Tianzi Mountain Nature Reserve

Location: in the northern part of Wulingyuan Scenic Area in Hunan Province
Height: the highest peak is about 1,262m (4,140 feet)
Area: 67 square kilometers (16,550 acres)

Tianzi (Son of Heaven) Mountain Nature Reserve is one of the four scenic spots in Wulingyuan (three other spots are Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, Suoxi Valley Nature Reserve and Yangjiajie Scenic Area). 
 

Tianzi Mountain

Tianzi Mountain provides stunning views of peaks, which rise one after another. It is known as 'the Monarch of the Peak Forest'. At the top of the mountain, visitors can see the full extent of the Wulingyuan Scenic Area. Beautiful scenes of the mountain greet visitors in different seasons. There are four wonders: the Sea of Clouds, the Radiance of the Moonlight, Rays of Sunshine and the Snow in winter.
 

Just like Suoxi Valley, Tianzi Mountain was formed by sedimentary rocks 318 million years ago. Those rocks, eroded by the water and wind, slowly turned into quartz stones, which formed those amazing peaks in the scenic area.
 

Tianzi Mountain takes its name from a man, Xiang Dakun. He was the leader of the Tu ethnic group during the last years of the Southern Song Dynasty (1127 -1279). Xiang Dakun led a revolution and avowed himself as Tianzi (Son of Heaven). Visiting this scenic area, visitors can see many sites about his story, the most impressive being: the Yu Bi Peaks, the Xi'an Nü San Hua, and the Shen Bing Ju Hui.

With pine trees on the top, the Yu Bi (imperial brushes) Peaks rise upward into the sky. Legend goes that they are brushes the Tianzi-Xiang Dakun used that became stone peaks after his martyrdom. The Xi'an Nv San Hua (floral tributes by fairies) is slightly opposite the Yu Bi Peaks. A legend goes that Xiang Dakun and his army were defeated to fall back on the Tianzi Mountain. He fought to the finish, but finally jumped off the cliff. A girl in love with him went across the mountain to search for him. She strewed flowers over the cliffs and turned into a stone statue. Shen Bing Ju Hui is a forest of soldier-like peaks arrayed for a review.
 

Tianzi Mountain in Winter

Visitors can take a cable car to see these charming peaks. With 692 meters' (about 2,270 feet) difference in elevation, the aerial tramway is 2,084 meters (about 2,279 yards) in length. The minimum running time is six minutes and twenty-two seconds for a single trip during which visitors can keep the wonderful scenery of the Tianzi Mountain in view.
 

The yearly average temperature is 12 degrees centigrade, and annual average rainfall is 1,800 millimeters. There are around 240 frost-free days. The best months to explore this mountain are April, May, September and October.
 

Recommended Tours

2 Days Essence of Zhangjiajie from $369

4 Days Zhangjiajie Avatar Mountains Tour from $529

5 Days to Zhangjiajie, Furong & Fenghuang