Zhangjiajie is the first and most important stop on my self-driving trip to Xiangxi. I made a guide before. Zhangjiajie scenic area is very large, divided into three major areas: Wulingyuan, Tianmen Mountain, and Grand Canyon. There are also Huanglong Cave, Baofeng Lake and other parks. In 2017, I drove to Chengdu to Zhangjiajie's sign door. Due to the sudden change in the itinerary, I did not enter the mountain. This time, it can be regarded as a realization of a dream for several years.

It took more than two hours by train from Changsha. After booking a B & B, the boss came to pick up the station. He could leisurely wait for the consignment train in Zhangjiajie to arrive and prepare to go hiking after a rest. It seems like it can be cheaper to book tickets at a B & B, but at least one day in advance. If you are not sure about the travel time, buy them on site. When you have time in the evening, you can also go to watch a performance of "Tianmen Fox Fairy".

Wulingyuan Scenic Area cannot be visited in one day, so its tickets can last for four days. It seems the most reasonable to enter from the Wujiayu sign gate. Environmentally friendly vehicles and cableways go directly to the top of Tianzi Mountain, and then come down from the Yuanjiajie Bailong Stairway. It's about a half hour drive from the city.

You can visit Zhangjiajie without lunch. There is a restaurant on the mountain, but you must bring a raincoat. The weather on the mountain changes. After crossing Tianzi Mountain, it suddenly rained heavily and thick fog, so the world's first bridge became like this. It is said that there are also other interesting scenic spots such as "Praying to Sendai","Baizhang Cliff","Little Cave", and "Lovers Valley", all locked in dense fog. The "World's No. 1 Bridge" is a landmark attraction in the Yuanjia realm. It is a natural stone bridge formed between two mountains. The two mountains were originally integrated. The bridge body is the key part connecting the two mountains. However, due to the influence of weathering and collapse, and after exposure to sun and rain, running water, and flash floods, over time, this special spectacle has finally been formed today. The stone bridge is only about 3 meters wide and 5 meters thick. It spans about 50 meters and has a relative height of nearly 400 meters.

Along the walking trail, there is the "Nantian Pillar" with a vertical height of about 150 meters. The vegetation on the top is lush and the peak is unique in shape. It is like cutting a knife and axe. It has the power of being indomitable. The tour guide who touched the side said it is also known as Qiankun Pillar. In 2008, the American science fiction blockbuster "Avatar" was filmed here, which was the prototype of the suspended mountain in the movie. Later, it changed its name to "Hallelujah Mountains", which seemed to be controversial.

Don't be depressed when encountering rain when traveling. Go east for about 800 meters, there is a small road winding south to the Wuyanding platform. At this moment, the rain is beginning to stop. When you look around the platform, you can see a myriad of scenes. Rock peaks and stone pillars are like tables, chairs, buildings, and pavilions. The shape is strange and wonderful. From time to time, there are light clouds and light fog floating and lingering among the peaks, and the mountains move and the peaks are hidden and hidden, like a Qionglou and Jade Pavilion. The tourists are all obsessed with their souls and do not know where they live, so they are known as the Ecstasy Platform.

Standing on the Ecstasy Platform and overlooking the peaks, you can imagine. Hundreds of stone peaks are like an array of soldiers and a gathering of sages. They are in a myriad of shapes. A magnificent Chinese landscape gallery is presented in front of you. This is a unique artistic conception that cannot be imagined on a sunny day.

According to legend, the name of the Yuan Family came from the Later Tang Dynasty. After the failure of the Huangchao Uprising, the court put up lists everywhere to arrest the rebels in order to completely eliminate the rebels. Huang Chao had a soldier named Yuan. In order to avoid capture, he came to Qingyan Mountain, a remote mountain ridge far away from the world, to live in seclusion. He built a hut here, reclaimed wasteland and grew grain, and named it "Yuan Family Jie" after his own surname.

At this moment, if you like landscape painting, you will definitely think of Wu Guanzhong. Perhaps this is where he came from, which was included in the Lissege Museum in France. After traveling to Zhangjiajie, he wrote a short article "Raised in a Boudoir Unknown" and published it, which shocked the tourism industry and attracted keen attention from all walks of life. Many artists came here, and after visiting, they praised the beauty of Zhangjiajie. The praises of many artists and the appeals of people of insight in society have attracted the great attention of relevant parties in Hunan Province. Zhangjiajie has been developed since the 1980s. Zhangjiajie has gradually become a famous tourist attraction and has been included in the UNESCO World Natural Heritage List.

Zhangjiajie has become famous all over the world. Yu Guanzhong's article "Raising in a Boudoir before anyone knows it-The Lost Pearl of Landscape" is inseparable from many of his paintings of Zhangjiajie. Perhaps this is the artistic conception of "Raising in a Boudoir before anyone knows it"!

Riding the Hundred Dragons Ladder from the top of the Yuanjia Jie, there is a scene directly opposite called "Shenshen Gathering". It consists of 48 relatively independent stone peaks. It was the place where Tujia uprising leaders led their troops to revolt, so it was called The 48th General Rock. On the top of the mountain where the Shenmen gathered, it is said that there are still some scattered small houses. There are local Tujia residents living there. They have farmed and lived on the mountain for generations and multiplied.

The Bailong Ladder was included in the Guinness World Records for being "the world's highest, fastest and largest tourist elevator with the largest load capacity." It uses three double-decker fully exposed sightseeing elevators to operate in parallel and in separate units. It only takes 118 seconds to reach the foot of the mountain. The appearance is very exciting, and then you can take an environmentally friendly car out of the mountain. Isn't it easy to visit Zhangjiajie now? Of course, after going down the mountain, you can also take an eco-friendly car to visit Jinbian River, Baili Gallery and other attractions.