This attraction introduction is compiled from historical materials in the "Zhangjiajie Tour Guide Network" (33519.com · Scenic Spots section). Ticket prices, opening hours, transportation, and contact information mentioned in the text may be outdated. Please refer to the latest official announcements from the scenic area before traveling; some content consists of historical background/cultural introductions and is for reference only.
Guantianshan Miao Village is located within Fenghuang, a national historical and cultural city. It adjoins National Highway 209 with extremely convenient transportation. Together with Qiliang Cave—the underground palace and one of the eight great scenic spots of Fenghuang Ancient Town—Ximen Gorge rafting, and "Love Valley" invested and rebuilt by cultural and artistic master Mr. Huang Yongyu, it lies on the same National Highway 209 line, at the central node of the golden tourism corridor from Zhangjiajie to Fenghuang Ancient Town. It is the best tourist destination for self-driving tours from Hunan, Hubei, Guizhou, and Chongqing, and for major travel agencies to add to their itineraries. It is the only location shooting site in Fenghuang for "Border Town," "Suppressing Bandits in Xiangxi," "Blood Drum," and "Bloody Xiangxi," as well as the location shooting site for many famous films and TV dramas such as "Past Events of Xiangxi," "Xiangxi Girl Xiaoxiao," and "Divine Gun and Bloody Hatred."
Guantianshan is a mysterious sacred mountain of the Miao people. The character "guan" in Guantianshan was written as "official" before Liberation—"official fields" were fields owned by the government, which of course were forcibly seized by the government at the time. The reason is that in a deep mountain gorge of Guantianshan there is a cliff, below which is a small cave just big enough for one person to squeeze into. It is said that in ancient times this cave was dry, with no water flowing out in any season, and the surrounding fields suffered drought every year, making life very hard for the local Miao people. One day, the Miao ancestor Panhu came to this place, saw the desolate scene, and entered the cave, staying inside for a day. When he came out, a spring of water as thick as a bowl's mouth flowed out. Panhu told all the villagers that he had asked the heavenly immortals to cast a spell in the cave, and this spring water would flow year-round, suitable for drinking and irrigating fields. Drinking it could strengthen the body and prolong life; irrigating fields with it could produce the finest rice. But he warned everyone that if any mortal were to step into the cave thereafter, it would defile the immortal spirit within, causing the spring to dry up, and the person who entered would contract a strange disease incurable for life. Therefore, later generations called this cave the "Immortal Cave" and designated it a Miao sacred forbidden area, forbidding anyone from stepping inside. Even bandits dared not enter. So this spring has flowed to this day (elders say that during the Cultural Revolution someone secretly entered the cave but dared not go deep; after coming out he said it could hold over a thousand people and described it as big enough to show films inside).
Guantianshan Miao Village has a patch of ancient forest and a pile of strange rocks, which is one of the location shooting sites for "Bloody Xiangxi." You may remember a scene where Commander Suo persuades Suisui to kiss Sun Huzi, who is about to go to the battlefield—it was filmed right here. The trees growing here are all several hundred years old. The Miao people believe all things have spirits and worship nature, with objects of worship including huge rocks (strange stones), rock caves, large trees, and mountain forests. That is why even places this close to the highway have not been noticeably damaged. Along your journey, you will rarely see trees of even this size elsewhere. In Miao legends, if a child's fate is too strong for the parents to suppress, the child will be frail and sickly, prone to dying young. So they acknowledge the tree spirit as a parent, paste red paper shoes on the ancient tree with the child's birth date and eight characters written on them, believing that under the tree spirit's care the child will grow up easily.
Primitive and ancient here: a Heart-Linking Bridge connecting the friendship between Miao and Han brothers; a hundred earthen-brick houses preserving a century-old architectural style, with no commercial atmosphere whatsoever. The Miao people here are simple and honest: warm and sincere, earning unanimous praise from visitors. The culture here is mysterious: it has the most primitive Miao culture—Liangcai (in Miao language); and Xiangxi's most primitive, most mysterious, and most terrifying shamanistic culture of "corpse-driving" and "gu-poisoning." Unique features here: convenient transportation, yet it remains the most complete and primitive earthen-stone wall architectural complex, where every home connects to the next and every household links together, resisting a millennium of Xiangxi banditry. Full of legends here: it is a mysterious place of Fenghuang, with "immortal" underground mountain spring water irrigating rice fields, and is the only base in Xiangxi producing "tribute rice."
Everyone living in Guantianshan is Miao people born and raised in Fenghuang. The Miao people here are clever and skillful, able to sing and dance, carrying on the fine traditions and ancient ethnic culture of the Miao. The Miao are a very hospitable people. When rare or honored guests come to the Miao village, often the whole village turns out, welcoming them with Miao etiquette of gate-blocking songs, gate-blocking wine, and gate-blocking drums with singing and dancing.
