Zhangjiajie Independent Travel

Zhangjiajie Independent Travel

As people's demands for life improve, an economical yet no-less-fun travel concept has taken root in people's hearts: independent travel. I hope that friends who come to Zhangjiajie for independent travel will find that my thousand-fold effort can bring back your hundred-percent satisfaction. Zhangjiajie's "three thousand wondrous peaks, eight hundred beautiful waters" cannot be described in just a few simple words—you must experience the beauty of nature yourself and get to know the four major scenic areas of China's first national forest park.

Many tourists like to ask about routes in advance and want a specific route plan. Actually, that's the travel agency's way—fixed routes for rigid touring. What we independent travelers pursue is a kind of freedom. Routes should also be planned according to the visitor's specific time and physical condition. Everyone has different preferences and different points of interest in scenery, so the attractions they want to visit are naturally different. Therefore, I think routes should be flexible rather than fixed. Here I'll send visitors a map so you can study it yourself.

As distant guests step into the secluded forest path, a gentle spring breeze drifts by, leaves sway and dance lightly on their branches, sounding a melody for this stretch of green. Looking down over the cliff, peaks dot the landscape, crisscrossing in every direction, similar in form everywhere—this is nature's own maze.---Zhangjiajie. Passing through the secluded forest path, breaking through the three Wulong passes, crossing the iron-chain suspension bridge, climbing the cliffside sky ladder, standing at the very top of the precipice, the sky is a vast blue, and everyone gathers on a platform called "Tianbo Lookout" gazing down together—what can you hear? Only wave after wave of resonance and admiration...... It is the sunlight that gives this green its brilliance; it is the clear breeze that gives this green its dazzle; it is the red flowers that give this green its adornment; it is the dark night that brings this green its elegance. Guests have enjoyed the daytime and entered the night. Zhangjiajie's night is very dark and very quiet—so dark you cannot see your hand in front of your face, so quiet you can hear the breathing of the air. The longing for beautiful nature, the infatuation with that magical Zhangjiajie—it moved me. I am proud to be a Tujia person from Zhangjiajie..... Guests watch over Lover's Valley, stroll along Soul-Enchanting Terrace, wander around Grand View Terrace, linger at Shentang Bay. Each place displays its own wonders, each place has peaks and ridges in a thousand postures. What fascinates them is that stretch of green; what attracts them is that immortal mountain. At this moment, one can imagine how many mountains and rivers they have crossed to come to this southern pearl, Zhangjiajie—for what? Isn't it to confirm the original appearance of this immortal mountain from 380 million years ago? Isn't it to see the wonder of stones adorned with green? Isn't it to recognize the natural scenery rated AAAA-level by the state?

Visitors who have been to Zhangjiajie will surely feel they've seen it somewhere when watching Avatar—yes, that is Zhangjiajie with its three thousand wondrous peaks and eight hundred beautiful waters. Not long ago there was even a dispute about where the floating mountains in Avatar were filmed. It was later confirmed by CCTV News to be from Zhangjiajie. Zhangjiajie has four distinct seasons, and at every moment it can bring you a visual impact in a different posture. I think saying too much is not as good as posting some photos for everyone to feel. Let's make a comparison between the real fairyland and the one in Avatar.

Hello everyone! Thank you! For everyone's clicks. I will introduce Zhangjiajie's situation to you: The seat of Zhangjiajie City was originally named Dayong. On May 18, 1988, the state approved the establishment of prefecture-level Dayong City; because the name "Dayong" was far less well-known than Zhangjiajie, China's first national forest park within its jurisdiction, on April 4, 1994, the State Council approved the renaming of Dayong City to Zhangjiajie City. The city administers two districts, Yongding and Wulingyuan, and two counties, Cili and Sangzhi. In 2008 the total population was 1,639,500, with a total area of 9,563 square kilometers. The city government is located in Yongding District, 390 kilometers from the provincial capital Changsha and 300 kilometers from the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River.

