Zhangjiajie Travelogue
I decided to go to Zhangjiajie after much comparison. Before going I began gathering online introductions and guides, and did thorough preparation. Seeing those picturesque photos and travelers' vivid descriptions of Zhangjiajie's beauty, I could no longer hold back my urge to go to this "earthly paradise," and set the dates for September 8–13.
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.
Going to Zhangjiajie was decided after much comparison. Before going, I started gathering introductions and guides online and had already done sufficient preparatory work. Seeing those picturesque photos and the vivid descriptions of Zhangjiajie's beauty by travelers, I could hardly contain my excitement to go to this 'earthly paradise.' I set the dates for September 8 to September 13, five days in total. The approach we took was basically independent travel: buy round-trip air tickets, then for the three days in Zhangjiajie find a local guide to fully arrange food, lodging, transportation, and sightseeing. 470 yuan per person for three days (the 6th to the 9th).
First, I bought tickets through a travel agency at a 45% discount (Beijing-Zhangjiajie-Beijing) for 1,700.00 yuan (Hainan Airlines; both legs were delayed 1.5 hours—not recommended). On the 5th, my husband and I flew to Zhangjiajie. We had booked the hotel in advance through E-Long. The flight was delayed 1.5 hours, and I was worried the hotel driver wouldn't come to pick us up. But as soon as we walked out of the airport, we saw a very energetic young man holding a large sign with our names waiting there. We were especially happy. After a 15-minute drive we reached the city. We quickly completed the formalities at the hotel front desk and went to our reserved king room. It was very clean, and the bathroom window was transparent—very fun, perfect for a couple.
The following is the itinerary of our Zhangjiajie trip. I hope it helps friends who go in the future:
Items brought:
Food: dried tofu (3 bags), ham (1 bag; my husband doesn't eat it), beef jerky (3 bags of Bangbangwa), hand-torn beef (2 bags of Bangbangwa), chocolate, 1 bag of biscuits, lemon tea (15 small packets), water bottles (2) (absolutely the right choice).
Medicine: diarrhea medicine, waterproof band-aids, cold medicine, mosquito repellent, 5 bottles of Huoxiang Zhengqi Shui.
Others: ID card, camera (Nikon 8 megapixels), iPod MP4 (2 sets of earphones), tissues (bring more; the quality in the mountains is very poor and I didn't dare use them), wet wipes, umbrella, change of clothes (basically one set per day), hiking shoes, quick-dry towel, backpack, toiletries, sunscreen (SPF 30+).
All preparations were about complete. Next is our actual action:
September 8, Sunday, cloudy
A good night's sleep. After getting up, I boiled water and made a bottle of tea (mine) and a bottle of lemon tea (my husband's). After breakfast we went downstairs. We had arranged to meet Guide Wang at eight. The rest of the time was according to his arrangements: three days touring the forest park. In Beijing I had spoken with him by phone and knew his rough plan (although netizens recommended him, I still didn't quite trust it). In the morning we went to the front desk to check out, and at a glance saw a dark-skinned boy with big eyes smiling shyly at us. Only after asking did we learn that this Tujia boy was our guide for this trip. I couldn't help feeling this trip should be pretty good. Also with us was a junior college student (surnamed Dai; over the next few days I kept calling him Xiao Dai), who had come from Wuhan and was only 20—oh, time urges people to grow old, and the young keep emerging. Then we walked 5 minutes to the bus station and took a 40-minute bus ride (Guide Wang bought the tickets) to the entrance of the forest park. My husband and I prepaid 300×2=600 yuan in fees. Guide Wang bought tickets at 248 yuan per person, including free entry and exit to the park for 2 days and unlimited rides on the sightseeing buses between scenic areas.
Seeing the mountains from the entrance was breathtaking. I hurried to take photos. We entered with our tickets, and at the gate we even had to scan fingerprints! Guide Wang is a local and doesn't need a ticket, so he went in early to wait for us. Entering the gate, it was indeed completely different from outside. Not to mention the fresh air—one independent peak after another rose straight up, layer upon layer without end, like a fairyland! We first came to Laomowan and saw many monkeys freely jumping around on the mountain. Guide Wang told me I could feed them. Those monkeys were already used to tourists and weren't afraid at all. I bought a pack of biscuits, and they came down one after another to snatch and eat. There was also a tiny monkey in its mother's arms, staring at me with big eyes. After feeding them, my husband and I started taking photos. Guide Chen smiled and said the scenery ahead was even more charming. We walked on and came to Huangshizhai. Guide Wang said the scenery there was average—it was just famous because it was developed early. But once inside, there were advertisements everywhere saying, 'If you don't go to Huangshizhai, you've wasted your trip to Zhangjiajie.' Thinking it over, we decided to go anyway. If Guide Wang had tricked us, wouldn't we have wasted our trip to Zhangjiajie? Even now I still feel embarrassed thinking about it (Guide Wang was sincerely kind, but we were judging him with petty minds). The four of us climbed the steps of Huangshizhai. I had only climbed about 100 steps when I felt something was wrong—it was exhausting. I asked Guide Wang about the afternoon plan. Whoosh—I immediately decided to take the cable car, arranged to meet on the mountain, and completely ignored my husband's disdainful look as I happily went down. I even forgot to take my husband's backpack. When I got to the cable car, I was shocked—so many people! I shamelessly cut in line to the middle