Zhangjiaie, located in the northwest of Hunan Province, is a prefecture city which is about 400 km away from Changsha, capital city of Hunan Province. With a total area of 9533 square kilometers and a total population of 1.51 million, the city of Zhangjiajie comprises two districts (Yongding and Wulingyuan) and two counties (Cili and Sangzhi) .
History of Zhangjiajie
Zhangjiajie's history has been already traced back to 221 BC when it was still called "Dayong". Just seen as a remote and inaccessible place in ancient times, the first human traces in the area have been registered about 100,000 years ago. Like that in many places of China, a legend has developed around the idea that a lord of the Han Dynasty (206BC– 220AD) who used to live isolated there was buried at the foot of the Qingyan Mountain, now known as Zhangjiajie Mountain. This is only since 1994 that the place is known under the name of "Zhangjiajie". Indeed, the increasing fame of the area's lush natural sceneries following the 1992 ranking of Wulingyuan Scenic Area to UNESCO World Heritage Site list had to revise the surrounding cities.
Tourism of Zhangjiajie
As a popular tourism city, Zhangjiajie is famous for Wulingyuan Scenic Area including Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, Tianzi Mountain Natural Reserve,Suoxiyu Natural Reserve and Yangjiajie Scenic Spot, which ranked on UNESCO World Heritage Sites list in 1992, appraised as a national 5A scenic area in 1997, and was aslo listed as the World's Geo-park in 2004.
Lying at the very center of China, Zhangjiajie is a relief for any traveler looking for some natural sceneries of grandiose beauty. Inadition Wulingyuan Scenic Area, Zhangjiajie has many wonderful scenic spots, such as Tianmen Mountain, Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon,Baofeng Lake, Jiutian Cave-Maoyan River, Yellow Dragon Cave, Qixing Mountain, Chaoyang Seam, aswell as Wulei Mountain...
It enjoys a monsoon humid semi-tropical climate that can explain the lush vegetation growing there: karst upthrusts, waterfalls, limestone caves and rivers where hundreds of rare flora and fauna species live all together in a harmonious way make the delight of any botanists or just lovers of natural sightseeing!
The area of Zhangjiajie is also home to some ethnic minorities such as the Tujia, Miao and Bai, who still live in a traditional way and boast with a rich agricultural production of rice, cotton and tea. That’s really typical Chinese scenery for travelers to look for some large-scale spaces and lush sceneries.
With primitive and simple folk customs and rich ethnic culture, Zhangjiajie possesses all kinds of intangible cultural heritage, including 15 categories and more than 70 items. The folk songs of Sangzi County are listed first as the national-level intangible cultural heritage; Zhangjiajie Yang Opera, Gaohua Light (kind of dance), Cili Banban Dragon Light are listed first as the provincial-level intangible heritage. Zhangjiajie Hard qigong has even performed in seven countries in Europe when our national leaders visited these countries.
Nowadays, Zhangjiajie is a high tourist place among the top highlights and sceneries of China. The diverse typography of the place erected it as one of the most gorgeous landscapes in the world. Filled with more than 300 different sightseeing, touring Zhangjiajie during a China tour is the best way to come back home with amazing pictures, souvenirs and sweet memories.
Apart from the natural sceneries surrounding the place, travelers to Zhangjiajie would also appreciate to discover the ethnic minority and their traditional way of life. Discovering Zhangjiajie is a unique experience for who want to see the beauties of China's natural diversity. Between hikes and cable-car ascents, Zhangjiajie is a real expedition for lovers of large-scale and authentic nature.
However,Zhangjiajie is a jewel of geology and biodiversity during your China trip!
Welcome to China, Let's meet in Zhangjaijie!
