Pay a Visit to Zhangjiajie

Zhangjiajie City is located on the northwestern border of Hunan Province. Covering an area of 9，516 square kilometers （about 3，674 square miles）， there are four areas under its governance： Yongding District and Wuling District， Cili County and Sangzhi County. The city enjoys subtropical moist mountain climate， thus for visitors it is an ideal place to spend ones holiday.

The city features a variety of different terrains including： mountainous regions， upland areas， plains， and Karst rock areas. Among these， the mountains cover 76 percent of the total area. The world famous natural heritage site‘Wulingyuan Scenic Area is located on the base of these great mountains. Areas worth visiting include Zhangjiajie National Forest Park （known as Chinas first national forest park）， Suoxiyu Nature Reserve， and Tianzi Mountain Nature Reserve. The scenic area hosts many natural features including： mountains， forests， caves， lakes and waterfalls and perhaps there are more than three thousand rock ridges and eight hundred ghylls. They enjoy the reputation of ‘Original Picture on Mountain and River of China. This wonderland is covered with dense forests and is considered Mother Natures Oxygen Bar.

One of the most interesting things to do here is the experience of drift- ing on the Maoyan River. The Maoyan River is the upper reach of the Li River in Yongding District. The length for drifting is 25 kilometers （about 16 miles） and the zigzags in the river offer an exhilarating ride. There are four wonders on the Maoyan River： Bangtou Spring， Jianxie （intermittent） Spring， Yan （salt） Spring and Pen Wu （spout mist） Cave. These scenic spots cover the river with a mysterious color. The most renowned scenic spot is the Shui Dongzi （water hollow） Waterfall. On the bank opposite the waterfall there are several huge rocks which provide a perfect natural observation platform. This is an ideal place for visitors to take photos.

Zhangjiajie National Forest Park

Zhangjiajie National Forest Park， set up in 1982， is the first authorized national forest park in China. The area covers 480 thousand square meters （185 square miles）. This park， together with Suoxi Valley Nature Reserve， Tianzi Mountain Nature Reserve and Yangjiajie Scenic Area make up the Wulingyuan Scenic and Historic Interest Area， also known as Zhangjiajie Scenic Spot. It is located 32 kilometers （19 miles） from urban Zhangjiajie.

Zhangjiajie National Forest Park has been described differently， such as， majestic， eccentric， tranquil， delicate and wild. The park features grotesque peaks， lucid brooks， abundant fauna and floras and hospitable climate. There are six main attraction spots and over 90 smaller ones in the park to date.

It belongs to the subtropical climate of Central Asia. Splendid mountains and luxuriant trees help form a favorable climate： warm in winter and cool in summer. The average tempera-ture is 13 C （55 F）， the highest 17 C （62 F ） while the lowest is 10 C （50 F） on average in winter. The charm of the park varies with the alternation of seasons; therefore， it attracts visitors all year round. Besides its pleasant climate， the environment and air quality also provide visitors a chance to breathe healthy air which is believed to be rich in negative oxygen. It is also believed that hypertension patient may have their blood pressure lowered if they stay in the park for a period of time. This is due to the fact that dust particles in the park are 88% lower and the air 10% mistier than outside.

About 98% of the area is covered with vegetation. There are 720 species of the 102 families， including all the five most important floras， namely， the rose family， pulse family， grass family， composite family and orchid family. Some of these trees are rare and regarded as national treasure. For example， the Dove tree， known as living fossil， can be traced back as early as the Fourth Ice Age. The great variety of plants in the park takes up 82% of all the flora families in Hunan Province.

Zhangjiajie National Forest Park also boasts a variety of animals. Exuberant forests offer them ideal habitats to live in and procreate their own species. There are more than 149 kinds of chordate animals inhabitants in this park. Among them， 28 kinds are under national protection， amongst which， are the Golden Pheasant， Rhesus Monkey， Giant Salamander and Musk Deer. Visitors will be able to hear birds singing and see monkeys playing in the tree.

Suoxi Valley Nature Reserve

The Suoxi Valley Nature Reserve is situated in the northeast section of the Wulingyuan Scenic and Historic Interest Area of Zhangjiajie in Hunan Province. Suoxi Valley， or Suoxiyu in Chinese， means a“foggy mountain village”in the local Tujia language， and refers to the distictive climatic feature of the scenic area. Additionally， Chinas largest karst cave is located here as well as a lake among the narrow gorges， and the roll-ing mountains of different shapes. Here are the most attractive spots：

Yellow Dragon Cave

Yellow Dragon Cave is praised as the “Allround Champion Karst Cave in the World”. With an area of about 10 hectares， a length of about 4.7 miles（7.5 kilometers） and a vertical height of about 460 feet （140 meters）， it is the largest karst cave in China. Inside are various kinds of stalactites， stalagmites， and stone columns. The best known site in the cave is the Dragon Palace， which consists of many unusual stones such as the Magic Cudgel. It is the tallest stone pillar in the cave and is more than 200，000 years old.