and got dirty looks from several people. I pretended not to see. I queued and queued, inching forward bit by bit. To pass the time I ate a corn cob and a grilled sausage. Finally, after 1.5 hours, I reached the cable car. Fifteen people squeezed in together, and 3 minutes later we were at the top. Along the way I saw what seemed to be South Heaven Pillar. The mountain was very unique, lush and green everywhere. Just after getting off the cable car, I got a call from my husband. The three guys had already climbed 4,878 steps and gone up before me. I trotted over to 'Liuqi Pagoda' and went up to the third floor. I saw my husband looking like he'd been pulled out of water, covered in sweat, his jeans already turned into shorts (apparently Guide Wang used a piece of clothing as cover, and my husband changed on the way up—I don't know if he exposed anything). Standing high and looking out, the peaks rose and fell, layer upon layer—very stunning. But on this point my husband and I disagreed. I thought Huangshizhai's scenery was quite ordinary compared to what came later, while he felt that after the difficult and boring climb (4,878 steps—I admire my own cleverness even more for giving up in time), the sudden openness and beautiful scenery made it worthwhile. As for how it really is, friends can experience it themselves and compare. But during the wait for the cable car you need plenty of patience—it's very annoying. I asked the staff, and from April to October it's like this every day. I heard the longest wait was 4 hours. Strongly recommend avoiding the May 1 to October 1 golden weeks, otherwise all you'll do is queue, which really affects your mood. We stayed on the mountain for about an hour, went to Zhaixing Terrace for the view and photos, drank water, ate beef jerky, and replenished some energy. Going down, my husband chose the cable car (86 round trip, 48 up, 38 down). Guide Wang bought the ticket for my husband, so he could go down for free. I think Zhangjiajie does this very well. Their official guides are far from meeting demand, so there are many local guides. As long as they bring guests, they can enjoy all the park facilities for free. This indirectly saves us money too; otherwise the cost would be passed on to us. Going down there wasn't a long queue—30 minutes and we were down. The Xiao Dai mentioned earlier chose to walk down and arranged to meet at the entrance. In the end, before we even got down, he had already called from the entrance. I really admire him—the younger generation is formidable! (7,756 steps up and down in 3.5 hours!!!)
In the afternoon we toured Golden Whip Stream, a 7.5-kilometer-long grand canyon. On both sides were rare flowers and grasses, ancient towering trees, grotesque rocks in myriad shapes, and clear, icy stream water murmuring along the walkway. What a deep forest path! Along the way, spots like Guanyin Presenting a Child, Golden Whip Rock, and Two Turtles Exploring the Stream were even more varied and vivid. At the halfway point of Golden Whip Stream, 'Meeting After a Thousand Miles,' we began climbing toward Yuanjiajie along 'Luanchuan Slope' (about 3,200 steps). Two hours later, panting like oxen, we finally reached the top. That night we stayed at 'Tujia Residence' in the Back Garden (a nice hotel—very clean rooms, private bathroom, TV, hot water; when traveling, these are enough). After dinner and a shower, we came out at night to look at the stars. In the mountains it gets especially dark at night, with silence all around, only the stars blinking and smiling at us...
August 7 (Monday), sunny turning cloudy
In the morning, a chorus of birdsong interrupted our deep, sweet dreams. At 8:00 we had breakfast (steamed buns, porridge, noodles; the buns were very sweet, the porridge hard to swallow—oh, I missed Northeast rice). At 8:30 we set off and took the eco-bus for about 25 minutes, getting off at a place with no road sign. Guide Wang told us we were going to Daguantai, Immortal Bridge, One Step Is Hard, Divine Chicken Feeding, and Tianzi Seat. This used to be a golden tour route. The walkways were well built, but later because the mountain hotels were demolished and moved outside the scenic area, tour groups could only stay outside, and the main ticket only allowed free entry and exit within two days, so they had no time to tour this side. Guide Wang considered things carefully and first took us to the place where we would stay, so we could drop our luggage and climb lightly. I quickly hung yesterday's clothes outside to dry so they wouldn't get moldy, haha. Then we took the eco-bus to Shentang Bay and got off. Following a winding path for about an hour, we came to Immortal Bridge. It's said to be 24 meters long, 2 meters wide at the widest, 1 meter at the narrowest, spanning the air like divine workmanship. For tourism safety, the passage to Immortal Bridge is enclosed with wire fencing. One Step Is Hard—ordinary people absolutely wouldn't dare go. Should we still try to walk over? I struggled in my mind for a long time, then slowly crossed the wire fence and climbed onto a huge rock. My husband was very nervous and told me to be careful. Haha, I scrambled over the huge rock with hands and feet and stepped onto Immortal Bridge, with a bottomless abyss below. My husband took photos of me. Only after returning did I see that he had shrunk me until I was almost unrecognizable, completely reduced to a human background embellishing the steepness of Immortal Bridge. Guide Wang told us the beautiful legend of Immortal Bridge: after Lü Dongbin walked over the bridge, he attained the Dao and became an immortal, riding clouds and mist away; after Chang'e walked over the bridge, she attained the Dao and became an immortal, riding the wind to the moon. So when it was my turn to stand by this bridge, what would it feel like? The answer: quite a bit like floating and wanting to become an immortal—I was reluctant to leave for a long time.
