Image credit: chensiyuan - chensiyuan, CC BY-SA 4.0,
Image Source: commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=22046362
Image Source: commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=22046362
THE CHALLENGE
By the end of this blog, you know how to pronounce the name Zhangjiajie, at least in your head. Phonetically, the name is pronounced zhangji-a-jie or SZ-aa-ng-J-ee-aa-J-ee-uh. You can go to https://www.pronouncekiwi.com/Zhangjiajie and hear how to pronounce it, or you can take the lazy route to enlightenment and simply substitute the word Avatar.
WHAT PUT ZHANGJIAJIE ON THE RADAR?
In 1982, Zhangjiajie National Forest Park became China’s first national forest park. It comprises almost 12,000 acres, which is only a part of the much larger, 153.5-square-mile Wulingtuan Scenic Area. Ten years later, in 1992, Wulingyan was officially recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and Zhangjiajie is listed as a UNESCO global geopark.
The location has been known for a long time, but as far as the western part of the world, the general public had never heard of it and couldn’t pronounce it. Think about it… if you can’t pronounce something, it’s hard to talk about it.
The location achieved world renown through the 2009 movie Avatar. Rumor has it that James Cameron drew his inspiration from this venue when he was working on the production of the movie. The locals say a Hollywood photographer came to the Wulingyuan Scenic Area in 2008 and took photos which later formed the basis of the animated floating mountains in the movie.
Image Source: ▼ tripandtravelblog.com/the-flying-mountains-of-avatar
By the end of this blog, you know how to pronounce the name Zhangjiajie, at least in your head. Phonetically, the name is pronounced zhangji-a-jie or SZ-aa-ng-J-ee-aa-J-ee-uh. You can go to https://www.pronouncekiwi.com/Zhangjiajie and hear how to pronounce it, or you can take the lazy route to enlightenment and simply substitute the word Avatar.
WHAT PUT ZHANGJIAJIE ON THE RADAR?
In 1982, Zhangjiajie National Forest Park became China’s first national forest park. It comprises almost 12,000 acres, which is only a part of the much larger, 153.5-square-mile Wulingtuan Scenic Area. Ten years later, in 1992, Wulingyan was officially recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and Zhangjiajie is listed as a UNESCO global geopark.
The location has been known for a long time, but as far as the western part of the world, the general public had never heard of it and couldn’t pronounce it. Think about it… if you can’t pronounce something, it’s hard to talk about it.
The location achieved world renown through the 2009 movie Avatar. Rumor has it that James Cameron drew his inspiration from this venue when he was working on the production of the movie. The locals say a Hollywood photographer came to the Wulingyuan Scenic Area in 2008 and took photos which later formed the basis of the animated floating mountains in the movie.
Image Source: ▼ tripandtravelblog.com/the-flying-mountains-of-avatar
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Image source: youramazingplaces.com/hallelujah-mountains
The Chinese tourist industry knew a good thing when they saw it and have capitalized on the movie ever since. They adopted the slogan “Pandora is far, but Zhangjiajie is near”.
It is now one of the “don’t miss” places in the world. In fact, the Southern Sky Column in Zhangjiajie was formally named Avatar Hallelujah Mountain at a ceremony in 2010.
Southern Sky ▲ Avatar Pillar is 3,540 feet tallImage
Image Source: weirdasianews.com/2010/02/07/china-renames-mountain
It is now one of the “don’t miss” places in the world. In fact, the Southern Sky Column in Zhangjiajie was formally named Avatar Hallelujah Mountain at a ceremony in 2010.
Southern Sky ▲ Avatar Pillar is 3,540 feet tallImage
Image Source: weirdasianews.com/2010/02/07/china-renames-mountain
ZHANGJIAJIE NATIONAL FOREST PARK
The entire Wulingtuan Scenic Area is filled with amazing scenery and geographic features, enhanced by man-made novelties like glass bridges and the world’s tallest outdoor elevator, the Bailong Elevator.
Bailong Elevator
Bailong in Chinese mean Hundred Dragons. The glass elevator hangs on the side of a tall cliff in the Zhangjiajie’s Forest Park. Construction started in 1999 and the lift was open to the public in 2002. Operation was suspended for ten months in 2002-2003 for safety reasons. It is 1,070 feet high and carries 50 visitors to the top.
The entire Wulingtuan Scenic Area is filled with amazing scenery and geographic features, enhanced by man-made novelties like glass bridges and the world’s tallest outdoor elevator, the Bailong Elevator.
