Ultimate Guide to Exploring Fenghuang Ancient Town, Zhangjiajie, and Changsha

📍 Changsha · 👁 2 reads · ❤️ 61 likes

There is a line from 'Roman Holiday': 'You can either travel or read, but either your body or soul must be on the way.' It roughly means, 'Your body or soul must always be on the road.' Travel puts your body on the road; traveling alone sets your soul in motion too.

Changsha Huanghua International Airport has direct flights from almost all domestic cities.

Upon arriving at the airport, follow the signs. Inside the airport, there is a direct passage to the maglev line. The fare is 20 yuan, cash only. In half an hour, you can reach 'Maglev High-Speed Rail Station' in the city center, which is 'Changsha South Station'. From there, transfer to the subway to easily get anywhere. It is convenient to stay near Wuyi Square. After dropping off your luggage, we visited Orange Isle in the afternoon.

The statue, based on Chairman Mao's image at age 32, showcases his vigorous and ambitious spirit.

Taiping Old Street, Pozijie Street, and Huangxing Road Pedestrian Street are clustered together, just a few minutes' walk from each other. They are Changsha's busiest commercial streets and food hubs.

Yuelu Mountain is a frequent destination for locals and a great place to enjoy autumn maple leaves. With an elevation of just over 300 meters, it is not high and easy to hike. Free admission, no registration required. It is close to Yuelu Academy, Aiwan Pavilion, Hunan University, and Dongfanghong Square, offering a strong cultural and academic atmosphere.

Yuelu Mountain has two main gates: the East Gate and the South Gate. Both allow you to take sightseeing buses or hike up and down. The cable car is only available at the East Gate. Note that the queue for the cable car going up is extremely long, but for going down, there are many fewer people. You can enter through the South Gate and exit through the East Gate to avoid crowds.

Hunan University's colleges are scattered at the foot of the mountain, not fully enclosed, so many students come and go, exuding a scholarly atmosphere.

At the top of the mountain, you can also see the 'Changsha Radio and TV Tower', one of Yuelu Mountain's landmarks.

The main attractions at the foot of the South Gate are these few. After a half-hour walk, you reach the summit. After passing a military restricted area, you come to the sightseeing promenade, where you can overlook the entire city of Changsha. There are also tea shops like Chayanyuese on the top, where you can enjoy afternoon tea and rest. However, you need to wait about half an hour for your drink.

A two- or three-day itinerary is usually enough for Changsha. Next, take a bus to 'Fenghuang Ancient Town'. There are several ways to get from Changsha to Fenghuang, but taking the bus is the most convenient, avoiding transfers. The fare is about 150 yuan and takes about 6 hours. The earliest bus is around 7 AM, arriving at Fenghuang Ancient Town by 1 to 2 PM.

Fenghuang Ancient Town is a 4A-level scenic area with a history of over 400 years. It is relatively well-preserved and highly commercialized. Centered around 'Hongqiao Fengyu Tower', it straddles both sides of the Tuo River.

You can only walk within the ancient town. Slowly strolling through the core area takes about two to three hours. Then wait for nightfall. If interested, you can buy a combo ticket for nine scenic spots to visit the former residences of celebrities.

In Fenghuang Ancient Town, I recommend trying the firewood cuisine (Chaihuo dishes). The taste is really good. I had never tried it before, and this time it pleasantly surprised me. It is a specialty of Fenghuang Ancient Town. The restaurant I visited is very famous; many celebrities and notable figures have eaten there. It is well-known, the food is excellent, the service is warm, and the prices are reasonable. Truly worthy of its long-standing reputation!

After nightfall, the once quiet and serene ancient town seems injected with stimulant. In stark contrast to daytime, colorful lights climb the city walls, interweaving beautifully.

Every night, the night view is dazzling and radiant. Singers on both sides of the river perform in turns, creating a breathtaking scene.

You can take a man-powered boat for a night cruise on the Tuo River, offering a unique experience.

