Hallelujah Mountain

Hallelujah Mountain in Zhangjiajie

Hallelujah Mountain, or Floating Mountain is the inviolable holy area for Na’vi People in film Avatar. Are the Hallelujah Mountains real? The answer is “Yes”. The prototype of Hallelujah Mountain in the film locates in Zhangjiajie National Forest Park in central China. Or to be more specific, it is in Yuanjiajie of the Forest Park. Once called Qiankun Column, it is one of the most famous peaks there. With the raging popularity of Avatar, Qiankun Column was renamed Hallelujah Mountain in year 2010.

In the film, one of the most amazing scenes must be those huge floating rocks on Pandora Planet. Their tops are relatively flat and covered with lush vegetation while the cliffs are sharp. Rivers flow from the top and down along the cliff, forming magnificent waterfalls in the air.

While in the real world, it is a 1,074-meter-high peak (3,524 feet) with a vertical height of 150 meters (490 feet). With its top also covered by lush trees and the side as sharp as being chopped by knife, it stands straight in the Forest Park, looking very eye-catching. 

Actually, there are so many similar stone peaks in Zhangjiajie National Forest Park. They shape like humans, animals, or other objects. For such distinctive scenery, the Park was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. It also has the reputation of “3,000 Great Peaks and 8,000 Beautiful Rivers” for its secluded valleys and dense forests.

The magnificent peaks in Zhangjiajie are the joint efforts of crustal movement, water flow, and wind erosion. Billions of years ago, the earth's crust in Zhangjiajie experienced countless rises and falls. Then, under the effects of water flow and wind, the dissolution of the soft rocks on the surface was accelerated and the hard quartz sandstones began to emerge upward, gradually forming into those independent pillars. At the same time, water and wind left their traces when passing by the rocks, which made the pattern or shape of each peak different from others.

Other Peaks in Zhangjiajie National Forest Park

 

Before being named “Hallelujah”, the peak was called QianKun Column and South Pillar of Heaven. In Chinese culture, Qiankun means the sky and earth, so both names imply its extreme height.

It is said that the peak is formed by the weapon, golden cudgel, of Monkey King, one main character in one of the four classic Chinese novels Journey to the West. He inserted the golden cudgel from the Heavenly Palace all the way to the earth, forming a huge peak, which showcased his great magic power.

To watch the Mountain, you can go to Huangshizhai and Yuanjiajie’s Lianxin Steel Bridge and the No.1 Stone Bridge in the World, from which you can watch the side profile of Hallelujah Mountain.

Want to watch or take the best picture of Hallelujah Mountain? Then, reach the above places at sunrise. With the wrap of sunshine, the rock seems to glow the golden light. Another good observation time maybe when it is misty. With the mist pervading around the bottom of the peak, it will “float” like the scene in Avatar.

Tip: To see the Mountain at sunrise, you can stay at the hotel within the Forest Park the night before.

Zhangjiajie Forest Park Eco-bus

Arrive in Zhangjiajie National Forest Park and then take eco-bus to any of the below sites to appreciate Hallelujah Mountain:

No.1 Stone Bridge/ Lianxin Bridge: Get off at the lower station of Bailong Elevator, take the Elevator or climb to reach Yuanjiajie, and then walk to the 2 places;

Huangshizhai: Get off at the lower station of Huangshizhai Cable Car and go to the summit by climbing or the Cable Car.

Here are the prices for the single ride of Bailong Elevator and Huangshizhai Cable Car

	Bailong Elevator	Huangshizhai Cable Car
Adults	CNY65	CNY65
Children aged under 18	CNY33	CNY33
The elderly aged over 60	CNY33	CNY33

 

	Admission Fee	Admission Fee and Eco-Bus
Adults	CNY165	CNY224
Minors aging 14 – 18 and Seniors aging 60 – 65, including 60	CNY83	CNY113
Minors under 14	Free
Seniors aged and over 65	Free	CNY30

Note that the ticket includes all the attractions in Zhangjiajie National Forest Park except Yellow Dragon Cave and Baofeng Lake.
 Zhangjiajie National Forest Park: 7:20 – 17:00, with 17:00 being the last entry time
Huangshizhai Cable Car: 7:00 – 17:30
Bailong Elevator: Mar. to Nov.: 07:30 - 19:00; Dec. to Feb.: 08:30 - 17:45