Zhangjiajie Six-Day Tour | Four Wonders of Zhangjiajie | Ten Marvels
There are always a few times a year when you get lucky and have a five or six-day long holiday. When such a good thing happens, you can take a good rest and have fun. The best rest is to take a trip to Zhangjiajie. The Four Wonders of Zhangjiajie: sound, moon, shadow, light. Marvelous mountains and waters, ancient town scenery. Wonder of Sound: When traveling in Shentang Bay in Zhangjiajie, you will find the bay is unfathomably deep and mysterious. Even more amazing is that as soon as a person approaches the bay...
A few times a year, you get lucky enough to enjoy a long five- or six-day holiday. When such a good thing comes along, you can take a proper rest and have some fun. And the best kind of rest is a trip to Zhangjiajie.
Zhangjiajie's Four Wonders: sound, moon, shadow, and light. Wondrous mountains and waters, and the scenery of an ancient town.
Wondrous Sound: When traveling at Shentang Bay in Zhangjiajie, you'll find the bay bottomlessly deep and shrouded in mystery. Even more astonishing is that as soon as a person approaches the edge of the bay, the faint sounds of gongs, drums, and the cries of men and horses seem to rise around your ears, as if thousands of troops were locked in fierce battle.
Wondrous Moon: Every year during the mid-month of the lunar calendar in spring and summer, at eight or nine o'clock in the evening after a long spell of rain has just cleared, the full moon seen at Moon Pass on Tianzi Mountain is red, like the rising sun in the morning—blood-red, giving off a red halo that bathes He Long Park, Shijiayan, and Shentang Bay in red light. This phenomenon can last for more than an hour.
Wondrous Shadow: If you travel upstream along the source of Golden Whip Stream, on a crisp autumn day with a clear sky, you'll be amazed to find that your shadow goes from one to two, and from two to three. As you move, the shadows follow—whether you go forward or back, run left or dart right, three shadows always follow you.
Wondrous Light: The vast West Sea is a peculiar stone forest world, with thousands of stone peaks. Between Shentang Bay and He Long Park stands a stone pillar 200 meters tall, and between the two stone peaks at its top is wedged a small stone. This magical stone and the stone peaks give off light once a year, shining like welding sparks, with radiance that can illuminate the whole Shentang Bay area.
Zhangjiajie's Ten Great Spectacles: 1. Divine Eagle Guarding the Whip, 2. Imperial Brush Peak, 3. Herb-Gathering Old Man, 4. Fairy Scattering Flowers, 5. General Rock, 6. Number One Bridge Under Heaven, 7. West Sea Stone Forest, 8. Divine Soldiers in Formation, 9. Fairy Looking in the Mirror (Baofeng Lake Scenic Area), 10. Sea-Calming Divine Needle (Yellow Dragon Cave Scenic Area)
Here's our recommended six-day tour of Zhangjiajie for visitors from other provinces:
Day 1: Departure city from another province --- Changsha
Changsha is the capital of Hunan Province, located in eastern Hunan on the lower reaches of the Xiang River. The urban area covers more than 350 square kilometers, with a population of 1.65 million. Changsha is also known as Xingsha. It is one of China's first batch of historical and cultural cities, and its tourism resources are characterized by historical sites. It is also the province's political, economic, and cultural center and its tourism hub.
Day 2: Changsha --- Zhangjiajie --- Golden Whip Stream --- Four Gates Surrounded by Water
After breakfast, take a tour bus from Changsha to Zhangjiajie. The distance from Changsha to Zhangjiajie is about 380 kilometers, and the highway is in good condition, so you can arrive in about three and a half hours.
At noon we arrive in Zhangjiajie city. After lunch, we set out on the first stop of the Zhangjiajie itinerary, Golden Whip Stream. It is named after Golden Whip Rock beside the stream and enjoys the reputation of being the most beautiful canyon in the world. Here you can see the rare lobster flower. Golden Whip Stream winds and turns, flowing with the mountains, with sheer cliffs on both banks and a profusion of rare flowers along the shores. Along the way you'll visit Guanyin Presenting a Child, Divine Eagle Guarding the Whip, Flower and Fruit Mountain, Water Curtain Cave, Wenxing Rock, and Leaping Fish Pool, and you can also take in a bird's-eye view of the peaks clustered along Golden Whip Stream.