Bailong Elevator
Bailong in Chinese mean Hundred Dragons. The glass elevator hangs on the side of a tall cliff in the Zhangjiajie’s Forest Park. Construction started in 1999 and the lift was open to the public in 2002. Operation was suspended for ten months in 2002-2003 for safety reasons. It is 1,070 feet high and carries 50 visitors to the top.
 |  ▲ ◄ Image source: pinterest.at/pin/537335799285249009/ |
Southern Sky Column / Avatar Hallelujah Mountain
Zhangjiajie’s Forest Park is known for the pillar-like landforms such as Southern Sky Column/ Avatar Hallelujah Mountain. In this general area there are approximately 3,000 of these tall quartzite sandstone pillars.
These towering columns are not underlain by limestone and are not the result of chemical dissolution, but result from uncounted years of physical erosion.
Much of the weathering that forms these quartz-sandstone pillars is the result of expanding ice in the winter and the plants that grow on them. The weather is moist year-round, and as a result, the foliage is very dense. The weathered material is carried away primarily by streams.
Over a period of 2.6 million years, the formation of the geology in the area uplifted the crust in the Zhangjiajie area. Running water along the joints and fissures cut the quartz sandstone into the landforms like mesas, tablelands, peak walls, peak forests and single-peak groups. The crust is still rising slowly, and Zhangjiajie geomorphologic landscape is still under formation and change.
THE VIEWS ARE NOT ONLY ROCK PILLARS
Zhangjiajie’s Forest Park is known for the pillar-like landforms such as Southern Sky Column/ Avatar Hallelujah Mountain. In this general area there are approximately 3,000 of these tall quartzite sandstone pillars.
These towering columns are not underlain by limestone and are not the result of chemical dissolution, but result from uncounted years of physical erosion.
Much of the weathering that forms these quartz-sandstone pillars is the result of expanding ice in the winter and the plants that grow on them. The weather is moist year-round, and as a result, the foliage is very dense. The weathered material is carried away primarily by streams.
Over a period of 2.6 million years, the formation of the geology in the area uplifted the crust in the Zhangjiajie area. Running water along the joints and fissures cut the quartz sandstone into the landforms like mesas, tablelands, peak walls, peak forests and single-peak groups. The crust is still rising slowly, and Zhangjiajie geomorphologic landscape is still under formation and change.
THE VIEWS ARE NOT ONLY ROCK PILLARS
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▲ Source of Images: iliketowastemytime.com/zhangjiajie ▲
▼Image source: windows10spotlight.com/images/ Image Source: the007world.com/zhangjiajie ▼
▼Image source: windows10spotlight.com/images/ Image Source: the007world.com/zhangjiajie ▼
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Sunset over zhangjiajie Image credit: Getty Images
Image Source: chinadiscovery.com/zhangjiajie-tours Image Source: www.redbull.com/glass-skywalks
Image Source: chinadiscovery.com/zhangjiajie-tours Image Source: www.redbull.com/glass-skywalks
If you are physically up to this kind of trip, definitely add it to your bucket list. You’ll never regret it.
JUST SAYIN’
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Sources:
https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/
https://whc.unesco.org/en/criteria/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhangjiajie_National_Forest_Park
https://tripandtravelblog.com/the-flying-mountains-of-avatar-are-located-in-china/
https://the007world.com/zhangjiajie-national-forest-park-china/
https://www.chinadiscovery.com/hunan/zhangjiajie/avatar-mountains.html
https://www.weirdasianews.com/2010/02/07/china-renames-mountain-avatar-movie/
https://j-miin.tumblr.com/post/25281389389/realism-in-avatar-film
https://www.thousandwonders.net/Zhangjiajie+National+Forest+Park
https://www.zhangjiajietourguide.com/article-p263-landform-of-zhangjiajie.html#:~:text=Landform%20of%20Zhangjiajie%20Zhangjiajie%20lies%20in%20southern%20China,agents%20like%20water%20erosion%2C%20gravity%20collapse%2C%20and%20weathering.
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g494933-d505450-Reviews-Zhangjiajie_National_Forest_Park-Zhangjiajie_Hunan.html
https://www.popsugar.com/smart-living/photo-gallery/34753886/image/34787516/Zhangjiajie-National-Forest-Park-China
https://www.chinadiscovery.com/zhangjiajie-tours.html?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIrpCe3rLs7wIVCxmtBh05wQtWEAAYAiAAEgLpEvD_BwE
Photos:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=22046362
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10097026
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=25405860
https://www.youramazingplaces.com/hallelujah-mountains-china/
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=56431467
https://windows10spotlight.com/images/2ffe9512604071eea6e5ba338a783a6e
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