Coming out from Immortal Bridge, Guide Wang took us to 'One Step Is Hard.' Still the same kind of steps, birdsong and flowers along the way, winding paths leading to secluded spots. We had already lost all sense of direction. Without a guide leading us, we definitely would have gotten lost. We had also become familiar with Guide Wang; I was already calling him 'Xiao Wang.' The sunlight was plentiful. After walking for about an hour, we finally arrived. We saw a dangerous cliff split apart, with two huge rocks side by side. The front one was about 20 meters long and only 2 meters wide—an excellent viewing platform. But not everyone dares stand on it to take in the Tianzi style. Because a crack only 1 meter wide and 100 meters deep separates Mengpa, only the bold can step across. Most tourists stop at the edge. Hence the name 'One Step Is Hard.' Unfortunately, now this dangerous cliff has had iron grating firmly welded on. It's very safe, but you can only look down through the grating at the frightening deep cliff, bottomless at a glance. I wonder if this counts as damaging the scenery?
In the afternoon, we visited Yangjiajie. It is said that this place got its name because descendants of the Yang family generals of the Song Dynasty once lived here. Inside, the Wulong Village (Oolong Stronghold) occupies a strategically dangerous terrain; in the early days of Liberation, it was a bandit den, and the 'Three Ghost Gates' one must pass through are perilous beyond peril—it's truly hard to imagine how the PLA managed to defeat the bandits back then! At the end, the 'Tianbo Mansion' is an excellent viewing platform. Gazing into the distance, on one side are majestic peaks piercing the clouds in endless tiers, while on the other side is a peaceful rural scene with cooking smoke rising everywhere. Below, the 'Four City Walls' are incredibly lifelike, as if man-made... Around 16:00, we returned to Yuanjiajie and visited the No. 1 Bridge under Heaven, Mihun Terrace, the Back Garden, and other sights.)
Many people have been to Wulingyuan, but few know about Wulong Village.
Heading west from Xihai for several dozen kilometers, there is a small mountain path, lush with trees that block out the sky, and rarely trodden by people.
After advancing a few hundred meters, we slipped onto a small path at a quiet, secluded spot. Here the shrubs are dense and grotesque rocks stand in clusters. In the gloom, one feels a chill. After a few turns, a two-story wooden house appeared in the mountains, seemingly exquisite. Our guide Xiao Wang told us this was originally a bandit stronghold. The stronghold's environment is nice, but situated in a valley, how could it ensure its own safety? The people in the stronghold laughed and said: 'This is where we stay when we're relaxing. The real stronghold is on the mountain opposite!'
To the right of the wooden building is a sheer cliff and deep valley. A narrow stone path snakes along the cliff edge, and a stronghold gate blocks the path, with the three characters 'Wulong Village' inscribed above.
From the gate upward is a rather steep slope. Several dozen meters away is a cliffside platform, easily defended with just two or three guns. A few meters beyond is the first Ghost Gate of Wulong Village, 'One Step Is Hard to Take.' The path makes a sharp turn to the right, and a rock juts out abruptly. One must hug the rock face and slowly edge around; one careless move and you'd plunge off the cliff. With just one person guarding with a blade, no matter how many come, they'd be no match.
The path to continue forward quietly becomes less distinct. You squeeze through holes and around rocks—it seems like a path but isn't. A few meters ahead, you can't see anyone. Over a hundred meters of path, difficult and winding, requires bending down to climb. The second Ghost Gate, 'Who Can Not Bow Their Head,' blocks the way here.
A nearly vertical steep slope of almost a hundred meters; the stone path passes between two massive boulders, and one must turn sideways to slowly climb up. One man guarding the pass can hold off ten thousand. 'One Man Pass' is the third Ghost Gate. Wulong Village could stand for many years—its reputation was not unearned.
After several dozen meters of relatively gentle stone path, there's another stretch of slope, and a stronghold stands high up. Behind the stronghold, all four sides are sheer cliffs and deep chasms. Not far away, a solitary rock stands like a crane among the peaks—this is the hidden wonder, Tianbo Mansion. Crossing the swaying rope bridge and climbing to the top of Tianbo Mansion, all scenery unfolds before your eyes. Legend has it that a branch of the descendants of the Yang family generals drifted here, which is why many scenic spots have an inseparable connection to the Yang family generals.
Distant mountains and nearby valleys are spectacular and elegant, with vast open views of incredible breadth. Strange peaks and rocks, fine scenery formed by nature. Unlike other landscapes in Zhangjiajie, the stone forest here is arranged in orderly rows, patch by patch, like battle formations, like ranks of soldiers—extremely imposing.
Blazing a new trail, progressing layer by layer, touring Wulong Village lets you appreciate nature, culture, history, and legend. Experiencing the stronghold firsthand gives a deeper understanding of the banditry in Xiangxi and the history of bandit suppression. The enchanting scenery especially makes one linger and forget to return.
This scenic spot is truly worth visiting, but after such a long climb, my energy was greatly depleted, and my legs were weak. Guide Xiao Wang smiled and said to us: 'Beijing guides rely on their mouths; Zhangjiajie guides rely entirely on their two legs'... Hehe, thinking about it, that's really true. To enjoy the beautiful scenery, without considerable physical strength it's absolutely hard to manage. However, you can also choose to ride a sedan chair. Every time they saw us, many locals enthusiastically invited us to ride. If you refuse, they follow you and keep persuading you. I repeatedly asked them not to follow us, that we definitely wouldn't ride, and they actually replied that their motto is: 'Close personal tracking service—if you don't do it now, when you're tired later you definitely will.' So you must be very firm when refusing them.
