Classic Zhangjiajie Landscapes (6)
Shedaogou Tour Route: After touring the upper reaches of Jinbian Stream, enter Shedaogou on the left. Originating in Yuanjiajie and flowing into Jinbian Stream at Zicaotan, it is 7.5 km long. Named for the ancient Tujia people who practiced slash-and-burn farming here, it is a V-shaped gorge known for its wildness, with steep cliffs and murmuring streams.
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.
Shedaogou Tour Route
After touring the upper reaches of Jinbian Stream, enter the Shedaogou tour route on the left. Shedaogou originates from Yuanjiajie and flows into Jinbian Stream at Zicao Pool, with a total length of 7.5 kilometers. Shedaogou is named because ancient Tujia ancestors used knives to slash-and-burn here and plant corn. It is a gorge, V-shaped, known for its wildness. The stone walls on both banks of Shedaogou are steep, streams murmur within the gorge, goats and barking deer frequently appear in the woods, and macaques occasionally hang on the cliffs. The main scenic spots on the Shedaogou tour route include: Hollow Heart Pool, Leaning Tower, Five Generals Paying Homage to the Marshal, Hundred Birds Paradise, and Heaven-Hung White Silk.
[Hollow Heart Pool] This is the first scene upon entering Shedaogou. Several springs rush and collide among red and white scattered rocks, forming a clear spring reflecting the sun and moon, with surrounding fantastic peaks reaching into the clouds. Standing by the pool, visitors can see the reflection of the surrounding fantastic peaks and the circular sky in the pool's center, with wisps of white clouds occasionally drifting across, hence the name 'Hollow Heart Pool.'
[Leaning Tower] Seven hundred meters north of Zicao Pool, a stone pillar leans beside the pool, with sparse green leaves around. Its reflection in the pool is clear and serene.
[Five Generals Paying Homage to the Marshal] Five hundred twenty meters north of the Leaning Tower, five stone peaks stand side by side, as if paying homage to a majestic giant peak resembling a marshal.
[Small Heaven Gate] Located 800 meters north of the Five Generals Paying Homage to the Marshal viewing platform. A stone wall over 200 meters high has an upper part split in a splayed shape like a gate, with the opening 20 meters high and 2 meters wide at the bottom. Through the gate opening, the sky and sun are visible, along with faint mountain ridges and lush trees.
[Hundred Birds Paradise] Three hundred fifty meters north along Small Heaven Gate is a dry oasis, with Huangshizhai as a screen in front and Yuanjiajie as a barrier behind, making it warm like spring all year round, with green grass, verdant moss, dense forests, and abundant flowers—a habitat for hundreds of birds. Every year from the winter solstice to the beginning of spring, bamboo partridges, golden pheasants, white-necked crows, lovebirds, woodpeckers, long-tailed pheasants, thrushes, and orioles gather here to spend the winter.
[Moon Pass] It is a mountain pass at the junction of Zhangjiajie Park and Yangjiajie, named because the pass resembles a crescent moon. At the pass is a 20-square-meter platform, with neatly laid stone slabs and stone benches arranged in a circle. Sitting on the stone benches, one can see elegant peaks and green trees.
[Heaven-Hung White Silk] On the cliff at the junction of Shedaogou and Yuanjiajie, a waterfall flows from a cliff cave, hanging high like a piece of white silk. It is over 200 meters high, with little water in normal times. In midsummer when rain is abundant, the waterfall rushes straight down to the stone ledge below the wall, sounding like muffled thunder, shaking the valley. After rain clears, rainbows often fly out from the pool.