After finishing Golden Whip Stream, you come to Four Gates Surrounded by Water, where four streams—Tonglongwei Stream, Tianzi Stream, and Kuangdong Stream—meet at four mountain gates, a place of beautiful scenery. Standing within it, you see water flowing among the mountains and people seeming to swim in the water—a truly unrivaled spectacle.
Day 3: Ten-Mile Gallery --- Bailong Elevator --- Tianzi Mountain --- He Long Park --- Yuanjiajie --- Number One Bridge Under Heaven
After breakfast, head to the beautiful Ten-Mile Gallery. The Ten-Mile Gallery is of course not a man-made painted gallery, but is named for the peaks on both sides of the canyon, which are arranged in picturesque disorder and, as the weather and light change, present scenery like a poem or painting. It really looks like a gallery of Chinese paintings.
Afterward, continue on to Tianzi Mountain. The name Tianzi Mountain comes from the Song Dynasty Tujia leader Xiang Dakun, who led an uprising here and called himself Heavenly King, and later died here as a martyr. When you take the cable car up the mountain to view the West Sea, a thousand peaks stand amid the clouds and mist, with layered ridges and strange shapes, giving a sense of majestic power.
Tianzi Mountain is located in the northeastern part of Wulingyuan. This scenic area runs from Shenzhen Pavilion in the east to General Rock in the west, winding for nearly 40 kilometers, with a total area of nearly 100 square kilometers.
After visiting, head to He Long Park. He Long Park was built in 1986 to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the birth of Marshal He Long, blending natural and cultural landscapes. It contains the largest bronze statue designed and cast in the past hundred years—the He Long bronze statue. Then we go to Yuanjiajie. Yuanjiajie is located at the northern foot of Shadao Valley and is one of the most concentrated scenic spots in Wulingyuan. Number One Bridge Under Heaven is a highlight of Wulingyuan. With nature's uncanny workmanship, a natural stone slab about 5 meters thick spans the air between two peaks, connecting the east and west peaks. Its height, span, and thrill are rare in the world, hence the name Number One Bridge Under Heaven. Afterward, go to ride the Bailong Elevator, the only one with three world records: the fastest passenger elevator in the world, the world's largest-capacity and tallest glass sightseeing elevator, and the world's highest elevator exposed outdoors.
Day 4: Yellow Dragon Cave --- Baofeng Lake --- Dragon King Cave
After breakfast, take a private car to China's first national park, Zhangjiajie. Zhangjiajie is located south of Wulingyuan District and became China's first national forest park in 1982. Zhangjiajie Park combines the grandeur of Mount Tai, the steepness of Mount Hua, the wonder of Mount Huang, and the beauty of Guilin. You can go deep into the heart of nature, breathe pure oxygen, and leave visitors with an impression of clarity, fragrance, greenery, freshness, and tranquility. Then continue to visit Yellow Dragon Cave, which enjoys the reputation of being China's best cave dwelling.
Baofeng Lake is a man-made lake with a dam 72 meters high. To tour the lake, you must climb 331 steps up to it, where emerald peaks are reflected in the water, a scene of natural delight.
Dragon King Cave is located 20 kilometers east of Zhangjiajie. It is an exceptionally large limestone karst cave, 380 million years old and one of China's oldest karst caves. The cave stretches for 15 kilometers and is densely covered with millions of stalactites, magnificent and breathtaking. Inside the cave, stalactites, stalagmites, stone columns, and stone flowers take various forms. The Dragon Palace Hall has four giant stalactite columns holding up a stretch of cave sky, known as the Dragon King Cave's sea-calming treasure pillars. The largest is 40 meters in circumference and 32 meters high, ranking among the world's greatest and already applying for a Guinness World Record.
Day 5: Tujia Folk Customs Park --- Tianmen Cave
After breakfast, head to Tujia Folk Customs Park. Most of the buildings in the park are of wood and stone structure, with carved beams and painted rafters, resplendent and golden, with upturned eaves and exquisite elegance. Representative structures include the Tusi Castle, Hand-Waving Hall, Tujia Mountain Village, and Rear Palace. Especially the Sky-Reaching Tower, built against the mountain, is magnificent, 48 meters tall, with nine levels and twelve stories, winding paths, and unique craftsmanship. Folk customs displays mainly include Tujia wedding customs, the Three Sewings, Nine Elders and Eighteen Craftsmen, as well as rare stones, root carvings, and precious cultural relics exhibitions.
