Guide to the must-see tourist attractions in Zhangjiajie, Hunan

Zhangjiajie is a prefecture-level city under the jurisdiction of Hunan Province, formerly known as Dayong City. It is located in the northwest of Hunan, upstream of Lishui River, and is in the hinterland of Wuling Mountain. Zhangjiajie was established as a city for tourism and is one of the most important tourist cities in China. It is also the birthplace and central area of ??the revolutionary base areas in western Hunan and Hubei and Hunan, Hubei, Sichuan and Guizhou. In September 1982, Zhangjiajie National Forest Park became China's first national forest park. In August 1988, Wulingyuan Scenic Area was included in the second batch of national key scenic spots; in 1992, Wulingyuan Natural Scenic Area, which consists of three major scenic spots including Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, was included in the World Natural Heritage List by UNESCO; In February 2004, it was listed among the first batch of "World Geoparks" in China; in 2007, it was listed among the first batch of 5A-level scenic spots in China. Its famous attractions include Wulingyuan Scenic Area, Baofeng Lake, Huanglong Cave, Tianmen Mountain National Forest Park, etc. Today I bring you a travel guide to Zhangjiajie, Hunan, I hope it will be helpful to you.

Introduction to Zhangjiajie Scenic Areas

Zhangjiajie Scenic Areas

Zhangjiajie Scenic Areas are divided into four parts: Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, Yangjiajie Nature Reserve, Tianzi The four major scenic spots, namely Shanshan Nature Reserve and Suoxiyu Nature Reserve, are collectively known as Wulingyuan Scenic Area.

Yangjiajie

Yangjiajie is located to the west of Zhangjiajie City, adjacent to Tianzi Mountain to the north, Yuanjiajie to the west, and only ten kilometers away from Zhangjiajie Forest Park. With an altitude of more than 1,000 meters, it is one of the four core tourist attractions in Zhangjiajie. Among them, Wulong Village, Sky Corridor, Three Ghost Gates, Bandit's Den and other attractions have been included in Zhangjiajie's classic tourist routes.

Badagong Mountain

Badagong Mountain Nature Reserve is 85 kilometers away from Sangzhi County. It occupies the northern end of the Wuling Mountains and the source of Lishui. Its main peak, Doupeng Mountain, is 1,890 meters above sea level. It is the Wuling Mountain. At the top of the mountain, the scenic area consists of five major forest areas: Doupeng Mountain, Shanmujie, and Tianping Mountain, with a total area of ??44,900 hectares. It is a national nature reserve and the largest and best-preserved virgin forest in the southern Yangtze River region of China.

Yuanjiajie

Yuanjiajie is located at the northern foot of Shandaogou, at the core of Zhangjiajie World Natural Heritage. It is more than 1,000 meters above sea level, surrounded by steep cliffs, and stands in the Wuling Mountain area. In the middle, a high platform appears. It is a huge and gentle mountain mainly composed of quartzite.

Huangshi Village

Huangshi Village is also known as Huangshi Village, formerly known as Huangsizhai and Huangshi Village. It was named because there was a man named Huang Shigong who lived in seclusion here in ancient times. It is the essence of Zhangjiajie tourist area. There has always been a saying that "if you don't visit Huangshi Village, you will miss Zhangjiajie". At an altitude of more than 1,200 meters, it is a platform that is high in the south and low in the north, formed by many cliffs and cliffs, covering an area of ??16.5 hectares. Its main attractions include: Treasure Box of the Book of Heaven, Dinghai Divine Needle, Nantian Pillar, Golden Sea Exploration Turtle, etc. It is the place with the most beautiful scenery in Zhangjiajie and is also the largest volley observation platform in Zhangjiajie.

Golden Whip Creek

Golden Whip Creek is a naturally beautiful stream named after the Golden Whip Rock. The stream meanders from west to east and will not stop flowing even if there is a long drought.

Yaozi Village

Yaozi Village is located in the northeast of Zhangjiajie National Forest Park. It forms a "tripod" with Huangshi Village and Yangjiajie. It is 1,500 meters above sea level. It is famous for its danger. Its original name Yaozi Village is named after its shape resembling a kidney (kidney). It is far away from Huangshi Village, with deep ravines and sharp peaks, and the mountain is very dangerous. However, there is an open flat land on the top of the village, which is a wonderful natural viewing platform with an area of ??about 60,000 square meters. It is surrounded by cliffs and deep valleys, which is very dangerous.

Wulei Mountain

Wulei Mountain is one of the first batch of key religious sites identified in Hunan Province and a core tourist attraction on the east line of Zhangjiajie. It is located in the east of Cili County, 1 km away from Cili on the Changzhang Expressway. 20 kilometers from the east exit, it is adjacent to Shimen in the north, Linli in the east, and Taoyuan in the south. It is the only place to pass when entering Zhangjiajie City from the east.

