Atlas of China
Zhangjiajie 张家界Zhāngjiājiè
Forests of sandstone pillars, Tianmen's cliff-top arch and Tujia country
About Zhangjiajie
Zhangjiajie, called Dayong until 1994, took its new name from the national forest park at the heart of Wulingyuan, a World Heritage Site since 1992 with more than 3,000 sandstone pillars and peaks, many over 200 metres tall. From near the city's railway station a cable car about seven and a half kilometres long climbs Tianmen Mountain to cliff paths and Tianmen Cave, a natural arch reached by 999 steps. A glass bridge spans the Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon, and most of the people are Tujia.
What to eat in Zhangjiajie
- Sanxiaguo dry pot (三下锅)
Featured places in Zhangjiajie
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Zhangjiajie National Forest Park 张家界国家森林公园
Thousands of sandstone pillars rising out of the mist like a stone forest
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Tianmen Mountain 天门山
A cliff-top walk to a natural arch known as Heaven's Gate, above the city
Listed sites in Zhangjiajie
17 sites in Zhangjiajie are on the official lists. Those with a page of their own link to it; the rest open as cards on the map.
- Baofeng Lake 宝峰湖 4A scenic area · on the map
An artificial lake in a gorge at Suoxiyu in the Wulingyuan scenic area, formed when villagers dammed the valley for hydropower in the 1970s and named after Baofeng Mountain behind it. - Former Residence of He Long 贺龙故居 4A scenic area · National heritage site · on the map
The birthplace of He Long (1896–1969), a founder of the Red Army and later a marshal of the People's Liberation Army, at Hongjiaguan in Sangzhi County. - Huanglong Cave 黄龙洞 4A scenic area · on the map
A large karst cave in the Suoxiyu area of Wulingyuan, east of the town, with two dry and two water-filled levels, underground rivers, waterfalls and an underground lake. - Jiangya Hot Spring Resort 江垭温泉 4A scenic area · on the map
A hot-spring resort in Jiangya Town, Cili County, where nine streams, all tributaries of the Lishui, meet. - Jiutian Cave & Fenglian Creek 九天峰恋 4A scenic area · on the map
A large karst cave in Shuidong Village, Lifuta Town, about 10 km from Sangzhi county town, named for the nine skylights that open from its roof to the surface. - Long March Starting Point of the Red Second Front Army 红二方面军长征出发地 4A scenic area · National heritage site · on the map
Liujiaping in Sangzhi County is where the Red Army's Second and Sixth Corps, led by He Long, Ren Bishi and others, set out on their Long March on 19 November 1935, after a military meeting here decided on a strategic withdrawal. - Longwang Cave 龙王洞 4A scenic area · on the map
A large limestone cave in Jiangya Town, Cili County, about 17 km east of the Wulingyuan scenic area, named after the legend of a dragon king living in the deep pool outside it. - Tujia Folk Custom Park (Tusi City) 张家界土家风情园 4A scenic area · on the map
A commercial park of Tujia-style timber buildings on the western side of Zhangjiajie city, including a chieftain's compound known as Tusi City, with displays of Tujia architecture and customs and staged song-and-dance shows. - Wanfu Hot Spring Resort 万福温泉 4A scenic area · on the map
A hot-spring resort on a hillside by the Cili East exit of the Changde–Zhangjiajie expressway, opened in 2016. - Xibu Street 溪布老街 4A scenic area · on the map
A pedestrian street in Wulingyuan town, built in old-street style and lined with shops, snack stalls and restaurants, which the district counts among its cultural-tourism brands. - Zhangjiajie Difeng Gorge 张家界地缝 4A scenic area · on the map
A narrow karst slot gorge in Jinlong Village, Lingxi Town, in eastern Cili County, also called the Chaoyang Difeng ('earth crack'). - Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon 张家界大峡谷 4A scenic area
A forested gorge at Sanguansi in Cili County, east of the Wulingyuan scenic area, best known for the glass-bottomed bridge, officially named Yuntiandu, strung across it. - Zhangjiajie Snow World 张家界冰雪世界 4A scenic area · on the map
An indoor ski and ice centre in Yanghe Township, Cili County, opened in December 2019, with a snow-hall building of over 63,000 m² that takes up to 1,000 people at a time for skiing, skating and snow play. - Former Site of the Hunan–Hubei–Sichuan–Guizhou Revolutionary Base (Dayong) 湘鄂川黔革命根据地旧址 National heritage site · on the map
A former Catholic church on Jiefang Road in old Dayong, now central Zhangjiajie, where the Communist provincial committee, revolutionary committee and military district of the Hunan–Hubei–Sichuan–Guizhou base area were set up in November 1934, with Ren Bishi and He Long at their head. - Puguang Temple 普光禅寺 National heritage site
A Buddhist temple on Jiefang Road in central Zhangjiajie, founded in 1413 under the Ming by the military commander Yong Jian and renovated in 1733. - Shiyanping Village 石堰坪村 National heritage site · on the map
A Tujia village in Wangjiaping Town, in the hills of eastern Yongding District, with 182 timber stilt houses, most built in the Qing dynasty; 85 in the core area are well preserved. - Tian Family Compound 田家大院 National heritage site · on the map
A Tujia family compound, also known as the Old Courtyard (Lao Yuanzi), in Pengjia Lane off Yongding Avenue, built in the Yongzheng era of the Qing (1723–35) by Tian Qiyuan.
Getting to Zhangjiajie
Train, flight and driving times from the cities most visitors come from, with stations, fares and how many run a day; each opens the full comparison.
Trips with Zhangjiajie
- Zhangjiajie and Fenghuang from Changsha: sandstone pillars and a river town 5 days · Changsha, Zhangjiajie and Fenghuang
On the map
Open Zhangjiajie on the illustrated map to see its outline, its places and listed sites together, and to add them to a trip.
Open Zhangjiajie on the map