Zhangjiajie National Park inspired the backdrop for hit movie, Avatar. Photo / Getty Images
Zhangjiajie National Park inspired the backdrop for hit movie, Avatar. Photo / Getty Images
Visiting China needn’t be busy and overwhelming. Far from a tangle of concrete jungles, there exists a lush kingdom hidden in plain sight. You just need to know where to look, writes Jaime Lyth.
The epic ancient sandstone pillars in Zhangjiajie National Forest Park inspired the background world of James Cameron’s film Avatar.
While the movie is science fiction, the scenery in Zhangjiajie is breathtakingly real, located in central China’s Hunan Province.
In a destination renowned for its natural beauty, an impressive effort has been made to give all types of tourists unique ways to enjoy and experience the scenery.
Spanning the canyon between two mountain cliffs in the National Forest Park is the Zhangjiajie Glass Bridge, which acts as a futuristic marvel that brings you one step closer to the ancient sandstone peaks.
Zhangjiajie's quartzite sandstone pillars have inspired artists and filmmakers alike. Photo / Getty Images
Another way to admire the park is a ride in the world’s tallest outdoor lift, the Bailong Elevator, meaning “hundred dragons sky lift”.
It’s a brief trip as the lift can transport visitors to the top from its foot in less than two minutes, but the whimsical moment the lift reaches the first window section can’t be missed.
There’s also a quick route to the forest in the middle of Zhangjiajie’s township via one of the world’s longest cable car routes with breathtaking views.
After travelling on the Tianmen Mountain Cable Car you can take a walk to the “Heavenly Gate Mountain” on the glass skywalk and finally reach the Buddhist Tianmenshan Temple. There’s also a 999-step entrance known as “the Stairway to Heaven” if you prefer walking.
The Bailong Elevator is built onto the side of a cliff in the Zhangjiajie National Park, Wulingyuan district, China. Photo / Getty Images
The Queenstown of China
The expansive national parks also make Zhangjiajie a popular attraction for thrill-seekers - it’s kind of the Queenstown of China.
Tianmen Mountain is home to the winding Tongtian Road which attracts extreme motorsports events with its 99 sharp turns and has previously hosted a Red Bull “drift king” event.
The national forest park also hosts the Red Bull World Wingsuit Championship where competitors from across the world jump off the 300m high Yuhu Peak, wearing just their wingsuits as they reach speeds over 160km/h.
If you’re not at that level of professional adrenaline junkie, you can instead do a bungee jump off of the Zhangjiajie Glass Bridge. The 285m bungy jump is considered to be the highest in the world.
The Zhangjiajie National Park Glass Bridge was the world's highest and longest glass bridge when it opened in 2016.
Culture
The beautiful mountain range in Zhangjiajie also acts as a live backdrop for the “Fox Fairy” show, an outdoor performance by film-maker Zhang Yimou, the art director of the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
The musical drama originated from a traditional Chinese myth and folk tale - Love between Man and Fox, and incorporates music, dance, theatre and incredible light work. There are Chinese, English, Korean and Japanese translations of the dialogue on-screen during the performance.
A surprising highlight of the trip was the Charming Xiangxi Grand Theatre show, a large-scale gala that highlights folk dances and songs from the Yao, Bai and Tujia people.
It’s somewhat of a variety show, with a lot of jaw-dropping acrobatics and circus that made the audience gasp simultaneously, alongside hilarious crowd work.
Nearby is the 72 Tujia Stilted Buildings Scenic Area, commonly known as 72 Qilou, which is a Ming and Qing dynasty-style building with a height of 109.9m. You can find several delicious food stalls, traditional crafts and souvenirs, alongside bars and security guards dancing on stages.
Lake Baofeng in Zhangjiajie, China. Photo / Getty Images
Another way to enjoy the culture and nature of Zhangjiajie at the same time is by taking a boat ride on the serene Baofeng. The man-made Lake Baofeng is located up in the mountains and is accompanied by stunning waterfalls and Tujia people in traditional dress singing folk songs from across the lake.
Top tips for visiting Zhangjiajie from New Zealand
Zhangjiajie is a modern city and many businesses will accept major credit cards, but in China the most common form of payment is via apps like Alipay or WeChat, where you scan a vendor’s QR code to pay.
While you’re there, make use of the country’s incredible bullet train system to get around and avoid going through customs and security at an airport level.
A tour is a great option for a place like China, which can be difficult to navigate alone for a first-timer with not many people speaking English.
Specialist China travel companies include Wendy Wu Tours, who guided me on my trip, made it easy to get around and had a detailed itinerary planned out, with transport included.
Travelling from New Zealand will require a stopover as there are currently no direct flights to Zhangjiajie from NZ.
I flew from Auckland to Haikou, China, with Hainan Airlines, which took just under 12 hours, followed by a two-hour flight to Changsha, the capital of the Hunan Province.
From Changsha, you can take a high-speed bullet train (which is a great travel experience in itself) to Zhangjiajie which takes two and a half hours.
There are also domestic flights available between Zhangjiajie and other cities, such as Changsha, Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou - as well as international flights direct from South Korea.
A great way to visit a new city, especially one that is still relatively unknown to Kiwis such as Chagsha, consider a guided tour with a detailed itinerary and plenty of comforts, such as Wendy Wu Tours.