Jiutian Cave

Jiutian Cave is known as the "largest cave in Asia" and is named after nine skylights connected to the ground. The cave is divided into three floors: upper, middle and lower, with a total area of ??2.5 million square meters. Jiutian Cave is named because there are nine skylights connected to the ground on the top of the cave. It was discovered by Wang Hairan, a brave mountain cave explorer, in 1987. It was officially opened to tourists in 1988 and was listed as a provincial scenic spot. As a member of the International Cave Organization, Jiutian Cave is an international cave exploration base.

Huanglong Cave

Huanglong Cave is a famous cave attraction in Wulingyuan Scenic Spot in Zhangjiajie. It has the honors of "World Cave Wonder", "World Cave All-round Champion", "China's Most Beautiful Tourist Cave", etc. The total area of ??the cave bottom has been proven to be 100,000 square meters; the cave body is divided into four layers, with a cave in the cave, a mountain in the cave, a cave in the mountain, and a river in the cave. After inspection by Chinese and foreign geological experts, they believe that Huanglong Cave’s large scale, complete content, and beautiful scenery include all the contents of speleology.

Dragon King Cave

Longwang Cave is one of the core tourist attractions in Zhangjiajie. It is praised by cave experts as the "wonderful cave in the world" and is one of the largest and oldest caves in China.

The total length of Longwang Cave is about 30 kilometers, with an average height of 50 meters and a width of 80 meters. It has 58 halls, 28 stone corridors, 15 pearl waterfalls, 3 underground rivers, 2 lakes, 45 water flower ponds, and stalagmites in the cave. , stalactites, stone curtains, stone flowers are everywhere, and there is also the Dragon King Pillar, known as the "No. 1 Pillar in the World".

Puguang Temple

Puguang Temple is part of the Zhangjiajie Scenic Area. Puguang Zen Temple was built in 1413 AD and has a history of nearly 600 years. The temple covers an area of ??8,000 square meters. It is an ancient humanistic building that combines Buddhism and Taoist culture. There are Puguang Temple, Martial Temple, Wenchang Temple and other scenic spots in the courtyard.

Customs and cultural traditions of Zhangjiajie

Crying for marriage

The wedding day of the beautiful Tujia girl in Zhangjiajie is ushered in with cries. The bride starts crying more than half a month before the wedding, and some may cry for more than a month, at least three to five days. The Tujia people also regard the ability to sing wedding songs as a sign of a woman's intelligence and virtue. Crying wedding songs include "Crying for parents", "Crying for brother and sister-in-law", "Crying for uncles", "Crying for sisters", "Crying for matchmaker", "Crying for combing hair", "Crying for wearing flowers", "Crying for father and mother", "Crying to bid farewell to ancestors", "Crying on the sedan chair" and so on. Some Miao people also marry in tears. But crying marriage is just a ritual.

Marriage rules of the same surname

The Tujia people are very cautious about marriages with the same surname, and they are limited to intermarriage between people with the same surname but different clans or those outside the Five Servers. Intermarriage within the Five Servers is considered a great rebellion. In fact, even if it is a marriage with the same surname that complies with the Tujia marriage rules, it is still not recognized by the majority of the Tujia people. Marriage in the history of the Tujia people was relatively free. After free love, a man and a woman could become husband and wife with the consent of both parents. In Enshi Shiyao, Dashengshan and other places, there is a custom of "Daughters' Meeting", that is, every year on the 12th day of the seventh lunar month, young men and women go through "Daughters' Meeting" to fall in love freely and form lifelong partners. After the Tujia people were repatriated, the Tujia people were forced to practice arranged marriages based on the orders of their parents and the words of the matchmaker. "Hefeng County Chronicles" written by Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty recorded: "As for the selection of a son-in-law, it is presided over by the grandparents and parents, and there is no need to ask the woman whether she wants it or not." If a woman is shameless and says she doesn't want to, she may as well be punished according to the law. Once she is engaged, she will never change it for the rest of her life. ?

Catch up with the New Year

The Tujia people have their own unique customs for celebrating the New Year: if the twelfth lunar month is big, the New Year will be celebrated on the 29th; if the twelfth lunar month is small, the New Year will be celebrated on the 28th. The Tujia people call celebrating the New Year one day early as "catch up with the New Year".

Mingzi

Mingzi is commonly known as taking a name. Men usually use a wooden plaque with red lacquer and gold characters to welcome the bride. The day before the wedding, relatives and friends play drums and play music and send the wooden plaque to the groom's home. The father leads the groom to pay homage to the groom, which is called the title plaque. After the ceremony, the plaque is hung on the wall of the hall, which is called the title promotion plaque. The trumpet and plaque should be blown three times and three times should be played, and cannons should be fired to play music. After the cannon is fired, a banquet hall is set up, and nine boys plus the groom and ten boys are selected, called "accompanying ten brothers", and the groom among the ten is called "the number one scholar".

