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 Ticket prices, opening hours, transportation, and contact information mentioned in the text may be outdated.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.
When traveling to Wulingyuan, one cannot miss Yangjiajie. The Yangjiajie Scenic Area is located in the northwest corner of Zhangjiajie, adjacent to Tianzi Mountain to the north, and stretches across Zhonghu Township at the western end of Wulingyuan District. It consists of three small scenic areas: Xiangzhi Stream, Longquan Gorge, and Baihou Valley, with a total area of 3,400 hectares and over 200 essential scenic spots. Within the scenic area, more than 1,000 quartz sandstone peak forests of various postures rise from the ground, with the highest reaching 400 meters. The waters are also distinctive, with the beautiful and magical Longquan Waterfall cascading like mist from a cliff over a hundred meters high down to a U-shaped valley bottom, hailed as "the finest waterfall under heaven." The area is rich in flora and fauna, with thousands of macaques scattered across cliffs and valleys, tens of thousands of egrets gathering in Baihe Ping, and rare five-colored flowers, night-blooming flowers, and the king of cliff vines, forming spectacular botanical and zoological wonders that dazzle the eyes.
We set out from Huangshi Village, and along a newly built road, we soon entered a mountain path. Although the summer sun in the south is scorching and the heat oppressive, as soon as we stepped in, it felt as if we had suddenly fallen into a cool world. Here, emerald peaks pierce the sky, springs flow everywhere, and the surrounding ridges are covered with lush, dense forests. The air is fresh, birds chirp in the woods, giving a sense of stillness enlivened by movement and coolness amidst the greenery.
Although the mountain path was winding and difficult, we climbed step by step with joyful hearts. Standing at the summit and gazing far, we saw strange peaks arrayed all around and jagged rocks. Up close, on the sheer cliffs, peculiar pines squeezed out from rock crevices, growing lush and vigorous. Following the guide's finger, we saw a waterfall plunging down a steep wall ahead. Standing before the waterfall, fine mist splashed and cool breezes brushed our clothes. Looking at the pool below, moss spread like weaving, the clear water revealed the bottom, fish were countable, green waves rippled, and the reflections of the mountains appeared, as if traveling within a painting.
Passing through Zongbao Bay and descending along the Sisters' Pool, we followed a valley out and arrived at a scenic area called Baihe Ping. Baihe Ping gets its name because egrets often perch on the mountain peaks and tree branches. The guide said that the best times to watch egrets at Baihe Ping are early morning and late afternoon. In the morning, as the mist first lifts, the egrets call to each other, preparing to leave their nests. In the evening, the egrets fly back in flocks. Baihe Ping is an endless expanse of green. It is the central point of the Yangjiajie Scenic Area. Here there are over 110 scenic spots, including uniquely shaped peaks and perilous cliffs, as well as streams and waterfalls that flow like jade; there is the "Crooked Mouth Rock" where bandits once hid, the peculiar and hard-to-climb "Ghost Sorrows Fortress," and many other spots like "Horseshoe Rock," "Ape's Climbing Sorrow," "Tianbo Mansion," and "Sisters' Bay" that leave visitors marveling. The pristine natural scenery is unique, not Zhangjiajie yet surpassing Zhangjiajie.
Yangjiajie not only has strange mountains and waters but also numerous exotic flowers and plants, adding luster to the Wulingyuan Scenic Area. In the upper reaches of the Liucui Stream in the Yangjiajie Scenic Area, there grows a rare flower called the "five-colored flower." It changes color five times a day, from morning to night, shifting from white to red, purple, yellow, and black in sequence. When we arrived, it was the blooming season of the "five-colored flower," and we saw clusters of brilliant blossoms and vast expanses of flowering trees that dazzled the eyes. The "five-colored flower" is a rare flower in the world, with a peculiar shape and beautiful form, generally 3 to 5 meters tall, with 12 blossoms per branch. Its delicate beauty, lively charm, and fragrant scent make visitors linger.
According to legend, during the Northern Song Dynasty, the Yang family generals, while suppressing the Xiang King's son, camped and set up fortifications at Tianzi Mountain. Later, due to prolonged warfare, the Yang family multiplied here, making this place "Yangjiajie." Today, Yangjiajie still preserves the "Yang Family Genealogy" and the Yang family ancestral tombs from the Ming and Qing dynasties, as well as place names like "Liulang Bay," "Qilang Bay," "Zongbao Bay," and "Tianbo Mansion." Therefore, touring Yangjiajie not only allows one to enjoy the pristine natural scenery but also to trace the footsteps of the Yang family's "loyal and heroic household" and inherit and carry forward the legacy of patriotic loyalty.
Within Yangjiajie, there are thousands of peculiar peaks, crisscrossing streams and ravines, springs and waterfalls everywhere, and deep, serene pools. It combines the viewing characteristics of looking up at Zhangjiajie and overlooking from Tianzi Mountain. The animal and plant resources are also very rich. Thousands of macaques are scattered in the cliffs and valleys, and tens of thousands of egrets gather in Baiheping. In the dense mountains and forests, the strange five-colored flowers, night-closing flowers, and the king of cliff vines are found everywhere.
Xiangzhi Stream
Formerly named Xiangzi Stream, it is said that the Xiang King's son buried gold and silver boxes here, hence the name. Located in the eastern part of the Yangjiajie Scenic Area. A stream winds through the middle, with towering peak forests on both banks. Along the way are 35 scenic spots, with Wulong Fortress, One Step to Heaven, and the Sky Corridor being the most peculiar.
Wulong Fortress
At an elevation of 1,122 meters, bandits occupied this place from the late Qing Dynasty to the Republic of China era, leaving 27 stone steps, and on the fortress are remnants such as a solitary suspended ladder and bandit lairs.
