Zhangjiajie

The city has a recorded history dating back to 221 BC. Its name was Dayong (大庸) until 1994 when it was renamed to link it to the Zhangjiajie National Forest Park (itself named after a tiny village now known as Zhangjiajie village or Zhangjiajie Cun), which came within city borders after Dayong had become a prefecture-level city in 1988. This name was adopted to give the city more prominence after this site had been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1992. The name Zhangjiajie is linked to the Han Dynasty general and minister Zhang Liang (died about 189 BCE). By some accounts he lived in seclusion on this mountain after retirement.

Zhangjiajie City has complex and diverse strata, creating a local characteristic landscape. Zhangjiajie is at the junction of the uplift of the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau and the subsidence area of ​​Dongting Lake. There are mountains, karsts, hills, hills, and plains in the landforms. The mountainous area accounts for 76% of the total area. The central part is along the banks of the Lishui River in a north-easterly direction, and the southern mountains are descending towards the Yuanshui River. The rivers in the city are vertical and horizontal, and the water system is mainly Lishui and Lushui.

Zhangjiajie has a typical monsoon humid climate in the middle subtropical mountains, with four distinct seasons, abundant rainfall, sufficient sunshine, a long frost-free period, and a short severe cold period. The average annual sunshine is 1440 hours, the average temperature is 16 degrees, the average annual precipitation is about 1400 mm, and the average frost-free period over the years is 216 to 269 days. Due to the influence of topography, landform, and other factors, the climate in the territory is complex and changeable, and natural disasters such as droughts, floods, strong winds, and hail are also frequent.

Zhangjiajie has a large temperature difference between day and night, and the temperature difference between the four seasons is relatively small. The temperature difference between the core scenic spots in Zhangjiajie and the urban area is about 5-10 ℃, the hottest time is 39 ℃ in the urban area, and about 30 ℃ in the scenic area. In summer, you need to bring sunscreen and sleep with a thin quilt at night, so it is best to bring long-sleeved clothing when staying at the top of the mountain at night. Spring and autumn are the best time to travel to Zhangjiajie.

• 🌍 Zhangjiajie Hehua International Airport (DYG  ^IATA formerly named Dayong Airport). It has direct flights to many domestic locations, as well as Taiwan and South Korea. Flights are relatively scarce - about 25 per day total. 

Be careful with the taxi drivers in the airport parking lot. They are likely unwilling to use the meter. They may claim that your destination is very far and attempt to charge you a "parking lot fee". Call your hotel or hostel to find out how much the trip should cost and ask them to speak with a taxi driver for you. It should cost only ¥20-40 total for a trip from the airport to Zhangjiajie city. Alternatively, you may take a local public bus (service number 4) to the city. The Airport Bus, or Bus 4, is a circular route that reaches the city or bus station. The fare is ¥1. It runs from 06:00 to 19:00 and the departure station is 100 m (330 ft) before the airport gate. Divided into two lines, the routes are as follows.

Line A, in the direction of Nanzhuangping, reaches the Airport Hotel, Ziwu Road, Beizheng Street, the department store, the bus station, the pedestrian street, the railway station, and then back to the airport via Guanliping.

Line B, the direction of Guanliping, goes through the railway station, the pedestrian street, the bus station, the department store, Xianglong International Hotel, Beizheng Street, Ziwu Road, the airport hotel, and back to the airport via Nanzhuangping.

• 🌍 Zhangjiajie Station. You can take a train from Changsha, about 4 hours, or Huaihua, about 4 hours. Train from Shenzhen West (K0964) to Zhangjiajie, 17 hours, overnight, about ¥480. 
• 🌍 Zhangjiajie West Station. A new high-speed rail link opened in December 2019, cutting travel time from Changsha to about 3 hours. However, this new line stops at Zhangjiajie West Station, which is slightly outside Zhangjiajie City. 

Intercity buses from Changsha take 5 hours and are boarded at the Changsha West bus terminal (a fancy new building that resembles a shopping mall, next to the Wangchengpo subway stop). These buses run approximately hourly with the last bus departing around 19:00. Fare is about ¥120.

• 🌍 Puguang Chan Temple (普光禅寺, 普光寺 Puguang Temple), 70 Jiefang Road, Yongding District (永定区解放路70号) (bus nos. 6, 7 and 8), ☏ +86 744 8292697. 08:00-18:00. An old Chan Buddhist temple dating from the 15th century. ¥40. (updated Oct 2022)
• 🌍 Zhangjiajie Museum (张家界市博物馆), Intersection of Dayong Road and Ziwu Road, Yongding District (永定区大庸路与子午路交叉口) (bus nos. 1A, 1B, 2, 11, 15, 101, and 102; the Bamenxi-City (八门溪-市内) and Maoxi-City (茅溪-市内) buses also stop here), ☏ +86 744 8209899. 09:00-16:30, no tickets issued after 15:30, no entry after 16:00, closed on Mondays. Free. (updated Oct 2022)
• 🌍 Tujiafengqingyuan. 08:30-17:00. Zhangjiajie Tujiafengqingyuan is in Zhangjiajie, a scenic pearl. The transportation is very convenient, only ten minutes' drive from the airport and railway station. The park covers an area of more than 809 acres and has a total investment of 75 million yuan. It is a large-scale comprehensive tourism service enterprise integrating cultural and natural landscapes, integrating tourism, cultural performances, rare exhibitions, accommodation, catering, entertainment and shopping. 80. (updated Nov 2022)

• 🌍 Wulingyuan (武陵源), Wulingyuan District (武陵源区) (take a bus from either Zhangjiajie Central Bus Station or the bus station at the Zhangjiajie West Railway Station), ☏ +86 744 5611109. The natural scenery of Wulingyuan is magical with mountain peaks. Among them, there are more than 3,000 strange peaks, with vivid images, and magnificent momentum. The main scenic spots in Wulingyuan are Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, Suoxi Valley Nature Reserve, Tianzi Mountain Nature Reserve and the Yangjiajie Scenic Area. See the Wulingyuan article for further details. ¥224. (updated Oct 2022)

• 🌍 Maoyanhejiutiandong. Zhangjiajie Maoyan River Jiutian Cave AAAA Tourist Scenic Spot, starting from Jiutian Cave in Sangzhi County in the west, passing through Kuzhu Village, a thousand-year-old town, to Kuzhu River Grand Canyon known as the mysterious canyon and Maoyan River drifting known as Baili Gallery. The Jade Emperor Grottoes, a group of grottoes ending in the south, are more than 100 km long. (updated Oct 2022)

• 🌍 Zhangjiajie People's Hospital (张家界市人民医院), 140 Tianmen Street, Guyong Road, Yongding District, ☏ +86 7448227836. Zhangjiajie People's Hospital is a tertiary general hospital integrating medical treatment, prevention, health care, teaching, scientific research and emergency treatment. 
• 🌍 Zhangjiajie Hospital of Tcm (张家界市中医院), Huilong Road, Yongding District, ☏ +86 0744-8266005. Zhangjiajie Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, founded in 1958. It is located in the city of Zhangjiajie, a World Natural Heritage Site. It is the only comprehensive "Grade IIIA" Chinese medicine hospital in the city.