After leaving Wulong Village, we went to the Sky Corridor. We were already very tired, but Guide Xiao Wang told us that since we'd already come to Wulong Village, it would be a great pity not to visit the Sky Corridor, as the scenery there is even more beautiful. We walked and walked, climbed and climbed, and after more than an hour, we finally arrived at the next spot, 'One Step to Heaven.' The name means that if you take one wrong step, you'll ascend to heaven. It's a viewing platform similar to Tianbo Mansion. We climbed up a nearly 90-degree ladder to the top, and suddenly the view opened up. The scenery at One Step to Heaven is no less than Tianbo Mansion—you can overlook the Yangjiajie peak forest. In the valley on the other side of the peak forest, several massive stone peaks stand close at hand.
That feeling was already beyond words. The sun was blazing overhead, yet suddenly a light rain began to fall—truly astonishing. Xiao Wang reminded us that we still had to go to the Sky Corridor and, worried we'd get rained on, suggested we not linger here. So we nervously climbed down the nearly vertical ladder and continued forward to take in another beautiful sight.
Starting from One Step to Heaven and continuing forward, we passed through an empty valley with stone walls on both sides. The echo effect here was excellent—our footsteps were amplified several times, reverberating through the mountains. But the weather didn't cooperate; the rain was falling harder and harder. We ran to a pavilion to take shelter, watching the dense rain, feeling the mountain breeze gently brush our faces, listening to the cicadas chirping incessantly. We were intoxicated in this valley and didn't want to leave. I quietly leaned on my husband's back, listening to him and Xiao Wang chat about their Tujia hero, the Heavenly King Xiang Dakun. Suddenly I felt dazed, as if I were about to melt into these great mountains...
The rain stopped after a while. The sky was azure blue, the leaves even greener after being washed by the rain, and the air was incredibly fresh. We were about to continue when suddenly I saw a rainbow hanging over the mountaintop—there were actually two! I was stunned. I hadn't seen a rainbow in so many years. It was so beautiful, quietly hanging in the sky. We shouted with joy, and in the empty mountains, only our excited cries could be heard.
With excitement in our hearts, we continued forward, seemingly forgetting our fatigue and ignoring the slippery ground beneath our feet, pressing on enthusiastically. We walked through a narrow valley between two peaks, along a corridor on the mountainside. The path was built on overhanging rock—actually not really a man-made path, just some handrails added to the overhanging rock. We walked on, and after about half an hour reached the end, arriving at the Sky Corridor—also called 'Even Monkeys Worry About Climbing.' It was empty and deserted, surrounded by abysses, with the weathered peak forest beneath our feet, each peak rising from the ground, piercing the clouds. To the right rear were terraced fields, neatly arranged, with a winding mountain road snaking through. That beauty was truly beyond words—I'm ashamed of how poor my language is. The four of us stood in mid-air, admiring this rare beauty. Time seemed to stand still...
We lingered at the mountaintop, reluctant to leave. As the sky gradually darkened, Guide Xiao Wang repeatedly urged us to return, and only then did we reluctantly go back the way we came.
Steps after steps—it was truly exhausting. We'd spent these two days climbing nothing but steps. The great mountains stood silently, watching the postures of visitors. Along the way, we hardly saw anyone—even the 'old immortal' selling herbs at the pavilion (as he called himself) had packed up and gone home. All we could hear were our heartbeats, our panting, the cicadas, and the rustling of ancient trees in the wind.
Actually, in terms of scenery alone, I think Yangjiajie indeed can't compare to the picturesque Xihai Peak Forest. But that great skill appearing clumsy—its unadorned simplicity, its majestic natural power, and its most precious quiet space—is truly rare among Zhangjiajie's scenic areas.
After walking for over an hour, we finally returned to our lodging, tired, hungry, and drenched in sweat. Xiao Wang hurriedly arranged for the innkeeper to serve us a meal, and we rushed in to shower. It was always the set meal: the three of us ate by ourselves—two meat dishes (shredded pork with hot peppers, shredded pork stir-fried with local fragrant herbs), one vegetable dish (omelet), and one soup, with unlimited rice as the staple. (The rice was truly terrible—the first day I took one bite and spat it out, but there was no other choice, wuwu. I miss the fragrance of Northeast rice.) Perhaps because I was especially hungry today, I actually ate two bowls of such terrible rice. MMs who want to lose weight by hiking can give up that hope, because you're tired, sweating profusely, so you're hungry—very hungry—so you can't help eating a lot, a whole lot.
Eating in Zhangjiajie is one word: expensive. This is aimed at tourists, and there's no way to avoid it. So the best approach is to let the guide arrange the meals—they're locals, each familiar with certain shops, so eating is relatively much cheaper than ordering on your own. For example: we felt we hadn't eaten enough and asked the innkeeper to add a dish—shredded pork with hot peppers again—and when the bill came it was actually 30 yuan. Guide Xiao Wang felt very guilty and asked why we hadn't gone to him. If he had arranged the extra dish with the innkeeper, it would have been at most 10-15 yuan. Also, eating in the mountains, there's very little variety, and hygiene conditions aren't very guaranteed, but you have no other choice—the overall conditions are just like that. I think Zhangjiajie really should reflect on these aspects. So the snacks we brought before leaving became absolute delicacies.
