LET’S explore the activities that can be enjoyed when visiting China’s Avatar Mountains.
We arrived early at the oxygen bar square in Hunan Province, China.
This place is a Forest Park in Zhangjiajie, featuring a concrete footpath that stretches over five kilometers.
For our fellow countrymen who visit this part of China, be prepared for a long walk in the forest.
Before the pandemic in 2019, Zhangjiajie earned around 90 billion RMB (yuan) from tourism.
However, in 2022, it decreased to 20 billion RMB due to COVID-19 restrictions.
“As you can see, there has been great potential… It’s peaking up; it’s still recovering. So far, the number of tourists has returned to the pre-pandemic level and even surpassed it,” said Counsellor Zhou Li, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Interestingly, it’s not Westerners but Asians who constitute the majority of visitors. South Koreans top the list.
“You can find three languages: Chinese, English, and South Korean. Sometimes Vietnamese as well. Let’s enjoy the view. Happy trip,” said Counsellor Zhou Li, Information Department, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Afterward, we rode what is known as the “fastest and longest elevator” in the world, located at the foot of the Yuanjiajie scenic area—the Bailong Sky Elevator.
This elevator transports passengers from over 1,000 feet up the mountaintop and down in just 66 seconds.
Upon reaching the top, we witnessed the beauty of the Avatar Mountains, one of the film locations for the Hollywood Movie Avatar.
This place is often called the “Hallelujah Floating Mountains” because when the weather is misty, the mountains appear to be floating as they get covered by clouds.
Since 1992, this location has been recognized as a world heritage site by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and attracts numerous tourists.
“For example, just yesterday, more than 20,000 visitors entered this park, according to the official statement. More than 20,000,” said Michael Zhang, Zhangjiajie Foreign Affairs Office.
The Zhangjiajie local government promotes the area as a wonderland.
In fact, they recently launched a tourism slogan, “Wonderland of Zhangjiajie,” with a cost of only 300,000 RMB, or around P2.1-M.
Apart from the activities we experienced, there are plenty of things to do in Zhangjiajie, including various extreme sports like bungee jumping, drifting, rock climbing, and more.
The fee for a three-day unlimited tour in the area is 168 RMB.
It is recommended to spend more than a day exploring as it cannot be fully experienced in just one day.
During the visit of the Philippine Media Delegation, the local government hopes that more Filipinos will visit Zhangjiajie, strengthening the deep relationship between the Philippines and China.
For those planning to visit, we advise coordinating with legitimate booking firms to avoid any fraudulent transactions.
As the Holywood recognized very early on, this forest is truly a land like no other that defies the reaches of one’s own imagination.
