3. Zhangjiajie – Tian Men Shan & Tian Men Dong

We left Feng Huang in the morning of 14th April and proceeded to Zhangjiajie. The drive along the mountainous road was pleasant and we arrived at Zhangjiajie city about noon. Our programme in the afternoon was to visit Tian Men Shan and Tian Men Dong.  

Tian Men Shan, a famous mountain first recorded in the history of Zhangjiajie and has been revered as the “Soul of Zhangjiajie”. The mountain is located about 8km from the city and has an elevation of just over 1500m. The access to the summit of the mountain is by a cable car; its station is at the city itself. The cableway from the city to the summit is considered as the longest cableway in the world! It travels a distance of about 7,500m and a rise in height of about 1,800m. The ride from the city to the summit took about 20 minutes.

From the cable car, the views of Zhangjiajie landscapes, from the countryside terraces up to the numerous jagged mountains, were stupendous.

There are two stops along the way; the middle and the top stations. We went to the top station first to explore the summit. The hike along the trails on the side of cliffs at the top of the mountain was pleasant and exciting though it could really be frightening for those who are afraid of heights.   

Tian Men Cave

Tian Men Cave is at the lower cable car station. To reach the platform towards the cave, we came down by the shutter bus which went through the spiral road of about 10km long called Tongtian (Heaven-Linking) Avenue. From the cable car the view of this 99-bend winding road looked a dragon and was simply wondrous.

The cave is actually a gigantic through-hole in the mountain, about 130m high and 30m wide. It was reported that in promoting this cave, the authorities had four jet planes fly through the hole and they also had a rock climber climb the almost vertical cave walls.

The cave is accessible by climbing a flight of staircases with 999 steps. It was rather tiring climbing up and down the stairs. We all made it without much suffering.

4. Zhangjiajie National Forest Park – Huangshi Village & Jinbian Rivulet

The most notable geographic features of the Park are the pillar-like formations that are seen throughout the Park, They are the result of hundreds of years of erosion, These formations are a distinct hallmark of landscape of Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, and are depicted in many ancient Chinese paintings,

Our programme for today (15th April) was to visit Huangshi (Yellow Stone) Village and Jinbian (Golden Wipe) Rivulet.

Huangshi Village

We went up to Huangshi Village by cable car. With an altitude of 1,200m above sea level, the village offers the largest view-platform in Zhangjiajie. The miraculous and unique geographical landform and unparalleled natural landscape viewed from the Village are sights to behold. There is an old Chinese saying – “Never been to Huangshi Village, never been to Zhangjiajie”!

 Jinbian Rivulet

Jiubian Rivulet is located east of Zhangjiajie National Forest Park. The main characteristics lie in the remoteness of the winding paths, landscapes and constant changes in sceneries. It is a 7.5km long, winding across mountains, valleys. Along the stream there are numerous impressive sights and is often referred to as “The Natural Mural”.

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