Tianzi Mountain Zhangjiajie
Name in Chinese: 天子山 Tiān Zǐ Shān [tiæ dzi sæ]
Duration of Tour: Three Hours
Location: Wulingyuan District, Zhangjiajie Prefecture, Hunan Province
Highlights: Dramatic Landscape of Sandstone Pinnacles, Photography and Hiking
Reputations: a World Geo-park, a World Natural Heritage Site, a Five-star Scenic Area
Tianzi Mountain adjoins Zhangjiajie National Forest Park in the south. It is a component of the world natural heritage site, Wulingyuan. The landscape of Tianzi Mountain is similar to that of Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, which features a large number of quartz sandstone pinnacles. Tianzi Mountain is well-known as the King of Stone Pinnacle Forests. The sandstone pinnacle forest covers an area of 54 square kilometers(21 sq.mi). It is the largest one in Mainland China. The mountain has been sculpted into numerous odd pinnacles by natural weathering and erosion. Tianzi Mountain is also notable for the four natural phenomena, namely, the sea of cloud, the moonlit night, the snows, the rosy glow cast by the rising/setting sun. When the pinnacles are shrouded in mist, the mountain will be a veritable fairyland. The scene is one of breathtaking beauty.
The altitude of the mountain ranges from 534 meters(1,752 feet) to 1,266 meters(4,154 feet) above sea level. The summit of the mountain is Tianzi Peak. Its original name was Qingyan. Xiang Dakun was a rebel leader who called on local people to rise up against the government at the beginning of the Ming Dynasty(1368-1644). He jumped off a cliff of the mountain, after the rebellion had been suppressed by the Ming’s government troops. The rebel leader was regarded as a hero of the Tujia people. In order to commemorate the suicide, the locals built some shrines in the mountain and renamed the peak “Tianzi”, meaning “the son of heaven(or god)”. In ancient times, Chinese emperors claimed that they were sons of heaven.
Travel Tips:
How to Get to Tianzi Mountain
Tianzi Mountain Scenic Area is located to the north of Zhangjiajie National Forest Park. Tourists can fly to Zhangjiajie from major cities within Mainland China, such as, Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Xi’an and Guangzhou. Some of the tourists also travel to Zhangjiajie by car from the Three-Gorge Dam which is located in Yichang, Hubei Province.
Weather
Zhangjiajie Prefecture has a humid semi-tropical climate with distinct four seasons. The average temperature in Zhangjiajie ranges from 6℃(42.8°F) to 14℃(57.2°F) in spring, 19℃(66.2°F) to 28℃(82.4°F) in summer, 24℃(75.2°F) to 33℃(91.4°F) in autumn and 10℃(50°F) to 18℃(64.4°F) in winter. The best time to travel to Zhangjiajie is between April and October.
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Author: Tina Luo
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