Zhangjiajie is located in Hunan province in south central China. The most notable feature of the national park is its pillar like rock formations. After rain, there will be mist and low hanging clouds and the rock pillars will appear to float like in the Avatar movie. Unfortunately the day we went, there was only this haze that flattens out the landscape and my photographs really didn’t do this place justice. It is beautiful but I most probably won’t return again mainly because of the crowds. The ticket is good for 3 days but all the cable car, elevator, train, and boat rides are extra.
Xibs Street built to look like an old Chinese town.
All kinds of chilli sauces used in the spicy Hunan cuisine.
A tourist trying to get into a local temple.
Locals hanging out on Xibu Street.
“Thumbs up” mountain from the Ten Mile Gallery Train.
The Three Sisters at the end of the Ten Mile Gallery Train ride.
The two sisters on the left and in the center are carrying their babies and the sister on the right is supposedly pregnant.
Towards the right is the Medicine Man with a basket full of herbs on his back.
The super long line for the Bailong Elevator.
These rocky landscapes are a distinct feature of ancient Chinese paintings.
These rock pillars are the result of countless years of erosion. Much of it caused by the expanding ice in the winter and the plants which grow on them.
Rock pillars in other parts of the world (ie. Cappadocia, Meteora) normally don’t have any foliage growing on them.
This 1,080 meter tall sandstone pillar has been officially named the Hallelujah Mountain in honor of the film Avatar.

“First Bridge under the Sun”
Locks next to the “First Bridge under the Sun” in Tianbo Mansion.
Wonder who started this love lock idea? The French or the Chinese or…?
The Chinese characters on the lock says on the top “First Bridge under the Sun” and then vertically the names of the two lovers on each side and in the middle, “Heart to heart, together forever”.
View of Chinese tiled roofs from lunch.
Sandstone pillars of Tianzi Mountain.
Tianzi Mountain

The rock pillars in this area are more narrow and concentrated.
They said this rock resembles a young woman carrying a basket of flowers. I can sort of see it :)
Starting to get dark, so we decided to call it a day and descended by cable car in Yangjiajie area.


I thought it was very random for the roof of the cable car station to say “Love”.
Bao Feng Lake
Bao Feng Lake
Heading up to Huangzhizhai
On the top right is one of the viewing platforms.
By now, we were a bit “rock-pillared-out” and everything started looking the same and the ooh’s and the ahh’s from yesterday were no more. We decided to go for a stroll along the Golden Whip Stream.

Views of the rock pillars from the Golden Whip Stream.
Many monkeys hanging out in the area.