Story & photos by Joshua Berida
Since the movie Avatar popularized its landscapes years ago, I’ve heard and read about Zhangjiajie. On my next planned trip to China, I made sure to include the city in my itinerary. It soon became a reality as soon as I booked an overnight train ticket to the town closest to it from Guilin.
I still had the landscapes of Yangshuo in my mind, but I began to refocus my thoughts to what Zhangjiajie had to offer. I boarded the train; its slow chugging, the nameless faces that passed in and out of the cabin, and the small talk in broken Chinese and English momentarily occupied my mind.
The Avatar mountains
The train stopped at Zhangjiajie Station. The city was like any other Chinese city I’ve been to; skyscrapers, smaller buildings and constructions sites dotting the landscape.
I imagined the protagonists and mythical creatures of the movie Avatar flying and weaving in and out of the rock pillars of their dream world. This was the picture I had in mind as the bus made its way to the walking trails of the park.
As I walked along the trail next to the river, I saw a glimpse of the famous rock formations peaking out of the forest. As I ascended the stairs and viewing platforms, the pillars began to take shape, their heads reaching for the sky. I could see their feet firmly planted on the ground, their bodies taking various shapes; monkeys, candle sticks, lovers, a dragon and fingers. The only limit to the forms they take is your imagination.
The park is an interesting mix of mankind’s ingenuity and nature’s creativity. Cable cars flew in and out of Zhangjiajie’s different sections. These vehicles weaved through the towering rock formations, clouds and mountains. An elevator can take visitors whether going up or down to several floors in just over a minute. Paved roads, stairs and walkways made it easy for the young and old to explore. Buses ply their routes in regular intervals to shuttle passengers at each stop.
The weather gives the rock formations and mountains a different appearance. During my visit, the sky was clear and the sun was out. At various times of the day, the light dressed the pillars in orange, red or a touch of white. As the afternoon was about to end, clouds started to veil them.
The day before I left, the skies turned dark and rain began to fall. I didn’t let the inclement weather ruin my trip, so I decided to see another section of the park. A newfound friend and I decided to take the elevator up to the viewing platform to save some time. The rains and fog gave the pillars and rock formations a distinct, Chinese painting-like appearance. The mist drifted and wrapped around the rice field-shaped rocks.
We crossed the natural bridge and felt like we were walking on air, because of the thick cloud cover. We climbed up the flight of stairs to one of the peaks, but all we could see were fog and a glimpse of the stone pillar’s head.
We took the stairs going down the mountains as most people decided to take the cable cars and elevator. The patter of rain and our own voices were the only sounds that filled our ears as we descended. The fog continued to shroud the rock formations as the latter receded into the background.
We made it back to the pathway along the river, its gushing sound mixed with the tapping of the light rain. The clouds faintly moved, revealing part of the mountain’s peaks. I could make out the vague shapes they took from below. I imagined I was up there, ascending and descending the steps, reaching for the heavens of Zhangjiajie’s dreamlike landscapes.
Travel info
The ticket costs CNY248 or roughly P2000 and includes the bus rides around the park. You have to pay for another ticket to take the cable cars and elevator. There are flights to and from Zhangjiajie from China’s big cities, such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Xi’an. You can also take an overnight train ride from Beijing, Guangzhou or Shanghai.
Image credits: Joshua Berida