Nine-Size Whip

Nine-Size Whip is also called "God Whip". It is popular among the Han, Bai and Tujia people, especially the Bai people. They regard happiness and auspiciousness as the most popular. Relying on the gods, in order to please the gods, they cut down the purple bamboo in the mountains. There is a hole in the top of the bamboo, and nine copper coins are built inside. The length of the whip is about 1 meter to 1.5 meters. The size is suitable for holding in my hand. It is decorated with red silk with flower spikes and a purple lining. Red, very eye-catching. The nine-zi whip can be danced alone or in a group, ranging from one person to hundreds. The performer holds a whip pole and dances to the suona. Methods include shooting with one hand, dancing with both hands, and coiling. Sometimes it taps on the outside or inside of the feet, sometimes it taps on the shoulders and arms, the movements are graceful and rough. The whip stick dances and the ancient coins rub against each other. The sound is rhythmic and very beautiful. The movements include "Goddess scattering flowers", "Sisters meeting", "Snowflakes covering the roof", "Blocking the door left and right", "Crabs catching grass", etc.

Tujia Sacrifice

The Tujia people worship the God of the Earth in order to pray to the God of the Earth, as the master of the land, to bless the harvest and the prosperity of the livestock, and also to bless the safety of the people in the village and to ward off evil spirits and protect the village. The Tujia people are very devout to the earth god. Every village and village in the Tujia area has one or more earth temples, which can be seen everywhere. There are many forms of earth temples. Some are elaborately built with marble, but there are also simple temples built with four rough boards or earth temples built on cave rock houses.

High lantern

High lantern is a dance with ethnic characteristics popular in the Yuan Guping area of ??Yongding. During the performance, there are anywhere from twelve to fourteen people. Equipped with gongs, cymbals, suona, drums and other musical instruments. Each person holds a paper lantern in his hand, two candles are lit inside, and a wooden idol is tied on top. Five-color paper is used to cut out opera stories, such as "Eight Immortals", "Wagang Village", "Liangshan Heroes" and so on. There is a set of procedures for the high lantern performance, which requires rising in the east and setting in the west, entering a "half moon", emerging a "reunion of the moon", and dancing a "Tai Chi diagram". You can also perform performances in private houses, called "Wish Lanterns", mostly for blessings, making wishes, or to entertain a certain family's happy events. Shouting and whistling can only be performed outdoors, called "Public Lights", for everyone to watch.

Hand-waving dance

Hand-waving dance is the most influential large-scale dance of the Tujia people, with a strong sacrificial color. Songs are born with dances, and dances are named after songs. The hand-waving dance is also known as "Sheba". The entire activity uses ritual dances, singing, etc. as performance forms, and the content is about the origin of mankind, ethnic migration, and heroic deeds.

After the sacrificial ceremony, the people will be led by Tima or the master in charge of the altar, and they will go into the hand-waving hall or the hand-waving terrace to dance the hand-waving dance and sing the hand-waving song. The natives dance this dance before going into battle to boost their morale. There are several types of hand waving dance: single swing, double swing, big hand waving, and small hand waving. Dance with hands, beat big drums and sound big gongs, the momentum is majestic and touching. When dancing, the hands swing at the same side, kicking the feet and waving the hands, moving forward and backward, in pairs, and the artistic conception is vivid. The hand-waving dance is not only a folk sports activity for entertainment and fitness, but also a unique artistic wonder on the stage. It is precisely because there are many beauties in front of the hand-waving hall, joining hands to slow down and sing. The sound of drums and gongs is mixed with murmurs, and the lingering sound is hoho hoho. ?

Sanbang Drum

Sanbang Drum, also known as Sanzhan Drum in the Tang Dynasty, was introduced to the country around the Ming Dynasty and gradually became a popular folk art form. Every Spring Festival, artists go together to visit villages and villages to pay New Year greetings. They perform for every household, regardless of whether they are rich or poor. If they meet a poor family, the performer will give gifts from other families to each other, hoping that everyone will be happy during the festival. It fully reflects the hospitable and kind-hearted national character of the Tutu people. It plays a certain role in strengthening inter-ethnic unity. Three-bang drum usually consists of three to five people, one person plays drums and sings lyrics, one person plays gongs and drums to accompany music, and one person plays sticks. There are three flower sticks, one foot long. The dancer holds one on each side, throws the other one in the air, draws the bow left and right, and hits the flower sticks in the air to prevent them from falling to the ground.