Touring Zhangjiajie, the World's Most Spectacular Mountain
Zhangjiajie has always been a place I wanted to visit, known as 'the world's most spectacular mountain,' 'three thousand peaks, eight hundred streams,' 'an enlarged bonsai, a miniature fairyland,' and 'the original Chinese landscape painting.' The first stop was Huangshizhai. As the saying goes, 'Without climbing Huangshizhai, you haven't truly visited Zhangjiajie,' showing its importance. Huangshizhai sea of clouds...
This article is compiled from the original travel notes on the "Zhangjiajie Tour Guide Network" (33519.com); it is a record of trips from earlier years. Time-sensitive information such as ticket prices, schedules, and accommodation prices is subject to the latest announcements from scenic areas and transportation authorities; the itinerary ideas and attraction introductions still have reference value.
Zhangjiajie is a place I've always wanted to visit, because it holds titles such as 'The World's Number One Wonder Mountain,' 'Three Thousand Strange Peaks, Eight Hundred Beautiful Waters,' 'An Enlarged Potted Landscape, a Miniature Fairyland,' and 'The Original of Chinese Landscape Painting.'
The first stop on our itinerary was Huangshizhai. As the saying goes, 'If you don't climb Huangshizhai, your trip to Zhangjiajie is in vain' — which shows the status Huangshizhai holds in Zhangjiajie. Huangshizhai is 1,092 meters above sea level. We took the cable car up the mountain, surrounded by sheer cliffs, with many viewing platforms extending from the lush greenery. From the summit viewing platform, strange peaks and bizarre rocks fill your eyes. What impressed me most about Huangshizhai was a circular viewing platform at the top that juts outward and hangs half in midair, called 'Star-Picking Platform.' This is a circular stone peak over 1,000 meters high, flat on top and suspended below, thrilling at every turn. Such a marvelous midair viewing platform is the largest of its kind in the Zhangjiajie scenic area. Tourists who step onto this platform can gaze far into the distance at the wondrous spectacle of thousands of mountains and rivers.
After touring Huangshizhai, we entered the Golden Whip Stream scenic area. On both sides of Golden Whip Stream, thousands of peaks tower into the clouds, with dense trees blocking out the sun; mountain waterfalls and streams flow with emerald waters and purple pools, clear and translucent, winding and twisting. That's why it's called 'The World's Most Beautiful Canyon' and 'The Most Poetic Stream.'
We strolled along Golden Whip Stream. At the starting point stands a tall, towering, and truly spectacular Golden Whip Rock, like a guardian of the stream. Beside it is a peak that closely resembles an eagle; this spot is called 'Divine Eagle Guarding the Golden Whip' and is a landmark attraction of Golden Whip Stream. Former Premier Li Peng once inscribed: 'Wuling's supreme realm — famed for its peaks, admired for its pines, and distinguished for its valleys.'
Afterward, we took the cableway to Tianzi Mountain scenic area. Tianzi Peak is 1,256 meters above sea level and is hailed as a virgin natural landscape of 'beauty unmatched under heaven, its heights unknown to man.' It is composed of one sky bridge, two heavenly pools, three ancient temples, four heavenly gates, five flying springs, six painting galleries, seven scenic areas, and eighty-four natural viewing platforms, combining the bizarre, steep, elegant, secluded, and wild into one. Those stone forests in a thousand postures — some stand like spears, swords, and halberds piercing the sky, others charge forward like thousands of troops and horses. Looking down from Tianzi Mountain, it's like a giant natural potted landscape, with strange peaks scattered, streams and ravines crisscrossing, jagged rocks, and bewildering cave heavens, instantly giving rise to the boundless heroic feeling of 'On the mountain with no mountain above, I alone am supreme.'
On Tianzi Mountain there is a 'Helong Park,' named by former President Jiang Zemin, built to commemorate Marshal Helong. Marshal Helong was born in Sangzhi County, which is near Tianzi Mountain. In the park there is a bronze statue of Marshal Helong, 6.5 meters tall and weighing over 9 tons. Looking closely at the bronze statue, he wears a military uniform, full of heroic bearing, his gaze like a torch, the large pipe that accompanied his earth-shaking exploits held tightly in his hand, and the great white horse that neighs toward the sky nestles at his knee, displaying the invincible martial majesty of a hero.
On the west side of Helong Park there is a viewing spot called 'Point-General Terrace.' Looking down at the stone pillars from here, the peaks stand in serried ranks, clad in armor and bearing swords, like a group of generals standing at attention ready to march. Legend has it that King Xiang Tian reviewed his troops here before sending them out to rebel against the imperial court, hence the name 'Point-General Terrace.' The famous attraction 'Imperial Brush Peak' is recognized as one of the landmark scenic spots here. Looking into the distance, three stone peaks stand tall and vigorous, pointing straight to the sky, closely resembling a row of writing brushes inserted upside down. Legend says these were the brushes used by King Xiang Tian, leaving us in awe and evoking a special feeling.
I have visited every famous mountain of the 'Five Great Peaks,' and I've also been to Mount Lu and Mount Huang, but when I came to Zhangjiajie, I found that it seems to concentrate the steepness of Mount Hua, the seclusion of Mount Heng, the elegance of Mount Lu, and the ruggedness of Mount Huang. Its slopes are steep — steep with sheer cliffs and bottomless abysses; its valleys are secluded — secluded with quiet depth and serene beauty; its mountains are elegant — elegant with clouds and mist shrouding lush greenery; its peaks are rugged — rugged with a thousand postures and ever-changing scenery.
Zhangjiajie is like a giant natural sculpture garden, presenting one heart-stirring work after another to people. These are all frozen in my heart like richly colored scroll paintings. No wonder the Tang Dynasty poet Li Bai once sighed: 'When the work is done, brush off your robes and go, returning to Wulingyuan.'