18 July 2018, Wednesday
It was our third and final day of our Zhangjiajie tour. In the past two days, we had covered the Wulingyuan Scenic Area, where we visited Yuanjiajie to see the famous Avatar Hallelujah Mountain, as well as Tianzi Mountain, Huanglong Cave, Baofeng Lake, Ten-Mile Natural Gallery and Golden Whip Stream. Today, we will be covering a different part of Zhangjiajie – Tianmen Mountain (天门山).
As usual, our guide Xiaochu came to our guest house at Wulingyuan to pick us up. We hopped on to our van at 9am and drove towards Tianmen Mountain, which is located near Downtown Zhangjiajie, about 35km away. The drive took exactly an hour and we arrived at the Tianmen Mountain Cableway Lower Station at 10am.
The best way to go up Tianmen Mountain is via the cableway. As expected, it was very crowded and we queued for an hour before we managed to board the cable car. Thank goodness, the building was air-conditioned so the wait was still bearable.
The Tianmen Mountain Cableway (天门山索道) is the world’s longest cableway. It has a length of 7,455 metres and ascends 1,279 metres to Tianmen Mountain, which is the tallest mountain in all of Zhangjiajie, standing at a height of 1,518.6 metres. The average height of Tianzi Mountain is only 1,200 metres.
The cable car ride was a highlight in itself. According to my watch, it took 24 minutes so we had plenty of time to take in the scenery around us. It was a very sunny day and visibility was good. The last part of the ascent was very steep, going up at an incline of 37 degrees.
We reached the upper station of the cableway at 11:24am. From the upper station, there are two routes you can take – the East Line (东线游道) or the West Line (西线游道). It is actually like a loop so both routes will lead you to Tianmen Mountain Temple. However, the East Line has more detours and it covers a longer distance, hence it is less popular and less crowded. Nevertheless, we will still need to cover part of the East Line in order to reach Tianmen Cave. The West Line has more notable sights and it is a more logical choice for tourists, so Xiaochu led us to the West Line first.
We immediately went on the Cliffside Path (栈道), a protruding walkway hugging the cliff. It can be a bit scary for those who are afraid of heights, but the path is wide enough so you can just stay close to the mountain and you’ll be fine.
Not long after, we reached the West Line Glass Skywalk (西线玻璃栈道), or the Glass Bottom Cliffside Path. There are three glass skywalks here at Tianmen Mountain (East, West and Panlong Cliff) but this is the original one, opened since November 2011. Before stepping onto the skywalk, we had to put on cloth shoe covers in order to protect the glass.
The West Line Glass Skywalk is 60 metres long and 1.6 metres wide. It stands at 1,430 metres above sea level, so it can be a terrifying experience for those who are afraid of heights. It will be scarier to walk on it on a clear day compared to a foggy day. When we were there, it was a bit cloudy but it was generally still clear. However, most of the glass panels were quite badly scratched so we couldn’t really see through them very well. Anyway, it was so crowded that we had to move along quickly and it was over before we knew it.
After emerging from the end of the glass skywalk, it was the start of another cliffside path – the Ghost Valley Trail (鬼谷栈道), or Guigu Cliffside Path. Located on the southwestern side of the peak of Tianmen Mountain, the path stretches for 1.6km with an average height of 1,400 metres above sea level. It is named after the cliff overhanging Guigu Cave.
We had gotten a taste of walking by the cliffside earlier but this was really the main course. The path protrudes from the steep vertical cliff face, with nothing below as far as the eye can see. It felt like walking on air. In many respects, it was even scarier than walking on the glass skywalk, because the path stretched for 1.6km, which was very long. It was a marvel how they even managed to build this path at all, truly amazing.
Along the way, we passed by a stretch where there were some trees growing by the side of the cliff. To our horror, we saw a well-dressed lady in a black dress and a fancy hat (likely an Influencer) climbing onto the handrail. She used her left hand to grab onto a slender tree branch while leaning back and posing for a photo or video.
When stupid people do stupid stunts like these, I don’t think I will feel sorry for them if accidents were to happen. Who’s to blame if the tree branch breaks, or if she slips from the handrail, which incidentally, is rounded and curved? Do you blame the tree, the handrail, or your own stupidity? Please, DO NOT DO STUPID STUNTS LIKE THESE FOR THE SAKE OF GETTING MORE ‘LIKES’ ON SOCIAL MEDIA! Falling 1,400 metres to your death is not worth it.
At the end of the Guigu Cliffside Path was the 150 metre-long Tianmen Mountain Suspension Bridge (悬索桥). We crossed the bridge to the other side of the valley and continued walking towards Tianmen Mountain Temple (天门山寺). At about 1:10pm, we had our lunch break at a small canteen called Cherry Bay Canteen (樱桃湾餐厅), where we had a simple meal of minced meat soup noodles.
After lunch, we stopped by Tianmen Mountain Temple for a quick look. The temple was built in the Tang Dynasty, more than 1,000 years ago. Having visited many temples in Beijing and Shanghai already, we didn’t linger for long, because the natural scenery is the highlight here.