August 8 (Tuesday) Sunny
Today's visits were all places tour groups go—Shentang Bay, Dianjiang Terrace, Tianzi Mountain, He Long Park, Fairy Scattering Flowers, and other scenic spots. There were quite a lot of people. Though the scenery was nice, compared to yesterday, it lacked a sense of tranquility.
We set off at 8:00 AM, took the eco-bus for about 35 minutes, then got off to visit Shentang Bay:
Having spent these two days together from morning to night, Xiao Wang became more lively than before and told us many beautiful legends. Hence the saying: 'If you don't see Shentang Bay, you've wasted your trip to Tianzi Mountain.' Wulingyuan has two mysterious forbidden zones: one is the Black Fir Knoll on Huangshizhai, and the other is Shentang Bay on Tianzi Mountain. Shentang Bay is a natural barrel-shaped depression with an area of over ten hectares, surrounded by steep cliffs on all sides, and the bottom is unfathomably deep. On overcast and rainy days, one can faintly hear what sounds like gongs and drums, and the cries of men and neighing of horses from within the bay. People connected this phenomenon to the story of the Tujia hero King Xiang Tianzi, who after his defeat leaped into Shentang Bay with his men and horses. They say it's the unquiet spirits of King Xiang's soldiers that create these sounds of battle. Experts say it may be due to geomagnetic recording. Today there was no rain, so naturally we had no chance to hear the mysterious war drums of Shentang Bay, and Shentang Bay was just an ordinary viewing platform. The only thing worth recommending is a pine tree with a nice shape—using Shentang Bay as the background and highlighting the pine tree produces especially beautiful photos. And I finally couldn't resist the convention of putting on those gaudy Tujia red clothes, wearing a fake headdress, and carrying that basket, ready for a photo. I was still there posing prettily when my husband was already making vomiting gestures and even dared to call me a Tujia sister-in-law. This not only hurt my pride but also severely damaged my soul. I pinched him, hard, hard.
There were still very few people at Shentang Bay, and it was relatively quiet. When we came out, we actually saw a squirrel playing on the path twice, but by the time we got out our cameras, it had already run away. A fleeting glimpse, leaving some small regrets. From Shentang Bay, you can see He Long Park, and from afar you can hear the clamor of crowds. Xiao Wang told us there were many people over there, and even taking a photo required a long wait. I couldn't help feeling a bit irritated. When we reached the roadside, traffic was quite busy. We waited for several buses heading toward Tianzi Mountain but none had empty seats—it seemed there were indeed a lot of people!
Finally we arrived at Tianzi Mountain. Xiao Wang told us it was named after the local Tujia leader Xiang Dakun, who was acclaimed by the rebel army as 'King Tianzi.' Tianzi Mountain has a mesa landform—high in the middle, low on all sides—hence the broad views, long sightlines, clear layers, and majestic momentum. Viewing scenery at Tianzi Mountain feels different from Huangshizhai and Golden Whip Stream. At Huangshizhai, you sit facing the peaks, looking at them at eye level; at Golden Whip Stream, you are 'within the painting,' looking up at the peaks towering on both banks; but at Tianzi Mountain, you can look down upon the vast world with infinite pride. Tianzi Mountain has four great wonders: peak forest, sea of clouds, sunrise, and winter snow. Coming at this time, we could only enjoy the peak forest. He Long Park on Tianzi Mountain is the best spot to view the Xihai Peak Forest. The Xihai scenery is infinite, but alas, tourists are like weaving—at any moment someone shouts: 'Please step aside, I'm taking a photo.' It really made us lose the mood to enjoy the beauty. In our photos, numerous strangers finally appeared sharing the frame with me. Helpless, we once again couldn't resist the convention of paying 10 yuan per photo to leave my 'beautiful image' in the Xihai Peak Forest (hehe, my husband was about to make vomiting gestures again).
We took the path down the mountain via Tianzi Pavilion. Between He Long Park and Tianzi Pavilion there are two more scenic spots: Yubi Peak (Imperial Brush Peak) and Fairy Scattering Flowers—both are Zhangjiajie's signature attractions. Yubi Peak is recognized as the iconic scenic spot of Wulingyuan's sandstone peak forest scenery, constantly appearing in media and promotional materials at home and abroad—truly a wonder of the world. Originally, this was a miraculous work of nature's craftsmanship; scientifically speaking, it's the result of years of weathering, erosion, and cutting. But folk tradition links it to King Xiang Tianzi, saying that after King Xiang's martyrdom, his imperial brush turned into a stone peak, standing guard by Shentang Bay; while the 'brush holder' and 'brush rack' remained at Shuirao Simen. Pushing through the crowd, we squeezed to the front of Yubi Peak and looked and looked—we actually discovered that the image on the Zhangjiajie ticket was taken from this very spot. We quickly posed, then made a quick exit, as many people behind were waiting to take photos. We couldn't help feeling quite annoyed.