Baihe Ping
It is an important open scenic area in Yangjiajie, with a total route of 8 kilometers. Entering the scenic area, there is Baihe Ping with about a hundred households. Behind the houses, countless egrets gather on two breast-shaped hills, their fluffy white contrasting with the pure green. Strangely, for thousands of years, these egrets have lived in harmony with the villagers below the mountain, increasing daily to over ten thousand, becoming the top wonder of Yangjiajie today.
Five-Colored Flower Tree
The bark is light gray-green, smooth, and sheds in blocks; the leaves are flat-boat shaped; the tree height varies from several meters. It blooms in early April each year, with a flowering period of half a month, and bears no fruit. From morning to night, the flowers are white, red, purple, yellow, and black, surrounded by 12 petals, with a fragrant scent that refreshes the heart—this is the fourth great wonder of Yangjiajie. The five-colored flower tree prefers warm, humid, and fertile acidic soil, so it is difficult to survive when transplanted elsewhere, let alone bloom.
One Step to Heaven
From the Wulang Worshipping Buddha scenic spot, following the mountain ridge out of the forest and heading east for 500 meters, a peak stands tall on the ridge at an elevation of 1,130 meters. There are 32 iron steps to reach the summit. The summit is flat, 5 meters long and 4 meters wide, enclosed by iron railings. On the platform are over 20 gnarled pines, either standing atop or hanging upside down on the cliffs. Looking east from the platform, seven screen peaks are clearly layered. To the southeast, Huangshi Village and Longfeng can be seen.
Dumb. The peaks to the southwest are nearby, with lush trees; to the west, overlooking the direction of Zhonghu, the scenery has multiple layers, with the first layer being two prismatic low flat stone pillars, the second layer three stone peaks, one of which looks like a person holding a child, the child rubbing its eyes with hands, the middle one like a pair of lovers embracing, and another like a large barrier. To the south, a stone peak is larger at the top and smaller at the bottom, resembling a mallet.
King of Cliff Vines
In Wild Man Valley, a stone wall about 100 meters high has an ancient vine growing at its base, with a diameter of 93 centimeters. The roots are anchored at the bottom of the stone wall, and the vine stems extend upward clinging to the wall. The lower section has lush branches and leaves, covering an area of over 300 square meters on the stone wall. According to expert research, the vine is several years old, with a rare form.
Sky Corridor
The Sky Corridor starts from the Immortals' Banquet scenic spot, winding down along a stone path for about 200 meters, where a huge peak splits at its midsection, allowing people to walk through. It is 300 meters long and 0.1-1 meter wide. The south side is a sheer cliff with no visible bottom. The north side has a stone wall 50 meters high, with no top visible when looking up. Walking inside is like being in an aerial corridor. In the corridor, gnarled pines hang on cliffs, clouds fly past, and mountain winds howl. To the east, south, and southwest of the corridor, peaks stand like forests, some like city walls, some like fortresses, each presenting wonders.
Tianbo Mansion
Located below Wulong Fortress. There are 10 stone walls, all standing relatively parallel, of varying heights, with a magnificent momentum resembling the ruins of an ancient marquis or general's mansion, as if this place was originally the Tianbo Mansion of the Yang family generals.
Sky Garden
"There are households deep in the white clouds." On this platform surrounded by cliffs on three sides and embraced by strange peaks, lifted into the air by a massive mountain body, there are dozens of acres of rice fields and over ten households, like a paradise. One can imagine how fragrant and delicious the rice and vegetables grown in this place with green trees, birdsong, flowers, and no pollution would be! If one could live in seclusion here, farming and weaving, how carefree it would be! I once stayed there. In the morning, it felt as if the whole person "melted" into the isolated pastoral scenery, occasionally hearing a crisp rooster's crow, echoing off the stone walls and through the valley, incredibly beautiful. In the Sky Garden, watching the sunset in the evening and counting stars at night, that sweet and leisurely feeling is truly only comprehensible, not expressible.
Longquan Waterfall
At the end of Longquan Stream, a cliff over a hundred meters high has spring water cascading down, drifting like mist to the valley bottom, forming a waterfall. The waterfall is 80 meters high, 5 meters wide at the top and 15 meters at the bottom. On the left, at a 55-meter-high cliff, three sections of strange rocks protrude from the stone wall, and the spring water falls on them, creating mist and dense water vapor.
Transportation
1. Take a bus from the city bus station (next to the train station) to the Forest Park ticket gate, enter from the Forest Park entrance, walk along Golden Whip Stream to the Thousand-Mile Meeting, then turn onto the Luanchuan Slope up to the Back Garden, then hike along the trail or road to the First Bridge parking lot, take the eco-bus to Wulong Fortress parking lot, and climb Wulong Fortress or One Step to Heaven to tour the Yangjiajie Scenic Area;
2. For the first part, same as above, walk to Zicao Pool (still some distance from the Thousand-Mile Meeting), turn onto Shadao Ditch to the mountain road, then transfer to the eco-bus to Wulong Fortress;
3. Walk to the Thousand-Mile Meeting and continue forward to Water Surrounding Four Gates, transfer to the eco-bus to the lower station of Bailong Elevator, take the elevator up to Yuanjiajie, then transfer to the eco-bus to Wulong Fortress.
4. From Yuanjiajie and Tianzi Mountain, you can take the eco-bus to Yangjiajie. Yuanjiajie and Tianzi Mountain can be reached from the Wulingyuan ticket gate (buses from the city bus station go to Wulingyuan) by taking the cable car or Bailong Elevator.
