China – Zhangjiajie – Tianmen Mountain

– OCTOBER 09, 2015

Tianmen Mountain is a mountain located within Tianmen Mountain National Park, Zhangjiajie, in northwestern Hunan Province, China.

A cablecar was constructed from nearby Zhangjiajie railway station to the top of the mountain. Tianmen Mountain Cableway is claimed in tourist publications as the “longest passenger cableway of high mountains in the world“, with 98 cars and a total length of 7,455 metres and ascent of 1,279 metres. The highest gradient is an unusual 37 degrees. Tourists can walk on kilometres of paths built onto the cliff face at the top of the mountain, including sections with glass floors. An 11 km road with 99 bends also reaches the top of the mountain and takes visitors to Tianmen cave, a natural hole in the mountain of a height of 131.5 metres.

A large temple is also located on the summit with chairlift or footpath access. The original temple here was built in the Tang Dynasty. Today a more recent construction with Tang dynasty architecture occupies the site and includes a vegetarian restaurant.

Tianmen Mountain – Cable Car ticket office.

Tianmen Mountain – Cable Car Station.

Tianmen Mountain – View of Sports Arena from the Cable Car

Tianmen Mountain – View of the Train Station from the Cable Car.

Tianmen Mountain – Cable Car Views.

Tianmen Mountain

Tianmen Mountain – Escalator within the mountain down to the natural arch.

Tianmen Mountain – Path to the natural arch.

Tianmen Mountain – View of the natural arch.

Tianmen Mountain – View of the natural arch.

Tianmen Mountain

Tianmen Mountain – View under the natural arch, with the bronze climber statue.

Tianmen Mountain – View under the natural arch, close-up view of the bronze climber statue.

Tianmen Mountain

Tianmen Mountain

Tianmen Mountain – View down the stairway leading to the natural arch.

Tianmen Mountain – the stair tread depth of the stairway leading to the natural arch. Not quite up to NBC standards of 11″ treads (only 2/3 of my foot fits on the stair tread).

Tianmen Mountain – View of the natural arch and the stairway leading to it.

Tianmen Mountain – View of the natural arch and the stairway leading to it.

Tianmen Mountain

Tianmen Mountain – Us with the Big Hero Six character.

Tianmen Mountain – Jill with the Big Hero Six character.

Tianmen Mountain – View of the natural arch and the stairway leading to it.

Tianmen Mountain – View of the natural arch and the stairway leading to it.

Tianmen Mountain

Tianmen Mountain – View of the natural arch and the stairway leading to it.

Tianmen Mountain – Signs like this are needed in China. The children here have no boundaries and scream/hit unlike any other children we have seen in any other country.

Tianmen Mountain – View from the cliff path that encircles the mountain top.

Tianmen Mountain

Tianmen Mountain – View of the west side glass bridge cliff path that encircles the mountain top.

Tianmen Mountain

Tianmen Mountain – View from the west side glass bridge cliff path that encircles the mountain top.

Tianmen Mountain – View from the west side glass bridge cliff path that encircles the mountain top.

Tianmen Mountain – View from the west side glass bridge cliff path that encircles the mountain top.

Tianmen Mountain – View from the cliff path that encircles the mountain top.

Tianmen Mountain – View from the cliff path that encircles the mountain top.

Tianmen Mountain

Tianmen Mountain

Tianmen Mountain – The echo well. When you drop a stone into this well you will receive a girl with one echo, a boy with two echoes, and twins with three echoes.