Retreating from the crowd, opposite Yubi Peak is another highlight of Tianzi Mountain, 'Fairy Presenting Flowers.' Looking carefully, among the lush green peaks, there is a protruding stone peak standing elegantly in the clouds, extremely charming in posture, with verdant shrubs on the rock top and wildflowers like brocade at the foot and middle of the mountain. The stone peak resembles a fairy holding a fresh flower in her hand. In front of the stone peak, there are 6-7 round, plump little mounds, looking exactly like clusters of flower baskets. Guide Xiao Wang told us that 'Fairy Presenting Flowers' has a distant, tragic legend. That year, their Tujia rebel leader King Xiang Tianzi was defeated by government troops and had to retreat with his remaining soldiers to Tianzi Mountain. A hundred thousand government troops pursued relentlessly. Eight hundred Tujia soldiers fought bloody battles for seven days and seven nights until they ran out of ammunition and food. Unwilling to be captured and humiliated, King Xiang Tianzi and his generals and soldiers, facing death unyieldingly, leaped into Shentang Bay. Long afterward, a Tujia maiden who had deeply loved King Xiang Tianzi crossed mountains and ridges to climb Tianzi Mountain, searching for the remains of King Xiang and his soldiers, but all she heard was the mournful mountain wind and the whispering streams. The maiden swallowed her tears, picked up a bamboo basket, and gathered mountain flowers from all over the hills. Calling out King Xiang Tianzi's name, she scattered flowers everywhere. She wanted to offer her love, her heart, to her beloved King Xiang. She scattered and scattered, and over time, the maiden was frozen by the years into a statue. She still holds the flower basket, full of tender affection...
They really know how to tug at heartstrings. After hearing this beautiful legend, I was almost moved to tears. I was leaning on my husband's shoulder, still immersed in Xiao Wang's heartfelt narration, carefully trying to enjoy the scenery, when suddenly the familiar, jarring sound of 'Please step aside, taking a photo' rang in my ears again, instantly pulling me back to reality. I had to give way, pulling my husband to retreat from the crowd once more. It really killed the mood...
We continued forward, and after about 10 meters we arrived at Tianzi Pavilion. But there were people everywhere, all seemingly crowding to touch some 'Fu' (fortune) character. There was a sign at the entrance that read: 'Those who can start from the threshold with eyes closed and feel their way to the Fu character are people of great fortune and nobility.' For one, I couldn't be bothered to squeeze in; for another, I don't believe in such things. So we didn't join the excitement—took a look and left.
If I had actually gone in, I don't know whether I'd have found fortune or misfortune. After returning from Zhangjiajie, when I was reading others' travel notes, I discovered that once someone touches the 'Fu' character at Tianzi Pavilion, they are invited by monks into an inner room for free fortune-telling. After a round of flattery, they'll say you have some minor calamities, and at that point it's impossible for the tourist to escape—they can only obediently write a sum in the donation book before them. The amounts in that donation book range from several hundred to over a thousand. If you dare not pay, then I truly admire your courage—but probably few would dare to try.
Today's itinerary should have been the most relaxing of these two and a half days, but it was also the most crowded, which directly affected our mood. After strolling around for a while, we decided to head down the mountain. We retraced our steps back to Grandpa He Long's bronze statue and paid our respects once more; I still greatly admire him. The morning's itinerary came to an end, and we took a bus back to the farmhouse where we were staying.
After lunch, we rested for a little while. With only one day left, we couldn't go to Fenghuang Ancient Town, which I had my heart set on, so we planned to visit Jiutian Cave and Maoyan River the next day. Xiao Wang told us that in Wulingyuan there were travel companies organizing trips to these two places, and it was best to stay nearby so we'd have plenty of time to enjoy them. So our group headed down the mountain, preparing to go to Wulingyuan. We had thought that after climbing mountains for two and a half days, we could finally relax completely, but who knew that going downhill would give us so much grief. These past few days of climbing had used up almost all our energy, and going downhill was sheer torture for us. My thighs and my backside hurt terribly, and I was almost cramping. We had to follow the path toward the Sky Corridor, all the way downhill, with very steep and still very slippery steps. We descended nervously, nearly slipping several times—it was truly terrifying. People kept passing us along the way, and Xiao Wang patiently accompanied us, encouraging us, and of course occasionally tricking us by saying we were almost there—so much so that when he told us we had really arrived after 2.5 hours, I didn't believe him. We hailed another yellow minivan, and 15 minutes later arrived at a hotel that finally had 24-hour hot water. The asking price was 150 yuan, so we sent Xiao Wang to negotiate and got it down to 100 yuan.
Xiao Wang's 3-day tour was over. Over these 2.5 days he had genuinely taken us to all the essential sights of Zhangjiajie, and we had built a good relationship with him. Now it was time to part, and we really felt reluctant to say goodbye. He reminded us of things to watch out for the next day and repeatedly told us he was free tomorrow, so if we needed anything after returning to Zhangjiajie we could contact him anytime. We agreed to try to have a Tujia hotpot together the next day (all these days he had been eating guide meals by himself and had never eaten with us; this is his contact number: 15974442570).
At 19:00 that evening, the organizer from that travel company came to the hotel. Many people signed up. The asking price for Jiutian Cave and Maoyan River rafting was 420 yuan per person, and after haggling for ages we only got it down to 366 yuan per person, not including lunch (I'd had enough of their food anyway). So we paid and agreed to meet at the entrance at 7:00 the next morning. Looking at the photos they posted of Maoyan River rafting, we were really looking forward to a pleasant day tomorrow that would bring this trip to a perfect end.
August 9, Sunny
At 7:00 AM we arrived at the hotel entrance on time. At 7:20 a few minibuses finally showed up, and the drivers started calling out. Everyone descended into chaos. We didn't see the person who had collected the money yesterday, so we just got on the bus first and asked the driver about our tickets, and were told we'd get them once we arrived. We were a bit afraid of being scammed. Soon the bus was full. In the morning we first went to Jiutian Cave, located in Lifuta Township, Sangzhi County, Zhangjiajie City, 80 kilometers from Zhangjiajie city. It gets its name because there are nine skylights connecting to the cave ceiling and the ground surface. Jiutian Cave is enormous. Inside, ancient tree fossils and other karst materials rarely seen in caves have been discovered—not only a rare natural landscape but also of extremely high scientific research value. Currently, the area proven accessible for touring is 250 hectares, and it is known as 'Asia's Largest Cave.' We were full of anticipation.
