Zhangjiajie (张家界)

Attractions in Zhangjiajie

Visit Zhangjiajie National Forest Park (Wulingyuan), Tianmen Mountain (Heaven's Gate), Glass Bridge of Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon, and Huanglong Cave.

Popular Routes

Day 1: Zhangjiajie National Forest Park.
Day 2: Tianmen Mountain.
Day 3: Glass Bridge and Grand Canyon.

Food & Dining

Try Zhangjiajie Tujia bacon, three-pot dishes (hot pot), wild mushroom dishes, and Hunan rice noodles.

Shopping

Buy Tujia ethnic crafts, local tea, dried mushrooms, and Zhangjiajie souvenirs. Main shopping is in Wulingyuan District.

Local Vibe & Fun Facts

Local Vibe: Zhangjiajie is the city that looks like a fantasy movie. Towering sandstone pillars rise from the fog, and locals are used to sharing their hometown with Avatar fans. It's a small city with a big natural reputation, and people here are proud, hospitable, and a bit amused by the Hollywood attention.

Fun Facts:

• Zhangjiajie National Forest Park's pillar-like mountains inspired the floating Hallelujah Mountains in James Cameron's Avatar.

• The park is part of a UNESCO Global Geopark and was China's first national forest park.

• The glass bridge over the Grand Canyon is one of the longest and highest glass-bottomed bridges in the world.

Speak Like a Local

Zhangjiajie locals speak their own flavor of Mandarin. Try these phrases to earn a smile:

吃了没 (chī le méi) — Have you eaten? — the standard friendly greeting in Hunan style.

妹陀 (mèi tuó) — Girl / young woman — a friendly Hunan term.

伢子 (yá zi) — Boy / young man — common in the region.

Famous People

• He Long — A famous Hunan-born military leader and one of the ten marshals of the People's Republic of China.

• Yuan Longping — The 'Father of Hybrid Rice,' born in Jiangxi but closely associated with Hunan's agricultural research, changed global food security.

• Shen Congwen — A beloved modern writer from nearby Fenghuang who wrote about the landscapes and people of western Hunan.