Tianzi Mountains, China

The Zhangjiajie National Forest Park
(literally “Hunan Zhangjiajie National
Forest Park”) is a unique national
forest park located in Zhangjiajie City
in northern Hunan Province in the
People’s Republic of China.
Zhangjiajie is also known as the
Wulingyuan scenic area, including
Zhangjiajie, the Tianzi Mountains,
Suoxi Valley, and more. The scenery
of Wulingyuan is truly spectacular.
Zhangjiajie is considered one of the
most beautiful places in China.
Zhangjiajie city is situated on the
semitropical monsoon humid climate
zone with a modest climate, plentiful
sunshine, flush rainfalls, fertile land
and rich tourist resources.

In 1982 it was recognized as China’s
first national forest park. Zhangjiajie’s
main tourist draw is the Wulingyuan
Scenic Area, which was added to the
UNESCO World Heritage list for its
lush vegetation, unique sandstone
pillars, pristine waters and a wide
variety of species of flora and fauna in 1992. It contains three major sights
including the Zhangjiajie Forest Park,
Suoxi Vale, and Tianzi Mountain with
total coverage is 396 square
kilometers. It was then approved by
the Ministry of Land and Resources as
Zhangjiajie Sandstone Peak Forest
National Geopark in 2001. In 2004,
Zhangjiajie Geopark was listed as a
UNESCO Global Geopark

The most notable geographic features
of the park are the pillar-like
formations that are seen throughout
the park. They are the result of many
years of erosion. The weather is moist
year round, and as a result, the foliage
is very dense. Much of the erosion
which forms these pillars are the
result of expanding ice in the winter
and the plants which grow on them.
These formations are a distinct
hallmark of Chinese landscape, and
can be found in many ancient Chinese
paintings.