The mist glides across hundreds of towering, sandstone pillars topped by trees before plunging down into the green-swathed ravines below. A verbose description of Zhangjiajie's scenery will never quite do the place justice, perhaps this is why the area is such a popular filming and tourist destination. Lying on the border of Hunan, the main draw is the Wulingyuan Scenic Area, which was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1992 and is made up of the Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, Suoxi Valley, Tianzishan mountain ranges and Baofeng Hu. Avid hikers and nature lovers flock to Zhangjiajie explore the mountains, caves and forests of the area, enjoying one of China's most famed landscapes.
While Zhangjiajie is most known for its unusual sandstone pillars, its caves with their numerous stalactites, underground cataracts and rock formations are also impressive: Huanglongdong and Longwangdong are both worth a visit. The wildlife in the National Forest Park is one of the main draws: giant salamanders, rhesus monkeys and golden pheasants are among the usual suspects you might stumble upon. And if you are not the hiking type, access to many of the mountains and caves has been made easier with paved paths and even a new glass elevator that hoists you smoothly to the top of one of the peaks without you even breaking a sweat. Sixty percent of the city's 1.5 million person strong population are Tujia, Miao and Bai minorities–giving the area a unique cultural feel. Take some time to properly explore this unusual place, if for no other reason than to return home with the necessary "China scenic" photos.
History
Zhangjiajie city was originally named 'Dayong' and has historical records going back as far as 221 BC. The name Zhangjiajie was assigned in 1994 in order to draw attention to the area after being designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1992. The Zhangjiajie region covers an area of 91,563 square kilometers and is made up of two districts: Wulingyuan and Yongding, and two counties, Sangzhi and Cili. The region was at one time heavily under Korean influence, both because of investment and tourism, however, more recently, visitors are flocking in by the thousands from China and other Asian countries. International tourists are still in the minority.
Climate
Situated in the midst of the semitropical monsoon climate zone, Zhangjiajie has a moderate climate, lots of sunshine and enough rainfall to keep the vegetation gloriously green. After Kunming, Zhangjiajie is also called a "city of spring" due to its comfortable year-round temperatures, that hover around 16°C. The fog and heavy rain in July create a few snags for hikers and mountain climbers, so plan accordingly. While the winters get heavy snowfall, the park remains open. Although April and October are the best times to visit, Zhangjiajie is good all year round.
Zhangjaijie village is cheaper than staying in the city and is closer to the stuff that you want to see and do anyway—nature, outdoorsy activities. There are some budget places by the bus station, but, although it's not super cheap you won't have difficulty finding accommodations and there are a lot of hotels in the scenic area. Prices go up on weekends. The best place to stay is Minzu Shanzhuang with thatched roofs and Tujia-style wood rooms, some of which have balconies and views (250 RMB). Two other fairly up-market places are Xiangdian Shanzhuang (400 RMB) and Zhanghaijie Binguan (dorms 75 RMB, doubles 250-500 RMB). You might also try to find accommodation in the lesser known Suoxi Valley.
Hunan cuisine is known for its spicy flavors. If "stinky tofu" doesn't excite your taste buds, try lamb leg braised in soy sauce, spicy chicken, the salted meat of Tujia, salted fish from Tony Zu and Linwu duck.
The Tujia minority have excellent smoked meat dishes including smoked pork, salted lamb and salted beef. The pumpkin soup is a treat. If you have adventurous tastes, you will enjoy the variety of flavors with everything from pickled vegetables, sour fish and sour corn mash; rice tofu and spicy fish. Most of the restaurants are on Chongwen Lu or Tianmen Lu. The Hongge Restaurant, Philander Sister Restaurant, Red Lotus Tujia Special Flavor Restaurant and Yuanyuan Special Restaurant all serve up good local fare.
Getting Around
Bus
Zhangjiajie Bus Station is located at the end of Renmin Lu. Zhangjiajie Wulingyuan Scenic Area is 30 km (19 mi) from city area. Every half an hour, the daily pubic bus runs between the city and the scenic area. The trip takes an hour and costs 10 RMB/person.
Others
Tianzishan and Yangjiajie Environmentally-friendly car: 15 RMB/person
Ten-mile Corridor Sightseeing Tram: 23 RMB/person (one-way), 33 RMB/person (return)
Tianzishan Cableway: 52 RMB/person (one-way)
Bailong Elevator: 56 RMB/person
Huangshizhai Cableway: 48 RMB/person (one-way), 92 RMB/person (return)
To and from Zhangjiajie
Air
Zhangjiajie Lotus Airport lies in Lotus Village, Yongding District; 5 km (3 mi) from the city area. Currently Zhangjiajie Lotus Airport serves more than 20 domestic destinations; however, aside from Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Changsha, other cities don't have daily flights. And the flight timetable changes often so make sure to check flight times at a local ticket office.
Train
Zhangjiajie has a wide train network. It connects Beijing-Guangzhou railway via its Shi-Chang line. Now Zhangjiajie Railway Station serves more than 10 cities in China. Moreover, Zhangjiajie is the origin stop for trains heading Guangzhou and Changsha.
If you only want to visit Zhangjiajie, then don't take line N569 from Changsha to Zhangjiajie, because this line will pass places like Jishou and Huaihua in a roundabout way. If you want to see Phoenix ancient town, you can take this train and get off at Jishou station.
The Tujia woven baskets are a wise buy (RMB 20). Huilong Lu is the spot to find them or any of the markets. The local bamboo and wood hand crafts make for interesting souvenirs, if you can get them into your country. Fragrant tea products in the Wulingyuan area are quite good. Other local specialties include the gyrophora and Chinese gooseberry.
Tourism is big business in Zhangjiajie, millions of tourists flock to take in this small slice of natural paradise every year. As you'd expect, Chinese tourists are catered for quite nicely, but foreign travelers will probably find little of interest to see or do outside the obvious nature related stuff. Unless you fancy vocalizing to the synthesized stylings of Hotel California or Yesterday Once More at one of the many well-established KTV bars in either Zhangjiajie City or Village.
Festivals and Events
In the evening of the 25th day of the 6th lunar month the Bai minority peoples celebrate their Torch Festival. When night falls, the Bai will leave their houses, light torches and converge at a central meeting place where they will pray for their safety and health for the year to come. Other interesting festivals occur at different intervals throughout the year, the Tujia ethnic group celebrate the new year three times a year, in June, October and at the regular time as with the rest of China. Sometime at around the middle of February, unwed youths will begin courting rituals involving ear piercing, marriage proposals made by go-betweens and elaborate ceremonies concerned with cooking and furniture making.