The whole way we crossed mountains and ridges, along winding mountain roads, passing village after village. The scenery along the way was quite ordinary, but these villages were truly dilapidated—some I felt should have been torn down, yet it was unimaginable that people still lived in them. I don't know how they manage to live. I think in the rural north it's hard to see such a widespread situation. To be honest, my mood was somewhat heavy. Along the way we also passed through He Long's hometown—Sangzhi County—equally run-down.
After the minibus drove for 2 hours, we finally arrived at Jiutian Cave. The entrance was quite ordinary. When we saw the ticket price was only 62 yuan, but the people collecting fees had quoted us 148 yuan, I had a vague feeling we'd been cheated. Soon three guides in Bai ethnic clothing came over and told everyone the tour would take 2 hours and there would be no toilet breaks, so everyone rushed to the restroom in a swarm. There we saw a very old granny with a face full of wrinkles standing there collecting money—50 cents per person. There was nothing to say; we paid and left.
I had once felt lucky to have escaped a trap at Tianzi Mountain by not touching the character for 'fortune,' but who knew that at Jiutian Cave I would have a moment of carelessness and nearly fall for something. As we walked to the cave entrance preparing to go down, the guide told everyone we could go burn incense—three sticks per person, free. I didn't think much of it at the time. I took the incense 'kindly' handed to me, and following the sound of their wooden fish, bowed three times and was about to leave, but then trouble finally came: a monk told me to go sit before the master, saying the master had a karmic connection with me. I still didn't realize anything was wrong. I turned around and saw my husband had also been led by another monk to another master. I felt relieved—my husband is very experienced, and if he accepted it, it should be fine. Then this master started spouting nonsense, saying how wonderful I was in this and that way. Before my pleased smile could fade, the master furrowed his brow and said I had a calamity that needed to be resolved by giving an offering. The classic scammer's face was about to be fully revealed. I was just about to hear what the master would say when I saw my husband already sternly criticizing the other master, then tossing down those three free incense sticks and pulling me away. I looked back and saw the surprised and disappointed faces of those masters. Heh, two fat sheep had just run away. Thanks to my husband, I escaped another trap.
It seems there really is no such thing as a free lunch in this world!
Then we went down into the cave. The guide said it was very cold down there, and everyone rushed over to rent clothes—5 yuan per piece. So many sheep! In no time, men, women, young and old were all wearing all kinds of outdated and bizarre clothing. My husband and I looked at each other and really didn't have the courage to wear clothes that hadn't been washed for who knows how long, so we just went down directly. The stairs were very steep and the steps very slippery. The cave has three levels—upper, middle, and lower—with the lower level more than 400 meters from the entrance. Inside there are 5 spiral viewing platforms, more than 30 large halls, 3 underground rivers with considerable drops, as well as natural bridges and Thousand Fields landscapes. We also saw those 9 cave openings. The more spectacular one was the underground forest; the other landscapes were really quite ordinary. The endless stairs severely tested my husband's and my limits. Even such a small 'goose tube' was one of their attractions—if the guide hadn't pointed it out, no one would have noticed it. Compared to Beijing's Shihua Cave, this place is far inferior. I really regretted choosing this attraction. We barely managed to finish looking and climbed countless more steps before finally returning to the surface. Down below we ran into many tourists bringing children to play. I thought that was especially bad—very dangerous. Safety is a hidden concern, and it's particularly unsuitable for children under 8. If you've never been to Guilin and never seen karst caves, you can go in and take a look—it's worth the 62 yuan. But if you're not very interested in caves, absolutely don't choose this; it's really not interesting. Several times I wanted to give up. Especially when leaving, I ran into a local auntie who told me that she and her daughter's tour fee for Jiutian Cave plus Maoyan River rafting was 380 yuan total. My eyes nearly popped out—the difference was just too big. Ours was 732 yuan. This was completely taking advantage of us. So unfair! Spending so much money for such poor scenery made me even more depressed.
We returned to the surface. Outside it was stiflingly hot. The driver had disappeared, only telling us that we'd depart at 13:30 to go to Maoyan River for rafting. At this time there were few tourists, and the guides also looked listless. My husband wandered around and came back to report on the dining situation here—no particularly clean restaurants, so he suggested we handle it ourselves, and he bought back 2 roasted corn cobs. I really didn't have the courage to eat that moldy-smelling rice again, so I took out the beef jerky and other snacks I had prepared earlier and started eating...
At 13:30, everyone got back on the bus and continued. The weather was very hot, but once the bus started moving, the breeze was quite pleasant. Still winding mountain roads, but compared to the dilapidated villages in the morning, the afternoon scenery was much better. Along the way it seemed we were heading upstream around the Lishui River basin. Looking out the window, Maoyan River was right below us—a jade-green river winding among the mountains, with cliffs and precipices on both banks. We were very excited. My husband and I kept snapping photos, looking down at Maoyan River. About an hour later, after passing several dams, we arrived at the rafting departure point.