From Tianmen Mountain Temple, we took a chairlift, also known as the Forest Sightseeing Cable Car (森林观光缆车), to reach Yunmeng Fairy Peak (云梦仙顶). The open chairlift sits two people side by side, with your legs hanging freely. The length of the cable car line is 800 metres. I shared a ride with Xiaochu.
As we made our way slowly towards the highest point of Tianmen Mountain, we had a splendid view of the dense forest cover below. I dare say that the 10-minute chairlift ride was even more thrilling than the cable car because your legs are suspended in the air and you can feel the breeze of the wind against your face. I held on tightly to my mobile phone and DSLR while taking photos during the ride.
We climbed up the pagoda at Yunmeng Fairy Peak for a quick look. From up there, we had a panoramic view of the surrounding mountains. We could even see the Hehua International Airport runway below.
We then took an elevator down and soon reached the Cableway Upper Station, where we first started our tour. Here, we took the East Line instead and went on another cliffside path above Divine Valley (吊索神峪).
We kept walking and soon caught sight of Tianmen Cave (天门洞), the massive archway between the two peaks. It was hard to see the hole from that angle, but we could see how steep the Heavenly Ladder (天梯) staircase was.
In order to reach Tianmen Cave, we had to take the Escalators through the Mountain (穿山自动扶梯). These were the world’s first escalators installed entirely within a mountain tunnel. It has a total of 12 sections rising 340 metres, spanning 897 metres in total.
From the top of the mountain, we took a series of seven escalators down to the opening of Tianmen Cave. When we were there, it was hard to tell that we were standing in the “hole” because it was just so massive. The cave opening was formed by collapse and erosion of the rock structures over thousands of years. It measures 131.5 metres high, 57 metres wide and 60 metres deep.
In 2007, as part of a publicity stunt, French adventurer Alain Robert (aka Spider-Man) climbed 200 metres up the rock wall in just 40 minutes using his bare hands. You can watch a Reuters news clip below.
From here, we had the option of taking the remaining five escalators down to the foot of the cave, or walk down the “999 steps” of the Heavenly Ladder. According to my well-informed friend, he counted the number of steps and concluded that the figure is inaccurate. I guess 999 steps just has a nicer ring to it. My family members opted to take the escalators so Xiaochu went with them while I alone took the stairs.
The staircase was really steep but there were handrails all the way. Anyway, going down was quite a breeze so I didn’t have any difficulties with it. However, going up is a different story. I guess it will be wiser to take the escalators instead of climbing up. But by doing so, you can’t see any scenery and you’ll miss out on the experience of climbing the Heavenly Ladder. I am very glad Xiaochu planned our route this way. Good job!
At 4:04pm, we boarded the mini shuttle bus to take us to the foot of Tianmen Mountain, where our van was waiting for us. The road down is known as Heaven-Linking Avenue (天通大道), and the journey was quite a thrill in itself. The avenue has a total length of 10.77km and it consists of 99 bends, many of them with 180-degree turns.
Our bus driver was really skilful as he negotiated the tight bends at high speed with ease. The ride was full of sharp turns and it lasted about 20 minutes. If you’re easily carsick, good luck to you!
At 4:35pm, we boarded our van and made our way back to our guest house at Wulingyuan. With that, it was the end of our Zhangjiajie adventure!
To recap, over the past three days, we had visited all the major sights of Zhangjiajie except for the Grand Canyon and Glass Bridge. I think it was comprehensive enough. I am very glad we engaged Xiaochu because she helped to settle all our transport and ticketing needs. With her leading the way, I could enjoy the sights properly without worrying too much. If you’re travelling independently or with a small group, it is possible to tour Zhangjiajie on your own, but with a large group of seniors, it is best to hire a guide.
In terms of the sights and scenery, Zhangjiajie lived up to my expectations. The stunning karst mountains and otherworldly landscapes were indeed breathtaking. Of course, it would have been better if the weather wasn’t so hot (it was 35 degrees Celsius today), but it was the peak summer season so the high temperatures were to be expected. So were the crowds.
I have also said that the scenery would be even better if there was some fog hanging around the mountains, to create the mysterious and ethereal feeling. However, it must also be said that when the fog is too heavy, you won’t be able to see a thing. My cousin Sonia visited Zhangjiajie just a couple of weeks ago, also during summer, and the fog at Tianmen Mountain was so heavy that she couldn’t see any scenery at all. She got to experience the feeling of walking on clouds though. Therefore, it is also a matter of luck to see what kind of weather you get on the day of your visit. The best bet will be to come in spring or autumn.
I am very happy I got to visit Zhangjiajie with my family during this grand adventure. It was definitely a highlight of my trip. All right, time to pack our bags once again, as we get ready to move on to Fenghuang Ancient Town tomorrow!
Once again, here is a tour diary I put together of our three days touring Zhangjiajie. You can watch it for highlights of Day 3: