Located in the south central part of the Chinese mainland, Hunan has long been known for its natural beauty. It is surrounded by mountains on the east, west, and south, and by the Yangtze River in the north. Its mixture of mountains and water makes it among the most beautiful provinces in China. National parks and UNESCO World Heritage sites abound, and it's currently in the headlines for being the location of the world's longest glass suspension bridge. The Wulingyuan area is noted for its thousands of quartzite sandstone pillars hundreds of feet high, along with many ravines and gorges with attractive streams, pools, lakes, rivers and waterfalls. The area is said to be the inspiration for the floating islands in the movie Avatar.
A few snapshots from the entrance of the Zhangjiajie Global Geopark:
interesting eco-buildings, random artwork, and the interior of the Yellow Dragon Cave.
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Visiting the Skywalk, the famous glass bridge that spans the width of the Zhangjiajie Great Canyon.
It is the longest and highest glass bridge on earth.
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Gorgeous multi-layered karst mountain backdrop behind the city of Zhangjiajie.
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The elaborately-choreographed "Charming Western Hunan" performance showcases the area's ethnic folk costumes and dances.
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Taking the Wulingyuan Ropeway cars up to even higher elevations for even more spectacular lookouts.
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The towering Bailong Elevator, literally "hundred dragons sky lift," is the world's tallest lift at 1,070 feet.
Time to descend to the canyon floor for more amazing views, this time looking up at these stone columns.
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Continuing the theme of Chinese people becoming recently obsessed with glass bridges,
in August 2016 a glass skywalk called the "Coiling Dragon Cliff" opened to the public.
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Breathtaking views of the mountains and canyons below.
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Natural obstacles have never been barriers to the Chinese!
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Heaven's Gate, from closeup and from afar. Beautiful no matter which way you look at it!