A film that caused a sensation in the year of its appearance and still continues to amaze through the sequels created, managed to bring to light areas of the planet little known to the world, of unreal beauty.
The “Avatar” series – the third part will be released in 2025 and there are plans up to the seventh part – shocked in the year of its appearance, 2009, not only because it was among the most expensive cinematographic projects ever made, or because it was the highest-grossing film, but for the science-fiction idea approached, the technology and visual effects used, as well as the spectacular setting with fantastic landscapes in which the action takes place, on the Planet Pandora, from the film directed by James Cameron.
“Floating Mountains” is an outstanding example of how modern filming technology and inspiration from real nature can be combined to create stunning and captivating landscapes in cinematography. Their main source of inspiration is the spectacular rock formations that exist in reality, in China, in Hunan Province – Zhangjiajie Mountains. They served as the model for the design of the Hallelujah Mountains, one of the most impressive and memorable visual features of Avatar.
A decade and a half after the film that stunned the planet, two Romanian vloggers, Monica and Mircea, show what the places where the film was shot are really like and offer a series of valuable information about them.
Zhangjiajie Park in China the inspiration for DMS Collage Avatar
Prices in one of the most popular tourist destinations
“We have the chance to visit natural or man-made wonders. But the interesting thing is that some of them become popular in an organic way, by themselves, but others need a little help, and the film industry plays a very important role. For example, in Thailand Maya Beach became popular because DiCapri starred in a movie there, and this is also the case of where we are, Zhangjiajie Forest Park became a magnet for tourists in 2016, when the media revealed that certain scenes from “Avatar” were inspired by this place”mentioned the Romanian vloggers content creators of the YouTube channel “Ordinar Extraordinar” curious to know whether or not it is worth going all the way to China to see these places or if they are a tourist trap. “Are the mountains in Avatar real” – is the name given to the latest vlog (SEE VIDEO) of the two Romanian tourists.
From them we learn that the journey from the city to the park takes about 40 minutes by taxi, that there are several entrances, and the entrance ticket costs about 80 lei/person. Transport in the park, however, is paid separately. And that there are tours for four days, that’s how much this place has to offer.
At the automated entrance to the park, you need to present your passport, purchase the ticket based on it, and a photo.
Spectacular formations 300 million years old
Zhangjiajie Forest became China’s first national park in 1982, and ten years later it became a UNESCO heritage site, the rock formations here being 300 million years old and made of sandstone with quartz particles.
The thin and extremely tall stone pillars that made the place famous are considered unique. They rise dramatically from the dense forest, offering impressive scenery. The park therefore emerges from anonymity through these stunning rock formations, dense forests and a rich biodiversity.
Equally spectacular is the fact that the cliff tops are often shrouded in mist, creating mystical, dreamlike landscapes, the weather conditions adding a special beauty and fairytale atmosphere to the region.
“They are more impressive than Cappadocia”
The Romanians chose to reach the area from where the famous mountains can be admired on a shorter route, to be climbed for two hours on the steps: “There are some places in this world that just take your breath away… I don’t know if this is the best place, but this is the first time we’ve seen the formations we’re talking about and I can see why they’re so special, why I am a magnet for people It’s something you’ve never seen before”Monica admitted when she first laid eyes on “floating mountains”.
Making a comparison with the strange rocks of Cappadocia, which until now he considered number one of everything he had seen during his travels around the world, Mircea admitted: “I’m more impressive”.
And, at the top of the mountain, they were surprised to discover a real holiday village with an anthill of people, terraces, and queues formed by tourists eager to go down the mountain with the famous Bailong elevator.
The world’s highest outdoor elevator, Bailong
Zhangjiajie Park is also famous for having the world’s highest outdoor elevator (326m), the Bailong Elevator or 100 Dragons Elevator, which climbs and descends a steep cliff, offering a breathtaking panoramic view of the park. In its first two decades of operation, it carried more than 60 million visitors, representing one of the engineering geniuses of Chinese builders. It was included in the Book of World Records in 2015. It has won not one, but three Guinness World Records awards for: Tallest Fully Exposed Outdoor Elevator, Tallest Double Observation Elevator, and Fastest Passenger Elevator with Largest Capacity of transport.
Another means of transport inside the park is the litter / litter box / palanquin carried by two people on their shoulders, for those who get tired on the way, but also the buses that take tourists to the most popular attractions in the park.
“In addition to the beauty records, this park also boasts the largest outdoor elevator in the world, with wild monkeys, hectares (11,900 hectares – ed.) of flora and fauna characteristic of the area and last but not least, an experience 100% Chinese. Because Zhangjiajie is apparently one of the wealthiest regions in China, the vlog complements the one on Tianmen Mountain and the one on Fenghuang City”the vloggers stated in the description of the filming from the forest park.
However, they forgot to say how much the ride on the futuristic elevator cost him. On a dedicated website I discovered that it is about 65 yuan, which is the equivalent of 8.26 euros a round trip.
Tips on how to avoid queues and crowds
Monica and Mircea advise those interested in getting to these places, to avoid the crowds, to document in advance about the routes, how to avoid queues and how you can enjoy nature: “Usually, if you take it where the route is more difficult, there won’t be anyone.”
The elevator ride can be paid both through the Alipay application, but also with Mastercard or Visa on the spot.
“It was beautiful while it lasted, three seconds”, Mircea admitted, referring to the fact that part of the vertical road is made through the inside of a rock, so the period in which you can enjoy the view is quite short. The panorama is visible from 172 meters high to the top, while the entire route is covered in 32 seconds (two minutes – according to other sources).
Bailong actually has three multi-story elevators, each with a capacity of 4,900 kg, which is about 50 people. By comparison the Eiffel Tower is 330 meters tall including the antenna at the top, three floors and nine high-capacity elevators. It can be reached by elevator or stairs, up to the second level, which is 115 meters high, or by climbing 704 steps. The top level is 276 meters high and can only be reached by elevator. However, the length from the base of the rock in the Chinese park to the top is actually 1,000 meters.
The impressive glass bridge suspended 300 meters high
One of the most famous attractions of this park is the Zhangjiajie Glass Bridge, which at the time of its construction in 2016 was considered the longest and highest glass bridge in the world. It offers a unique experience of traversing a deep canyon with an impressive view of the landscape below the Wulingyuan area.
The bridge is 430 meters long and six meters wide, suspended approximately 300 meters above the ground. It is designed to accommodate up to 800 visitors at a time and was designed by Israeli architect Haim Dotan.
Due to lack of time, as they would later reveal in the comments, the Romanian vloggers who have been in China for several days, were not able to visit it again, as the park closes every day at 18:00. That is why the tours are organized over several days.
At the end of the visit, the Romanians concluded: “It’s really spectacular!”.