In the afternoon, continue to Tianmen Mountain. Before going up Tianmen Mountain, you'll take a cable car ride of about 25 minutes. During the ride, because of the clouds and mist, the entire cable car is completely enveloped, as if the plane were bursting out of the clouds—the three-dimensional effect is especially good, and it really feels a bit like being an immortal.
On Tianmen Mountain there is Tianmen Cave. In March 2006, Russian fighter jets performed a flight through Tianmen Cave here, causing quite a sensation. Before going up to Tianmen Cave, you must first conquer 999 steps. After some effort, when you finally reach Tianmen Cave, you suddenly feel enlightened: you are on the mountain, yet still within the cave. From here you can also look down over the entire city of Zhangjiajie. After dinner, take a bus back from Zhangjiajie to Changsha.
Day 6: Changsha --- Tianxin Pavilion --- Yuelu Academy --- Mawangdui Museum --- Home
Tianxin Pavilion was first built in the Ming Dynasty, rebuilt during the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, destroyed in the Wenxi Fire of 1938, and rebuilt in 1983. Today Tianxin Pavilion has three stories, with a total height of 17.5 meters, green tiles and flying eaves, red beams and painted rafters, supported by 60 wooden columns, antique and uniquely shaped. After visiting, with full satisfaction and rich memories, we head to the airport and fly back to our lovely home.
Yuelu Academy is located at the eastern foot of Yuelu Mountain. It was founded in the ninth year of the Kaibao era of Emperor Taizu of the Northern Song Dynasty (976). In the eighth year of the Xiangfu era of Emperor Zhenzong (1015), the head of the academy, Zhou Shi, was renowned for his character and learning, and Emperor Zhenzong bestowed the name Yuelu Academy. The academy covers 25,000 square meters, with a building area of 7,030 square meters. Along the main axis are, in order, the Front Gate, Hexitai, the Main Gate, the Second Gate, the Lecture Hall, and the Imperial Library. To the left of the main buildings is the Confucian Temple, and to the right are Baiquan Pavilion and garden architecture, with dormitories on both sides of the main gate.
Mawangdui Museum is located on the north side of the Changsha-Liuyang Highway in the eastern suburbs of Changsha, about 4 kilometers from the city center. According to local gazetteers, it was the cemetery of the family of Ma Yin, King of Chu during the Five Dynasties period, hence the name Mawangdui. On the mound, there are two earthen tombs protruding to the east and west, about 20 meters apart. It resembles a horse saddle, so it is also called Saddle Mound. Three Western Han tombs are distributed on the mound. Among the three Han tombs, Tomb No. 2 is the tomb of Li Cang, Chancellor of the State of Changsha and Marquis of Dai in the early Han Dynasty; Tomb No. 1 is the tomb of Li Cang's wife; and Tomb No. 3 is the tomb of Li Cang's son. Tomb No. 1 is the largest, with the tomb pit 19.5 meters long from north to south, 17.8 meters wide from east to west, and 16 meters deep. At present, the pits of Tombs No. 1 and No. 2 have been filled in. The female corpse, plain gauze garment, and a large number of Western Han vessels and silk paintings and books unearthed from them are all preserved in the Hunan Provincial Museum. The pit of Tomb No. 3 has been consolidated and is open for visitors.
Sharing:
Zhangjiajie's weather is similar to Huangshan's, so there is no need to worry about lack of oxygen.
Unlike Huangshan, Zhangjiajie does not involve staying overnight on the mountain. Based on my trip in mid-July, it was very hot and I wore short sleeves the whole time, but at Tianmen Mountain it was a bit cold.
(3) Both Dragon King Cave and Yellow Dragon Cave are very beautiful and worth seeing. I suggest visiting both caves.
(4) Tianmen Mountain is 'awesome'—you must go, it is absolutely worth it. If you have the chance to go to Tianmen Mountain/Tianmen Cave, it is quite high, about 2,000-plus meters. When going up Tianmen Mountain, be sure to bring a jacket, because the humidity and mist there are very heavy.
(5) Zhangjiajie in autumn should be more beautiful than in summer, at least because the leaves change color.
(6) Other typical optional paid items:
(a) Charming Xiangxi Three-in-One (show + late-night snack + massage): 400 RMB. But massage is not recommended, because you can easily be cheated and extorted.
(b) Inserted Tianmen Mountain itinerary: 500 RMB. (If you have the chance, you must go, and you should actually go up Tianmen Mountain, not just look at Tianmen Cave.)