Located in northwestern Hunan, this city would probably be a peaceful provincial entity if…300 million years ago a spectacular cataclysm had not catapulted huge oceanic masses towards the light. Slow erosion shaped them into lofty peaks and nature took on the task of dressing them in green: plants, shrubs, conifers then welcomed the colors and variety of a fauna which it has become their home. Today, these geological quirks, the strange mountains, as the Chinese say, are an absolute tourist must!
The Tianzi Mountains
The cable car leaving the city to take Tianzi shan by storm which, culminating at 1250m, offers a breathtaking landscape: hundreds of stone sentinels, some of which flirt and exceed 200m, seem to defy adversity. . The mist envelops them. Magical. It’s a freeze frame of the planet Pandora that in 1999 enthralled moviegoers around the world via David Cameron’s film “Avatar.”$
This nature reserve is part of the Wulingyan National Park (397.5 km2) along with the Zhangjiajie Forest Park and the beautiful Saoxi Valley. 200 sites are to be discovered along its course, including the exceptional Huanglong cave which unfolds its wonders over no less than 7.5 km.
Fauna and flora
Listed in 1992 as a natural site on the UNESCO World Heritage List, the site benefits from remarkable biodiversity. In addition to the species specific to its subtropical climate, the protection enjoyed by its environment allows the survival of species, flora and fauna, threatened with extinction on a global scale. This is the case of the giant salamander, the Asian wildcat and black bear, the clouded leopard, the Chinese water deer, etc. Distinctive signs, spotted by authorities in the field, attest to their presence, as for seeing them, one can always dream! It is true that there are countless hiding places in a mountainous region that is 97.7% wooded…
The Gate of Heaven
This is Mount Tianmen which bridges a portion of azure… It is spectacular to see from afar, as for moving under this grandiose arch… 999 steps lead to nîrvana, but it would take more to discourage the Chinese, very fond of it. An escalator invites those who spare themselves to see the bottom from the top, and there are many of them. For the record, two French « Jetmen » equipped with mini reactors crossed this celestial door in 2019.
Glass on all fronts
Two sites have taken advantage of its transparency and have enjoyed immense success. The most recent is the Skywalk created in 2016, a 400m long glass bridge which plunges, from a height of 300m, over the chasm separating the peaks of Tianmenshan and Yihôgguan and Yihongguan.
No risk of heart attack or other to be feared or we’ll make a movie: non-transparent plates are interspersed at regular spaces and line the central corridor. In fact, it’s a “picture-taking” bridge that gets a lot of laughs out of it.
The tallest outdoor elevator in the world celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. Anchored to a cliff in the heart of the quartzite sandstone landscapes, Bailong (lift of 100 dragons) launches its three panoramic cabins at a height of 326m in 1 minute, 28 seconds. It’s scary or not but we take full eyes of these landscapes that we are not about to forget.
Saoxi
Waterfalls, gorges, torrents, ponds, dozens of rivers feeding the course of Saoxi, traversed by pretty little boats, Baojeng dam lake, recreation with loud water noises for tourists crushed by heat or peaceful walk along the Whip of silver, poetic name to illustrate the mood of this waterway… The Wulingyan and its innumerable natural riches cannot be seen in a day, you have to linger there, take the minibuses which serve the main sites of interest . And fear, maybe the tourist carrying capacity has an impact on this fantastic environment.
Before the Covid epidemics, there were 8 million a day wandering around here. When will you have entry tickets on reservation with a quota?
