Discover Zhangjiajie: Culture and the Mountain Route

The museum brings together several exhibition areas, while Route A on Tianmen Mountain describes a specific itinerary on the mountain. This lets you distinguish cultural topics from your planned excursion before choosing accommodation.

Dayong Ancient City: Historical Traces and Themed Areas

Dayong Ancient City reopened as a historic cultural and tourism district on July 10, 2026, and was opened to the public at that time. The 165,500-square-meter complex is located in the urban area of Zhangjiajie. Its design incorporates historical remains of the former prefectural city of Dayong and the old South Gate. These elements give the site a tangible connection to the former city, while its design as a cultural and tourism complex takes up additional themes.

The 2026 reopening concept featured three areas: Hao Liu Street, a Mango TV experience street; Guai Market, a creative social meeting place; and Shouyi Lane, a venue for the living transmission of intangible cultural heritage. The names and functions relate to this concept and may change as operations evolve. They show the complex’s different focal points: the experience street, meeting place, and cultural heritage each have their own emphasis.

The Tujia Festival “六月六” in July 2026

On July 19, 2026, the Zhangjiajie festival for the Tujia Festival “六月六” was held at Dayong Ancient City. The program comprised three themed areas and six individual events. It included performances of the intangible cultural heritage arts of Daliuzi, Sanbanggu, and Yongding Yangxi. There was also a staged depiction of a Tujia bride’s lament and an interactive Nuo mask-painting experience. This gives a specific account of the cultural program at the time, not an indication of future dates.

The festival also included a riverside market. Local specialties such as glutinous rice cakes, Hezha, and ice sweet wine were offered there. These foods are described as part of the market at this event. If you use the festival details to plan your trip, keep in mind that they refer to the July 2026 edition.

Museum and Sandstone Painting

The Zhangjiajie Museum brings together exhibitions on history, folklore, and geology, as well as urban development and planning. Its subject matter therefore ranges from historical and cultural topics to geology. The Junsheng Sandstone Painting Academy has a much more specialized focus: it is an exhibition venue for sandstone painting, was founded in 2001 by painter Li Junsheng, and is located in the urban area of Zhangjiajie.

To choose based on your interests, compare the subjects: the museum covers several fields of knowledge, while the academy focuses on a specific art form. The academy is about 35 kilometers from the Wulingyuan Scenic Area. This distance provides a sense of the locations of the two sites without specifying a travel time.

Route A on Tianmen Mountain

Route A begins after the security check at the lower cableway station in the urban area. From there, it goes to the upper station and the sightseeing attractions on the summit. Next, a seven-stage escalator that passes through the mountain descends to Tianmen Cave, which is part of the route. The sequence is clearly described: ascent, summit sightseeing, then the section leading to the cave.

The route description comes from a guide published in 2022. Check the route arrangements before your trip. For regional context, the Tianmen Mountain Nature Reserve lies in northwestern Hunan, on the outskirts of Zhangjiajie’s Yongding District.

Getting There

A bus connection described in 2022 runs from Zhangjiajie Railway Station on routes 6 and 8 to the Puguang Temple stop. From there, it is about a four-minute walk. The approximate walking time refers to the section from the stop. Check routes and schedules before setting out so that your plans are based on current information.

Discover more destinations: Zhuzhou, Xiangxi, Huaihua, Shaoyang, Xiangtan, Changsha, Loudi, Yongzhou.

See the full travel overview: Hunan.