ZhangJiaJie National Forest Park - China Best Place - Travel & Discover

China is associated with its immense expanse, ancient civilization, unique culture and densely populated cities. Even the forests are must-see places in China and are very different from the tropical jungles. Though not as dense as the forests of Africa or North America, the enchanting verdure and woods of the country have a different charm and essence of their own. From the vast emptiness of Tibet to the busy streets of Beijing, from the wondrous Great Wall of China to the heavenly Li River, and from the isolated Ming Dynasty villages to the cosmopolitan Shanghai, China presents an extraordinary diversity in terrain and lifestyle. Zhangjiajie is in the northwestern part of Hunan Province in China. It comprises the district of Yongding and counties of Qili and Sanzhi. Within it is located the Wulingyuan Scenic Area, which was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1992. The Chinese have known about the mystical landscapes of Zhangjiajie for centuries. Sandstone and limestone towers, jagged, fragmented and often shrouded in low-hanging clouds and mist, are magical indeed. Wulingyuan Scenic Area has a peculiar natural landscape which features original sandstone, dense forests and deep ravines. There are thick forests and running streams in the area, which constitute a picture that resembles a landscape painting. Among the peaks are numerous ravines and gorges, many containing attractive streams, rivers, pools and waterfalls. The National Forest Park was given the name of Zhangjiajie after the name of a small village located within its bounds. And now a popular tourist attraction within the park. The most notable features dominating the entire site are some 3,100 quartzite sandstone pillars and peaks, many of which are over 200 meters high. The huge number of precipitous quartzite stone peaks is spectacular and possibly unique in the world. These, coupled with the other landforms, natural bridges, ravines and caves, present an aesthetically beautiful landscape, enhanced by the mists and clouds which frequently shroud the site. It contains the most important and significant habitats for threatened species of plants and animals of outstanding universal value. Unlike many other areas of China, the site doesn't have a long human history. In ancient times, it was regarded as remote and inaccessible. Local legends indicate that Zhang Liang, a lord in the Han dynasty, lived in seclusion in Wulingyuan and was buried below Xingyang, which is now Zhangjiajie Mountain. Geological formations have fascinated humans since time immemorial. These geological rock formations are results of weathering caused by wind, water and ice over millennia. Cliffs, caves, arches, gorges and canyons are all such rock structures and formations, giving rise to gorgeous and sometimes intriguing landscapes. The geological formation of Wulingyuan belongs to the New Cathasian tectonic system. About 3.8 billion years ago, this place was a large stretch of ocean. After a series of geological changes, the bottom of the ocean rose out of the surface, and the quartzite sandstone pillars and peaks took shape after the gradual cutting, eroding and crumbling of nature for millions of years. It's not only the natural wonders, the architecture or the plush cities that make China alluring, but the ancient civilization also makes it an inevitable destination for tourists. The vastness of the Chinese culture, which includes everything from ancient kingdoms, warriors and barbarians to spirituality, religion and Chinese martial art, contributes to the extraordinary charm of the country. The mystical sense of oneness with nature is certainly not limited to the Chinese, but its people have developed an especially refined sense of reverence for mountains, rocks, streams, pools, animals, trees and flowers, in which the ever-moving spirit of the Tao is to be found. Landscape for the Chinese wasn't just a scenic backdrop to human activities, but was invested with deep religious significance, the contours of the earth reflecting cosmic influences, and the shape of the land decipherable like a sacred text. This sense of mystical communion with the natural world was most fully expressed in the great landscape paintings created in China over the past thousand years. Of all the Chinese arts, landscape paintings stand supreme and expresses most completely the Taoist vision of nature. These works derive from a number of cultural and religious sources, including Confucian, Buddhist and even Hamanistic traditions, but there's no doubt that this art form was a particularly important medium for the expression of Taoist mystical impulses. It was primarily practiced not purely as an art form in the Western sense, but rather as a kind of spiritual exercise, as a way of attaining insight into the Tao itself, and even as a way of participating in the creative activity of the Tao. Similar landscapes of rock pillars exist elsewhere in China and the world. With its clusters of sandstone pillars, Wulingyuan compares scenically with several national parks and monuments in the Western USA, such as Bryce Canyon, Pinnacles, Colorado, Canyonlands and Capitol Reef. Another outstanding area of sandstone towers is found in the Bungle Bungles of Western Australia. Due to its lower elevation and subtropical location, however, Wulingyuan has dense forests and also abundant water. The most comparable area is found within China in the Danxia area. Here, the pillars consist of red sandstone conglomerate, but they're sparsely distributed and don't have the luxuriant vegetation of Wulingyuan. Comparisons can also be made with other pillar landscapes in China, such as the Lunan Stone Forest, the Xiangyuan, which is volcanic, Gansu in Shanxi and at Wind City in Xinjiang. Due to the special geological movement of Wulingyuan, the water-cutting force of the streams creates an environment for vegetation to grow. The place is very rich in vegetation resources. According to investigation, the plants of high order have reached as many as 3,000 species. Wulingyuan lies in the Central China Botanic Region of the Sino-Japanese Botanic Zone and was a refuge for many ancient species during the Quaternary Glacial Era. The vegetation comprises predominantly evergreen broad-leaved forests below 700 metres. The flora is diverse, with 3,000 higher plants. These are split fairly evenly between tropical, subtropical and temperate species. Many of the species are of value for timber, medicinal or ornamental purposes. A number are globally threatened with extinction, including nine rare and three vulnerable species. It wasn't until the 1990s that the Yangjiajie scenic area was preserved. Legend has it that in order to suppress rebellion, the famous Yang family, a family quite loyal to the court, who contributed to the fighting against Qi Dan in the Song Dynasty, camped and settled here later because of the continuous war. And as a result, Yangjiajie emerged. So far, the pedigree of the Yang family is still well kept in this area, which also contains the Tianbo Mansion, Liulang Bay and Qilang Bay. Together with the natural scenery of the four sections of the park, the life and customs of several Chinese minority groups, Tu, Miao, Bai, are also of interest. As the first state-level forest park in China, it's been described in different ways, such as majestic, eccentric, tranquil, delicate and wild. One of the park's quartz sandstone pillars was officially renamed Avatar Hallelujah Mountain in honour of the eponymous film in January 2010. Home to more than 3,000 spectacular sandstone pillars, a third of which rise to a height of at least 200 metres, the Wulingyuan Scenic and Historic Interest Area has been praised as one of the most beautiful places in the world. The peaks stand next to one another like bamboo shoots, fantastic, grotesque, lofty and elegant, making up a forest of peaks and shaping the land into a natural labyrinth. Among the 3,103 sandstone peaks in the spot, the best known are Golden Whip Cliff and Mount Tianmen, which is said to be the soul of Wulingyuan. Low cloud coverage and an endless array of streams often leave the reserve covered in a primordial mist, bringing about the magnificent sea of clouds. Wulingyuan is a very rare view of forested sandstone peaks coupled with karst caves. It has a very rich variety of plants and other resources. It's known as the gene bank of plants, the natural museum, the indicator of environment and the laboratory to study ecological systems. In December 1992, the 15th meeting of the World Heritage Committee of UNESCO approved the inscription of Wulingyuan on the inventory of World Heritage Sites.