Ticket prices, opening hours, and other details for this attraction may be adjusted according to season and policy. Before traveling, please refer to the latest official announcements from the scenic area.
Zhangjiajie Tusi City leans against Tianmen to the south and backs onto the Lishui River to the north. It was built after Qin Chunyi, the last hereditary tusi of Yongding, was granted the title of hereditary qianzong by the imperial court. It has a history of nearly three hundred years and is the only well-preserved ancient city in the southwestern region. Tusi City covers over 120 mu and integrates stilted building clusters and galleried corner-turning buildings into one, being the birthplace and gathering place of ancient Tujia civilization. The city preserves a large number of precious cultural relics and has long been known as the 'Forbidden City of the South.' In 2002, the architectural wonders 'Nine-Heaven Stilted Building' and 'Thousand-Person Maogusi' were both entered into the Guinness World Records. In 2003, it was listed as a national AAAA-level scenic area and a Zhangjiajie premium tourist route. It is a must-visit place for state leaders and art circles figures who come to inspect Zhangjiajie. After visiting Tusi City, many experts and scholars have exclaimed, 'Without visiting Tusi City, one cannot understand the Tujia people.'
Tujia Folk Customs Park is located within Zhangjiajie City, covering over 5 hectares. It is a large comprehensive tourism service enterprise integrating cultural landscape with natural scenery, combining tourism, artistic performances, rare exhibitions, accommodation, entertainment, and shopping. It mainly consists of functional areas such as Tujia architectural complexes, folk customs displays, artistic performances, guest rooms, dining, a large hunting ground, a rare botanical garden, and a root carving base. The buildings in the park are mostly of wood and stone structure, with carved beams and painted rafters, resplendent and magnificent, with flying eaves and upturned corners, exquisite and elegant. In April 2001, Premier Zhu Rongji of the State Council visited the park and gave it high praise. In September 2002, a thousand-person Maogusi dance performance with one thousand participants was held in the park and achieved complete success. The thousand-person Maogusi and the Nine-Heaven Stilted Building were simultaneously entered into the Guinness World Records. In January 2004, Tujia Folk Customs Park was rated as a national 4A-level tourist area (site).
Tujia Folk Customs Park mainly consists of Tujia architectural complexes, the essence of Tujia garden art, and a profound Tujia cultural heritage. It gathers the best of domestic Tujia art collections, displaying rare stones, root carvings, Tujia dripping-water beds, ancient stone and wood carvings, peach-blossom embroidery, daily life and production tools, as well as bronzes, jades, porcelains, and pottery. The park features wood and stone structures, carved beams and painted rafters, flying eaves and upturned corners, exquisite and elegant. Representative works include the Tusi Castle, the Hand-Waving Hall, and the Tujia Mountain Village. In particular, the Heavenly Building is built against the mountain, magnificent in momentum, with a height of 48 meters, nine levels and twelve stories, with winding paths and unique craftsmanship. Folk customs displays include Tujia wedding customs, headdresses and clothing, batik, brocade, silversmithing, stone masonry, and rare stone and root carving exhibitions, as well as a full program of authentic Tujia artistic performances, such as the Maogusi dance, bronze bell dance, hand-waving dance, and daliuzi performances that depict the primitive labor and life of the Tujia people. Watch a Maogusi dance and return to ancient times.
When touring Tujia Folk Customs Park, the first thing we see is the Tusi Castle. This castle has three gates: the Dragon Gate, the Central Gate, and the Phoenix Gate. The five large characters 'Tujia Folk Customs Park' above the central gate were inscribed by Buhe, former Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress.
Ahead is a unique structure with four pillars supporting an umbrella-shaped pillar. This is the Tujia sacrificial pillar. The four pillars respectively represent the 'Four Great Tusi Kings': King Qin Hou, Xiang Dakun, Tian Haohan, and Duke Peng. The white-bearded old man on the umbrella-shaped pillar is Niekelai, one of the Eight Great Kings of the Tujia people. They are all deities worshipped by the Tujia people.
The most distinctive dish in this antique-style restaurant, built entirely of wood, is the "Tujia Ten Great Bowls." Inside, there are upscale private rooms furnished to recreate the dining environment of the old Tujia chieftains: the chairs and tables are made of straw, while the bowls, chopsticks, and dishes are all made of wood. With such refined surroundings, the food need hardly be mentioned—a single meal in one of these rooms will leave you savoring the memory for a lifetime.
What is the "First Merit of the Southeast" inscribed on this archway? That's right—military merit. In the thirty-third year of the Jiajing reign of the Ming Dynasty (1555), Tujia soldiers answered the imperial call and marched to the southeastern coast, where they joined the government forces in putting down the Japanese pirates and won outstanding battle honors. The Tujia custom of celebrating the New Year early (Guo Gan Nian) originates from this.
This stone pillar is 12 meters tall and 1.2 meters in diameter. It took four strongmen every ounce of their strength to hold it up. Some say one of the strongmen is slacking off—see if you can spot him. Yes, that's him! The others are holding their breath and giving it their all, while he stands there with his mouth wide open, just pretending to make up the numbers! What is written on this pillar? Carved in Luban script are the words: "Gathering the essence of Wuling, carrying on Tujia customs." Sharp-eyed visitors will notice there is also a small figure on top of the pillar—it's a tiger, or more precisely a white tiger, the totem of the Tujia people. That is why this pillar is also called the Totem Pillar.
This building is 48 meters tall, with 9 tiers and 12 levels, divided into three tiers of heaven, three tiers of earth, and three tiers of water—hence the name "Nine Heavens." The entire building is constructed against the mountain in pure wood, without a single iron nail, and is currently the tallest stilted building (diaojiaolou) in the world. Someone once wrote of it: "Tier upon tier of towers, tier upon tier of sky; within the tower, visitors rival the immortals. If you wish to know the joy of this maze, climb with delight through the Nine Heavens."
Here you will find dripping-water beds, stone carvings, wood carvings, brocade weaving, cross-stitch embroidery, and embroidery, as well as jade, porcelain, pottery, and more—one could say it brings together the finest of Tujia art from across the country.
