More than 30 years ago, a renowned Chinese artist Wu Guanchong was once looking for inspirations for his art works and he discovered Zhangjiajie (張家界). As he was an artist by training, he straight away noticed that the mountains in Zhangjiajie were very unusual. The most notable geographic features of the park are the pillar-like formations that are seen throughout the park. They are the result of many years of erosion. The weather is moist year round, and as a result, the foliage is very dense. Much of the erosion which forms these pillars are the result of expanding ice in the winter and the plants which grow on them. These formations are a distinct hallmark of Chinese landscape, and can be found in many ancient Chinese paintings. As an artist himself, these scenes (
landscape) were far too familiar to him. He was so amazed and marvelled at the finding of this beautiful scenic attractions in China that prompted him to write an article in the press. In his article, he borrowed a phrase in the song/poem 長 恨 歌 (
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| A pillar like mountain |
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| A lake by the mountains |
After his article was published, it created a stir in the the tourism circle and people began to flop to Zhanjiajie to see this heavenly place themselves. Over night, Zhangjiajie became a famous icon, well know and a darling destination for the tourism industry. The government began to pour in money to develop this region into a sought-after tourist attraction. There was even a joint venture between Chinese and German firms to build an elevator on the side of one of the mountains. The
Bailong Elevator (
百龙电梯) (literally
Hundred Dragons Elevator) is a glass elevator built onto the side of a huge cliff that is 1,070 feet (330 m) high. The time we visited Zhangjiajie, the elevator was in operation. We were able to take the elevator directly up to the top of the mountain and at the same time, enjoy the scenic view of the surroundings through the glass panels of the elevator. The experience was terrific as the elevator is claimed to be the highest and heaviest outdoor elevator in the world.
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| Just like Chinese painting |
Zhangjiajie (
张家界) is a prefecture-level city in the northwestern part of Hunan province in China. It comprises the district of Yongding (永定) and counties of Cili (慈利) and Sangzhi (桑植). Within it is located Wulingyuan Scenic Area which was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1992 as well as an AAAAA scenic area by the China National Tourism Administration. The three-character name (张家界) can be interpreted as follows: "Zhang" (张) is a common surname in China; "jia" (家) can be translated as "family"; and "jie" (界) can be translated as "homeland", giving the completed translation of "Zhang family homeland." The official version of its name is linked to a Han general, Zhang Liang, who resettled in the area after a suspicious Liu Bang, the Han emperor, started to persecute his staff and generals who had contributed to his success of establishing the Han Dynasty. It was so named to signify that the Zhang family had set up home there.
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| Bailong Elevator |
The city itself was previously known as Dayong (大庸), Zhangjiajie City was adopted in 1994, after the National Forest Park in the Wulingyuan Scenic Area (武陵源) in order to give it more prominence and after this site had been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1992. Tourists who like to visit the national park can fly directly to an airport recently built in the city.
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| Tienmen Mountain |
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| Glass panel walkway |
Another attraction not to miss in the region is the
Tianmen Mountain National Park with a noticeable big hole in the mountain. In the past, there was an international event organised for many small planes to fly through this narrow passage through the mountain. Recently glass panel type of walkway was erected round some mountains so tourists can be closer to the surroundings, but not for the weak heart. It must be certainly both challenging and fascinating to walk on such a walkway. You have to be there to admire the wonders of nature, the heritage of the world.
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| Planes flying through the opening in the mountain |
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