After spending a day and night in Fenghuang Ancient Town and witnessing its nightscape, we departed for Zhangjiajie in the afternoon. From the only bus station in Fenghuang Ancient Town, take a bus. It takes 4 hours and costs 80 yuan to reach 'Zhangjiajie Central Bus Station', or 5 hours and 100 yuan to directly reach 'Wulingyuan Bus Station' – both on the same bus. The difference is that the former is in Zhangjiajie city proper, near 'Tianmen Mountain Scenic Area', while the latter is in Wulingyuan District, near 'Zhangjiajie National Forest Park'.

We arrived at Wulingyuan Bus Station in the evening. There are many guesthouses and hotels nearby, and it is convenient to eat. Most visitors to the forest park stay in this area.

Zhangjiajie National Forest Park has five gates. Since we were staying in Wulingyuan, we entered through the nearest 'Wulingyuan Marker Gate'. The itinerary for the first day was to enter from Wulingyuan Marker Gate, pass through Bailong Elevator - Yuanjiajie - Yangjiajie - Huangshizhai, and finally exit through the main gate of the forest park. For online ticket purchases, there is a dedicated internet channel; you can enter by facial recognition and ID card. After entering, there is no other route; you directly take the environmental shuttle bus. From there, you can go to Ten Mile Gallery, Water Winding Four Gates, Tianzi Mountain Cable Car Lower Station, or Bailong Elevator Lower Station. Confirm with the dispatcher before boarding to avoid taking the wrong bus. Today, we directly took the bus to the terminal stop, Bailong Elevator.

The one-way ticket is 75 yuan and takes 1 minute 28 seconds. I don't know if it's the fastest, but it's the most expensive elevator I've ever taken. Half of it is inside the mountain with no view. When it emerges from the mountain, you feel suddenly enlightened.

After exiting the elevator, walk a short distance and take the environmental shuttle bus to 'Mihun Platform', entering the Yuanjiajie area. Yuanjiajie covers about 1,200 hectares with an average elevation of 1,070 meters. It consists of main attractions like Mihun Platform, First Bridge Under Heaven, Back Garden, Two Turtles Ascending to Heaven, White Ribbon Hanging in the Sky, Immortal Official on the Cliff, and Black Dragon Spring. There are many viewing platforms overlooking the quartz sandstone peak clusters.

Mihun Platform is an iron-railed viewing platform on a sheer cliff. The scenery is beautiful and mesmerizing, hence its name.

First Bridge Under Heaven is a natural stone bridge formed between two peaks, over 20 meters long and with an absolute height of 350 meters. One cannot help but marvel at the wonders of nature; it is truly a masterpiece.

After Yuanjiajie, take the environmental shuttle bus to Yangjiajie Cable Car Upper Station. The fare is 76 yuan. You can also hike down through Yangjiajie, passing attractions like 'One Step to Heaven' and 'Tianbo Mansion'.

After descending from Yangjiajie, take the bus to Huangshizhai. You will pass Longfeng Nunnery, where there are many night monkeys. They are quite aggressive, so be cautious. After passing Longfeng Nunnery, take the bus to Huangshizhai Cable Car Lower Station.

Huangshizhai is one of Zhangjiajie's earliest and most classic attractions, featuring Liuqi Pavilion, Star Picking Platform, Golden Turtle in Sea of Fog, Book of Heaven Box, Remaining Pier of Heavenly Bridge, Monkey Marshal Mustering Troops, Southern Heavenly Gate, and Black Fir Ridge. The Huangshizhai cable car costs 75 yuan per person and takes over ten minutes to reach the summit.

To depart, take a flight from Zhangjiajie Hehua Airport, or take the train to Changsha and then fly. There are direct trains from Zhangjiajie to Changsha, with the earliest departure at 8:15 AM, arriving at Changsha Station at 12:40 PM. Take Subway Line 2 to Changsha South Station, where you can catch a bullet train or transfer to the maglev to Changsha Huanghua International Airport.

Travelogue Directory:

1. Changsha

2. Fenghuang Ancient Town

3. Zhangjiajie

4. Return Trip

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