hidden in a boudoir, sometimes as gentle as water, sometimes as cheerful as dancing.
Colorful pebbles and vegetation falling into the water are intertwined, giving the stream colorful colors. In the gentle stream, small fish and tadpoles are playing in it, enjoying the gentle caress.
At the fault of the pile of rocks, the Golden Whip Creek shows its lively side again, with white waves dotting the body of this beauty like pearls and jade.
As the pace goes deeper, the trees become more and more lush, blocking out the sky and the sun, as if this land and water have become a fairyland on earth.
Shili Gallery
The five-kilometer-long Shili Gallery is well-deserved. Although it is not a gallery, it is more colorful than any gallery.
When you first enter the scenic spot, you will be shocked by the mountains of different shapes. They are either towering into the clouds or low and stretching, as if they are works of art carefully carved by nature.
Walking around, you feel as if you are immersed in a series of ink paintings, which is amazing.
If you want to better appreciate the beautiful scenery of Shili Gallery, taking a small train is undoubtedly an excellent choice.
The small train travels through the mist-shrouded green water and green mountains, making people feel like they are in an isolated paradise.
As the clouds and mists change, the mountain peaks are looming, making people forget to leave.
Yuanjiajie
Yuanjiajie, this pearl embedded in the core scenic spot of Wulingyuan, has attracted much attention because of its unique natural scenery.
The suspended mountain “Hallelujah Mountain” in the movie “Avatar” was filmed here, making Yuanjiajie known as the “Pandora World” in reality.
Here, you can see towering and slender rock pillars scattered in the valley, with various shapes and endless changes.
These rock pillars have provided endless inspiration for magical movies like Avatar.
Mountain peaks stand tall, looming in the mist, like mirages.
Walking on the edge of the cliff, you can feel the majestic momentum of these peaks up close, as if you are in a fairyland.
Yangjiajie
Yangjiajie is composed of three small scenic spots: Xiangzhi Creek, Longquan Gorge, and Hundred Monkey Valley. The most famous one is Longquan Waterfall, “the most amazing waterfall in the world”.
Compared with other scenic spots, Yangjiajie was developed later, which makes it present a more primitive natural scenery.
Although it is similar to Tianzi Mountain, Suoxiyu and other places in terms of geology, landforms and some peaks, Yangjiajie has its own unique features. It is like a beauty who has been raised in a boudoir and has become famous all over the world just after she emerged.
Zhangjiajie
Behind the fairyland on earth is magic
When it comes to the wonders, dangers and steepness of Zhangjiajie, Tianmen Mountain is undoubtedly the best among them.
Tianmen Cave, synonymous with this wonder, is not only the highest natural mountain cave in the world, but also the most proud attraction of Tianmen Mountain.
It stands on the top of a cliff of more than 1,300 meters, with a height of 131.5 meters, a width of 57 meters and a depth of 60 meters.
Tianmen Cave is shrouded in clouds and mist all year round, just like a fairyland, with flying rock swallows and circling mountain eagles, which makes people marvel.
What’s more amazing is the unpredictable clouds and mist. Sometimes the cave is filled with clouds and mist, sometimes it’s as clear as a mirror. Every second is full of endless charm.
The sense of natural participation in Tianmen Mountain does not come gradually, but instantly brings you into a primitive hanging garden.
Take the Tianmen Mountain Cableway and jump out from the hustle and bustle of modern cities into the embrace of green.
The 7,455-meter-long ropeway journey has an altitude difference of up to 1,277 meters. It seems to make you transform into a fairy in the mountains, soaring in the clouds and mist, and appreciating the surrounding peaks. This wonderful experience can only be deeply experienced in Zhangjiajie.
Tianmen Mountain Ghost Valley Plank Road is a plank road that stands entirely on a cliff with a total length of 1,600 meters and an average altitude of 1,400 meters.
Standing on the plank road, there is an abyss beneath your feet. For the brave, this is undoubtedly a challenge and enjoyment.
Amidst the clouds and mist, you can have a panoramic view of the beautiful scenery of heaven and earth, which makes people intoxicated.
Tongtian Avenue, you can feel its steepness from its name. This is a winding mountain road located in Tianmenshan National Forest Park in Zhangjiajie. It is less than 11 kilometers long, but its altitude rises sharply from 200 meters to more than 1,200 meters. It has a total of 99 bends. It is known as the best highway wonder in the world.
Every turn is a test of the driver’s courage and a visual feast for the passengers.
Bailong Elevator, as “the world’s tallest, fastest running elevator with the largest load capacity”, has been recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records.
It closely connects many major scenic spots such as Jinbian Creek, Yuanjiajie, and Tianzi Mountain. It only takes 2 minutes to reach it by taking the ladder, which originally took several hours of walking. Its rapid running speed gives people the illusion of taking off on the spot, bringing an unprecedented experience to tourists.
If you love a fresh way to travel, then walking on the trails of Zhangjiajie, breathing the fresh air and feeling the charm of nature will be your best choice.
If you are after magnificent scenery, then the sea of rolling clouds and mountain peaks will surely meet your expectations.
If you like fantasy filters, Zhangjiajie is tailor-made for you, making every moment of your life picturesque.
Zhangjiajie is a magical place full of strangeness, danger and steepness. No matter who you are, you can find your own fun and surprises here.