Zhangjiajie pillars

The floating mountains from 'Avatar'

In Zhangjiajie more than 3,000 stone pillars reach for the sky — some 200 metres tall, with trees growing on top! In the mist they seem to float in the air — the floating mountains in the film 'Avatar' were based on this place. The pillars are sandstone worn away by rain and rivers over 300 million years. There is also the world's longest glass bridge (430 m) here!

Zhangjiajie National Forest Park (1982 — China's first) is part of the Wulingyuan Scenic Area (UNESCO, 1992) in Hunan province. Over 3,100 quartz-sandstone pillars, many above 200 m (the tallest, 'Southern Sky Column', stands 1,080 m above sea level); Devonian sandstone (380 million years old) was uplifted and then eroded by water and ice along fractures — a 'peak forest' landscape. Constant mist and subtropical forest; 3,000 plant species, salamanders, macaques. James Cameron's team photographed it as reference for the 'Hallelujah Mountains' in 'Avatar' (2009); in 2010 the Southern Sky Column was renamed 'Avatar Hallelujah Mountain'. The Bailong Elevator is a 326 m outdoor lift (the tallest), the glass bridge (2016) spans 430 m at 300 m height, and Tianmen Mountain has its 'Heaven's Gate' (999 steps). 30 million visitors a year.

Fun facts

• The floating mountains in 'Avatar' came from Zhangjiajie; one pillar was renamed after the film.
• The world's tallest outdoor lift, 326 m, is here.
• The glass bridge is 430 m long and 300 m up.