3-Day Tour of Tianmen Mountain, Bitter Bamboo Stockade, Jiutian Cave, Liujaping and Hongjiaguan

Depart downtown as early as possible in the morning. You may take Route A or Route B to reach Tianmen Mountain Scenic Area, visiting highlights including Li Na Villa, Glass Plank Road, Ghost Valley Plank Road and Tianmen Temple. After descending the mountain and dinner, you can take a coach to watch the grand live musical Tianmen Fox Fairy: New Tale of Woodcutter Liu Hai.

Set off from the urban area early in the morning to visit the thousand-year ancient stockade — Bitter Bamboo Stockade. Do not miss the lake cruise on its tranquil waters. Lunch can be taken here, then head for Jiutian Cave, known as "Asia’s No.1 Cave". After the cave tour, take a vehicle to Sangzhi or return to downtown Zhangjiajie.

Travel to Sangzhi County to visit the Former Site of the Headquarters of the 2nd and 6th Red Army Corps, Liujaping — the departure point of the Long March of the Second Front Red Army, as well as the former residence of Marshal He Long, one of China’s Ten Great Marshals. Experience red folk songs and revolutionary dances while listening to touching revolutionary stories. It feels as if visitors can hear impassioned cries of fate, tremors of countless souls, and soul-stirring odes to life and death echoing through history and the present.

Nestled on the south bank of the Lishui River in Zhangjiajie, Hunan Province stands a miraculous mountain: an isolated towering peak reigning supreme amid the sky. Carved into its thousand-meter sheer cliff is a through cave shaped like a grand gate hanging aloft, resembling a huge bright mirror suspended in the air. This mountain is Tianmen Mountain, hailed as the No.1 sacred mountain of western Hunan; the cave is Tianmen Cave, an extraordinarily rare natural through cave piercing a mountain mass. A line of ancient verse praises it: "When Tianmen Cave opens, mist drifts through the sky; even Emei Mountain east of the Yangtze pales in comparison." This divine mountain nurtures countless living creatures and bears endless legends waiting to be told.

Blessed with innate mystical beauty, Tianmen Mountain encompasses four major scenic zones: Open Tianmen Cave, Green Yao Terrace, Fairy-Seeking Wonderland, and Buddhist Realm in the Heavenly Heights, jointly forming a fantastic, mysterious sacred celestial land. World-famous stunt flight masters, Russian Air Force Warriors and French Spiderman have all performed breathtaking feats here. Eternal legends linger about Chisongzi, the Rain Master; Guiguzi, the originator of the School of Diplomacy; and renowned singer Li Na. The Tianmen Mountain Ropeway, the 99-Bend Heavenly Avenue and Tianmen Cave Escalator leave all visitors awe-struck. Boasting unique miraculous geological features, time-honored ancient culture and brilliant cultural relics, Tianmen Mountain has become a brand-new legendary icon of beautiful Zhangjiajie.

Tianmen Fox Fairy: New Tale of Woodcutter Liu Hai, the world’s first large-scale landscape live musical with complete plotlines, takes lofty mountain peaks as its backdrop and mountain gorges as its natural stage. It won the sole Gold Award for performance at the First China International Cultural Tourism Festival and has been designated a National Cultural Industry Demonstration Base.

"Bitter Bamboo" derives its name from the Tujia language, meaning "a riverside market town flanked by tall mountains on both sides". Located in Lifuta Township, Sangzhi County, 2.5 kilometers from Jiutian Cave, it is the best-preserved ancient town in northwestern Hunan. Founded in the Tang and Song dynasties and flourishing through the Ming and Qing dynasties, it boasts a history of nearly 2,000 years. Perched between an upper county government and perilous gorges, with mountains rising behind and a river flowing in front, it held a strategically vital position. It was once a bustling old dock on the upper Lishui River, crowded with merchant vessels and traders from all walks of life. The river flows on quietly, witnessing all the vicissitudes of human history.