Baofeng Lake

Surrounded by steep peaks， Baofeng Lake is the only water site in the core scenic area of Zhangjiajie. The scenic spot contains two major parts： Boafeng Lake and Yingwo Village. Visitors may take a boat to enjoy the clear lake reflecting the nearby mountains or admire the ancient temples in Yingwo Village. Moreover， there is a Folk Song Festival held here every April， where young lovers sing folk songs to express their love for each other.

West Sea

Located in the western section of the Suoxi Valley Nature Reserve， West Sea actually is a basin-like gorge with a sea of peaks， trees and clouds. There are thousands of peaks standing in the deep canyon， covered by dense vegetation， looking like a green sea. Every time after it rains， the floating clouds resemble waves on the sea， showing visitors a splendid wonderland.

Ten-Mile Gallery

Ten-Mile Gallery is a strip gorge located in the northwest part of Suoxi Valley. On both sides of the gorge， many peaks rise in various shapes， looking like “statues” carved by nature. The best known peak is“Old Gatherer of Herbs”. It is about 300 feet （91 meters） tall and looks like an old man with a basket on his back gathering herbs. It is now the symbol of Ten-Mile Gallery. In addition， Couple Rocks consists of two rocks standing together. The left rock is steep and tall while the right one is gentle and short， resembling a couple whispering gently to each other.

Four Gates Surrounded by Water

This site is located in the western part of Suoxi Valley Nature Reserve， about 1.2 miles from the entrance to Ten-mile Gallery. Three streams flow out from three valleys in the west， north， and south， then join together and run down to the Suoxi Valley， like four gates surrounded by four streams， hence the name.

Baizhang Gorge

The gorge is said to be an ancient battlefield. Because of the rough road， it has not been disturbed by too many visitors and the scenery is pristine and wonderful. Visitors may consider going here to experience the steep peaks. Be careful on the roads， however， to avoid injury.

Tianzi Mountain Nature Reserve

Located in the northern part of Wulingyuan Scenic Area in Hunan Province， Tianzi （Son of Heaven） Mountain Nature Reserve is one of the four scenic spots in Wulingyuan （three other spots are Zhangjiajie National Forest Park， Suoxi Valley Nature Reserve and Yangjiajie Scenic Area）. It covers an area of 67 square kilometers （about 16，550 acres）， and the highest peak is 1，262 meters （about 4，140 feet） above the sea level.

Tianzi Mountain provides stunning views of peaks， which rise one after another. It is known as ‘the Monarch of the Peak Forest. At the top of the mountain， visitors can see the full extent of the Wulingyuan Scenic Area. Beautiful scenes of the mountain greet visitors in different seasons. There are four wonders： the Sea of Clouds， the Radiance of the Moonlight， Rays of Sunshine and the Snow in winter.

Tianzi Mountain takes its name from a man， Xiang Dakun. He was the leader of the Tu ethnic group during the last years of the Southern Song Dynasty （1127 -1279）. Xiang Dakun led a revolution and avowed himself as Tianzi（Son of Heaven）. Visiting this scenic area， visitors can see many sites about his story， the most impressive being： the Yu Bi Peaks， the Xian Nü San Hua， and the Shen Bing Ju Hui.

With pine trees on the top， the Yu Bi （imperial brushes） Peaks rise upward into the sky. Legend goes that they are brushes the Tianzi-Xiang Dakun used that became stone peaks after his martyrdom. The Xian Nv San Hua （floral tributes by fairies） is slightly opposite the Yu Bi Peaks. A legend goes that Xiang Dakun and his army were defeated to fall back on the Tianzi Mountain. He fought to the finish， but finally jumped off the cliff. A girl in love with him went across the mountain to search for him. She strewed flowers over the cliffs and turned into a stone statue. Shen Bing Ju Hui is a forest of soldier like peaks arrayed for a review.

Visitors can take a cable car to see these charming peaks. With 692 meters （about 2，270 feet） difference in elevation， the aerial tramway is 2，084 meters （about 2，279 yards） in length. The minimum running time is six minutes and twenty-two seconds for a single trip during which visitors can keep the wonderful scenery of the Tianzi Mountain in view.

The yearly average temperature is 12 degrees centigrade， and annual average rainfall is 1，800 millimeters. There are around 240 frost free days. The best months to explore this mountain are April， May， September and October.