No one was managing us, no one gave us tickets. I had to grab the driver, who told us to just go down. My husband and I had to leave our bags and hiking shoes on the bus, carry all our valuables on us, and rush down to buy straw sandals. Once again we experienced the price gap—a pair of straw sandals was 5 yuan (the guide told me they only cost 1-2 yuan). They knew you definitely had to buy them, so they refused to lower the price. I strongly suggest that friends going there just bring their own slippers. Then we saw enthusiastic local vendors pushing homemade water guns, water ladles, rubber bands, straw hats, disposable raincoats (which actually felt like wearing a large garbage bag). After fully arming ourselves, we finally got onto the rubber raft smoothly. I breathed a sigh of relief. Although it's called rafting, there are actually dedicated workers operating the rubber raft, with about 10 people per raft. The speed wasn't fast. Along the way, green mountains and clear waters, dangerous cliffs and strange rocks. We traveled through the great mountains, truly experiencing the mood of 'the monkeys on both banks call unceasingly, while my light boat has already passed ten thousand mountains.' When we hit rapids with many shoals, waves splashed in our faces, making everyone scream. Unfortunately, there were too few rafts, so the equipment we bought was useless. We didn't know each other well and were too polite to start a water fight, so we just kept snapping photos of the beautiful scenery.
Along the way, quaint and magical landscapes were everywhere. Maoyan River is known as a 'Hundred-Mile Gallery.' Its peaks turn and waters twist, full of poetic and picturesque charm. Rafting down Maoyan River on a rubber raft, you can enjoy the beautiful canyon scenery and also experience the thrilling rapids. Going downstream there are more than 30 scenic spots including 'Blood Gate Gorge,' 'Dongzi Workshop,' 'Maoyan Shoal,' 'Qinhou Cave,' 'Fishing Terrace,' 'Jia'er Gorge,' 'Huilong Pavilion,' and 'Shuidongzi Waterfall' (this is what the boatman told us). Among them, Yanhe Gorge is the most spectacular and dangerous scenery of Maoyan River, with cliffs on both banks reaching about 500 meters high, many shoals and deep pools, big waves and rushing water. Shuidongzi Waterfall is the most magnificent waterfall on Maoyan River. A stream of groundwater shoots out from a large cave 70 meters above, following the crevices of the slope and cliff, sometimes opening and sometimes closing, like shattered jade scattered across the mountain, like crushed ice sliding down, then cascading from the cliff, forming a giant waterfall tens of meters wide by the riverbank—extremely breathtaking. When we got here we were all stunned. The boatman skillfully brought the raft to shore, and we all climbed up and stayed for 10 minutes, everyone posing to blend themselves with the beautiful scenery...
Soon the boatman urged us back onto the raft. Earlier my husband and I had sat at the back and found it not thrilling enough, so this time we strongly requested to sit at the front. We had just passed
Shuidongzi Waterfall when there was a downhill section, and waves splashed over us. In an instant we were both soaked through. The waterproof phone pouches we had bought in advance finally came in handy—otherwise the losses would have been severe. Since we were already soaked, everyone dropped their reserve and grabbed water guns to start battling. No one was willing to be outdone, and the result was predictable.
The rafting lasted about 1 hour, and we came to the shore. We switched to a larger boat with many people together. This time the current was very calm, moving forward slowly. After about another hour, we reached the lower reaches, where the tour bus was waiting. My husband and I took off our straw sandals and put our own shoes back on. Soon the bus departed and took us into the city. We must have been close to the city, because about half an hour later, around 17:00, we arrived at the long-distance bus station. The Maoyan River rafting was over. Our flight back to Beijing was at 20:30, so we still had time. We called guide Xiao Wang, planning to invite him to eat the famous 'Tujia hotpot.'
After waiting less than 10 minutes, Xiao Wang arrived. He was off today and would take people into the mountains again the next day. We joked and wished him not to meet people like us who insisted on climbing Huangshizhai. Xiao Wang smiled honestly. He recommended we eat 'tie ban shao,' saying it was very popular in Zhangjiajie now. When I heard that, my eyes lit up—let's go! Xiao Wang said we needed to take a bus, and he led us onto a taxi. It was very clean and new. I thought it would be far, but before my husband and I had even exchanged a few words, we had arrived. The fare was 3 yuan—and this was a taxi! Thinking of Beijing's 10-yuan starting fare and 2 yuan per kilometer, I simply couldn't get used to such cheap prices. Heh, actually walking might have taken only 7-8 minutes. That's the convenience of a small city. Getting off, wow, so many little stalls lined up in a row—so lively. Xiao Wang took us to a stall said to be very good and we sat down. So this so-called 'tie ban shao' was just our barbecue skewers, except the owner grills them first, then puts them in a flat-bottomed pan, pours oil over them, and you can eat. I told them we were also going to eat 'Tujia hotpot' later, so they should order less. Before long, the lamb skewers, beef skewers, and tendon we ordered were grilled. The owner gave us a small plate of chives, and we ordered a plate of onions and grilled them together. Oh my, the flavor was amazing—the meat was very tender, mixed with onions and chives, plus a bit of cumin fragrance. So delicious. No wonder it's so popular. I decided not to go eat hotpot anymore. I was going to 'take the skewers to the end.'
Finally we finished eating. We said goodbye to Xiao Wang. He called a taxi for us and negotiated a price of 20 yuan to the airport. We waved reluctantly. Our pleasant trip had come to an end.