In modern times, the rapid rise of overland transportation led to the decline of water shipping, and the ancient town was gradually forgotten deep in the gorges. Though stripped of its former prosperity, it largely retains its antique charm. Today, visitors can still trace its vanished glory through its worn streets, old buildings and faded shops. Ancient fire walls and low stilted dwellings showcase the extraordinary wisdom of the Tujia people. Flagstone paths and the melodious sound of the Dongdongkui wind instrument recount the stockade’s magnificent past.

Jiutian Cave sits in Shuidong Village, Lifuta Township, Sangzhi County, Zhangjiajie City, 17 kilometers from downtown Sangzhi. It gets its name from nine natural skylights connecting the cave interior to the outside world.

A super-large karst cave with complex geologic structures developed in Permian carbonate strata, Jiutian Cave is divided into upper, middle and lower three layers with a total explored area of 2.5 million square meters. The cave is filled with layered, gem-like speleothems — uniquely shaped stalagmites, stone curtains and stalactites spread everywhere, forming an unparalleled underground treasure trove rare across the globe. Famous for four unrivaled traits: vast scale, fantastic shapes, exquisite beauty and profound seclusion, it bears the titles "Crown of World’s Marvelous Caves" and "Asia’s Largest Cave".

Jiutian Cave features over one hundred scenic spots, including the Statue of the Nine Heavenly Goddess, Longevity Palace, Jade Spring, Smiling Buddha Welcoming Guests, Guanyin Seated on a Lotus Throne, Lovers’ Tryst, Galaxy Waterfall, Dancing Fairies and Natural Marble Pillars. A full tour takes 2 to 2.5 hours.

Hongjiaguan Tourist Zone is located in Hongjiaguan Village, Sangzhi County, Zhangjiajie City, Hunan Province, around a two-hour drive from downtown Zhangjiajie. He Long was a founding father of the People’s Republic of China, a distinguished military strategist and one of the founders of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army.

The Former Residence of He Long is a traditional north-facing wooden house with four beams and three rooms. It was originally built by He Liangshi, Marshal He Long’s grandfather, during the Daoguang reign of the Qing Dynasty, and later inherited by He Shidao, He Long’s father. He Long, alongside his elder sister, younger sister and younger brother, was born here and spent their childhood and adolescence within these walls. Due to the large household size, He Long’s father partitioned the three wooden chambers into six with wooden planks. The central room serves as the main hall, above which hangs a red plaque gilded with four golden characters "Former Residence of He Long", handwritten by Deng Xiaoping.

This historic site lies in Liujaping, Sangzhi County. During the Agrarian Revolutionary War, it served as one of the core regions for establishing the Hunan-Hubei Border, Hunan-Hubei-West Hunan and Hunan-Hubei-Sichuan-Guizhou Revolutionary Base Areas.

In early and mid-October 1935, the 2nd and 6th Red Army Corps (which merged with the 32nd Red Army to form the Second Front Red Army in July 1936) assembled all their troops around Liujaping, Sangzhi County. Their mission was to coordinate and support the Central Red Army’s Long March while preparing for their own breakout and long-distance expedition.

On November 4, leading cadres of the two corps and the provincial Party committee including He Long, Ren Bishi, Guan Xiangying, Xiao Ke and Wang Zhen held a conference to deliberate and finalize policies for the Red Army’s strategic shift and breakout plans. After thorough preparations following the meeting, the 2nd and 6th Red Army Corps held a grand oath-taking rally in pouring rain at Liujaping on November 19. He Long, Commander of the 2nd Red Army Corps, issued the official order to break through enemy lines and embark on the long expedition. That night, tens of thousands of Red Army soldiers from both corps set off from Liujaping, Gantianba and Maple Pagoda to carry out the strategic shift, later known as the Long March. From that moment onward, the name "Liujaping" was inscribed in history alongside the Long March.