Zhangjiajie, according to legend, was named after Zhang Liang, the Marquis of Liu in the Han Dynasty, who lived in seclusion here. In the 1950s, the local government established a state-owned forest farm in Zhangjiajie. In the late 1970s, Zhangjiajie's rare quartz sandstone peak forest wonder was discovered by the world and developed. On September 25, 1982, the State Planning Commission issued a document naming the forest farm's area "Zhangjiajie Forest Park." Zhangjiajie became China's first national forest park. The Wulingyuan scenic area of Zhangjiajie City has a total area of 369 square kilometers and a total population of 50,000 as of 2008, of which 75% are Tujia. The Wulingyuan Scenic Area includes: Yangjiajie Scenic Area, Tianzi Mountain, Yuanjiajie, and Zhangjiajie National Forest Park—four major scenic areas. Tickets, eco-friendly buses, and insurance total 248 RMB. Zhangjiajie Scenic Area is mainly composed of quartz sandstone peak forests and belongs to karst landforms. Three thousand wondrous peaks, eight hundred beautiful waters. It has been praised by domestic and foreign tourists as "a fairyland on earth, a paradise away from the world," "the number one wondrous mountain under heaven," "the representative of mountains, the model of mountains, the spirit of mountains," "an enlarged bonsai, a reduced fairyland," and "the original of Chinese landscape painting." Towering steep stone peaks, perilously sheer and deep gorges, lush and vigorous pine forests, gently flowing emerald-clear streams, rich and varied living creatures, unpredictable clouds and mist... all are rare. It combines wondrous peaks, grotesque rocks, secluded gorges, emerald waters, and verdant forests in one, and embraces majesty, wonder, beauty, seclusion, and wildness in one, so once it emerged from its boudoir it won the favor of the world, successively becoming China's first national forest park, national scenic area, world natural heritage, and world geological park.

Zhangjiajie is located at the source of the Lishui River in the northwest of Hunan Province, in the hinterland of the Wuling Mountains, between the uplifted area of the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau and the subsidence area of Dongting Lake. It is both affected by the uplift and constrained by the subsidence, plus intense surface water cutting and extremely developed karst landforms, forming today's natural wonders of great height differences, numerous wondrous peaks, towering rocks, and crisscrossing streams and valleys. After Mr. Wu Guanzhong, a painter, discovered this magical land at the end of 1979, Zhangjiajie's fame spread widely, and it has now become a large-scale, rare comprehensive top-grade tourist destination in the country integrating mountain touring, cave exploring, leisurely touring, rafting, and ethnic customs performances.

Zhangjiajie's Tujia cuisine has strong ethnic characteristics and also blends the essence of Hunan cuisine. Spiciness is a feature of Hunan cuisine, and Tujia cuisine is no exception. Besides spiciness, Tujia people are especially fond of smoked, sour, and pickled foods, with unique flavors. Specialty dishes include smoked pig head, "New Year reunion dish," blood tofu, hezha, sour fish meat, loach burrowing into tofu, black chicken gastrodia soup, etc.; flavor snacks include shefan, pig blood porridge, etc. In addition, don't miss the recommended dishes below.

Zhangjiajie's specialties are the Three Treasures (kudzu root powder, fern root powder, rock ear) and one marvel (eucommia tea). In addition, wild kiwi fruit is also very delicious; Sangzhi salted dried tofu was a tribute in the Qing Dynasty, so you might as well try it; you can also buy some Tujia-flavored "Spicy Girl Spicy Cured" series foods to take home. As for souvenirs, you can selectively buy some tortoise-shell stones, Tujia paste paintings, Tujia brocade, etc. They can be seen in specialty stores and stalls in scenic areas and the city, but pay attention to identifying quality and bargaining boldly.

Zhangjiajie's hotels and guesthouses of all sizes are mainly distributed in the following three areas: Suoxiyu, the city area, and the forest park, among which Suoxiyu and the city area have the most, followed by the forest park. In addition, if you want to savor Zhangjiajie's "original of landscape painting" in detail, the farm stays in the scenic area are also worth considering.

Independent travel, travel freedom, happy freedom.