China: The Pillars of Pandora in Zhangjiajie
Avatar’s World in Hunan, China
This post has been in my drafts for about 7 years (>.<); it’s supposed to be a series of my China travel then, but I did not really have the time to publish. Cleaning up my drafts, and this one seems done, so I’m just publishing it. I’m planning to go back to this place and will try to blog about the experience.
By living in Hong Kong, you would have imagined me going to China for a quick weekend often, but I never really had the time to do so, and I feel like a weekend won’t be enough for the exploring that I have in mind. I’ve always wanted to go to Shanghai and Beijing and try the high-speed train, but I realized I can’t do all of that in one trip if I wanted to maximize my vacation time; so for my first visit, I opted to go to a place nearer via the high-speed train. I and 2 of my colleagues went to Changsha via high-speed train, and I got to say it’s one of the most breathtaking views I’ve ever seen. It’s definitely one for the books!
Background:
Hunan is a province in the southern central part of China. It is gifted with complicated and jaw-dropping structures, both ancient and modern. This trip was mainly concentrated around Zhangjiajie, particularly, the UNESCO World Heritage Site in Wulingyuan District – a scenic and historical site that gave inspiration to the setting of the 2009 blockbuster, Avatar. This is a must-add to your bucket list, especially if you are, like me, fascinated with nature.
High-speed Rail:
The Hong Kong- China Highspeed Rail opened in September 2018, connecting Hong Kong to mainland China. The Hong Station is located in West Kowloon near the Austin and Airport Express stations in Kowloon. It’s a pretty decent alternative to flights with speed, as we have experienced, going as fast as 300 km/h. The farther places may take up to 9 hours, but Shenzhen, the nearest to HK, will take ~30 mins. Seats are pretty convenient, and the same set-up as the Taiwan and Japan high-speed trains. I would say it’s a little on the pricey side, but nothing that will break the bank.
From Hong Kong, it took us about 3.5 hours via the high-speed rail to Changshanan station. We booked tickets online since the tickets were sold out fast, and we paid 990 HKD for first-class tickets (price is still within range in 2026). We were only given confirmation emails, though; actual tickets are still to be collected in the ticketing booths. Update: There will no longer be any tickets, just an email confirmation. You will be asked to input your passport or ID number upon booking, and that will serve as your ticket to get inside. If you consider taking the train, I’d say arrive at least an hour earlier for checks and immigration. The trains leave exactly on schedule, so it’s a must to be on time.
What to see:
On to the reason for this post – the must-see sites. For ease, we actually booked a private tour package with Western Hunan (Zhangjiajie) China Travel International Service Co., Ltd. – just a little disclaimer, this is for mere information only, and opinions about the travel agency are entirely based on our experience, which was fortunately pleasant (Update: Not sure if they are still in business or have already changed name). We were picked up at the Changshanan station by a van as soon as we arrived, and we had a personal assistant (sort of a butler style) during the trip – he served as our driver, tour guide, and photographer; he really went above and beyond.
Click on the link to direct you to the related post:
Day 1. Zhangjiajie Huanglong Cave (Yellow Dragon Cave)
Day 2. Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, Yuanjiajie, Tianzishan, Shili Gallery (Ten-Mile Gallery), Jinbian Creek
Day 3. Huangshizhai (Yellow Lion Village), Jinbianxi (Golden Whip Brook), Glass Bridge
Day 4. Tianmenshan National Forest Park, Fenghuang Ancient City (Phoenix Ancient City)
Day 5. Phoenix Ancient City
Day 1: Zhangjiajie Huanglong Cave (Yellow Dragon Cave)
The first day’s schedule was pretty hectic. We arrived at Changshanan station around noon, and from there, it took us about 4 hours (if I remember correctly) to our first destination – the Yellow Dragon Cave. Since we were on a tight schedule that day, our luggage was left in the van, and our hotel check-in was pushed back after the cave.
I’ve been to the Puerto Princesa Underground River in the Philippines, which is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, so I went in with high expectations, and boy, were those exceeded. It’s probably the most beautiful cave I’ll ever see in my life!
A view of the inside:
Yellow Dragon Cave, or Huanglong Dong in Chinese, is an enormous and popular cave located in Wunglingyuan District. It has different levels and sections, including endless stairs, floor-to-ceiling stalagmites and stalactites, waterfalls (yes!), underground rivers, and more. It makes the mountain look very hollow because of how far it extends. It’s an expansive mass of land, making it difficult to navigate through, and we actually got lost on our way out. We also probably missed a couple of sections, but the ones we saw were more than enough.
I must say that the addition of the multi-colored lights gives majestic vibes, no matter where your vantage point is. The following images will show the different sections inside the cave as we saw them.
A view of the outside:
We started the tour to the Yellow Dragon Cave by alighting and passing through a local marketplace that leads to the entrance of the park. The park just outside the cave is a picturesque scene by itself, which features beautiful trees, ponds, and watermills. Our travel assistant bought the ticket for us since it’s part of the tour package, but if you want to self-plan, these tickets cost 100RMB.
Reminders:
The cave is a little chilly inside; if you’re one to get cold easily, you may want to wear something thicker. For me, it was okay since walking and climbing up and down the stairs is actually very tiring. Also, keep in mind that the place is very popular and has a lot of tourists – expect to meet different kinds of people, especially when queuing up for the boat. The tourists could be very loud; some will even push you, so just bring patience and a mask for protection (not being stagey, but a little caution won’t hurt).
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