A Zhangjiajie Trip That Was Fun Even Without a Plan

This journey should have happened ten years ago, but through a series of twists and turns, it was delayed until now. I have to say, it truly felt like fate’s design. It fell right during the holiday season when train tickets were sold out. I managed to get a ticket with Zhangjiajie as the final destination.

Thinking that since I had the ticket and the time, why not go? So, I hastily booked a hotel before departure and entrusted them to arrange tickets for Zhangjiajie National Forest Park. Remarkably, even during this peak tourist season, I managed to secure reservations for the highly popular Cable Car Line A at Tianmen Mountain—and at a discounted rate. Could this be fate?

But the greatest blessing came when the cable car ascended from the city into the mountains. Though shrouded in rolling clouds below, we pierced through thick layers to emerge into a crystal-clear, serene expanse. Sunlight poured down upon the vast, ethereal landscape, adding a touch of enchanting poetry. Even our tour guide, who visited daily, marveled that he hadn’t witnessed such a spectacle in over half a month. Truly, this too was a stroke of luck.

Riding this wave of good fortune, we circled the entire summit of Tianmen Mountain until the Heavenly Ladder at the cave entrance plunged steeply before us. By then, our legs had long since given out. We finished the 999 steps with a mix of tears and laughter, clocking 30,000 steps. Thankfully, the Three-Pot Feast dinner, washed down with Chayanyueshuang tea, washed away half our fatigue.

Returning to the hotel for a foot soak revived us further. If you ever visit, don’t miss Changde Jishi time-honored spicy beef rice noodles—we slurped noodles for three straight days, yet only crave the shop opposite Tianmen Mountain Cableway. Just thinking about it makes my mouth water.

The two days in the National Forest Park felt even more magical. Walking among the bizarre peaks and rocks of yangjiajie, we marveled at nature’s artistry. Somehow, we started talking about “fate.” My daughter impatiently brushed me off, “I don’t want to hear your lectures,” she insisted, chattering away about where to spot monkeys. My frustration boiled over, and I retorted, “I’ll show you!”

No sooner had the words left my mouth than a macaque appeared. She beamed at me, “Mom, you’re amazing!” Then came an unforgettable close encounter: a large monkey snatched her backpack. Terrified, she dropped everything and ran for her life. All our snacks were scattered in an instant. The monkeys didn’t care if they could eat them, if they tasted good, or even if they knew how—they swiftly divided the bags of treats among themselves and vanished into the forest.

Grandma found a shady spot and pulled out the last bite of dry food from her backpack to stave off hunger. Once again, she faced a multi-pronged attack from monkeys approaching from all directions. A fierce, flushed-faced male monkey reached out to snatch her food, triggering another scene of abandoning sustenance for survival. This scared away all the nearby tourists, leaving only a mother-daughter pair the same age as my daughter—and us—laughing so hard we could barely stand up straight.

She looked familiar, so I asked, “Did you visit Tianmen Mountain yesterday?” The girl shook her head. “Did you arrive yesterday then?” “We took the train from Beijing and arrived early yesterday morning.”
Goodness! Wasn’t this the very serendipity I’d just mentioned? My daughter and I spoke in unison—we were on the same train! We must have seen each other in the soft-sleeper car, right?

The girl nodded. “I recognized you too!” How fascinating! She was only a month or so older than my daughter, and coincidentally, they shared so many similarities. Kindred spirits always recognize each other.

We agreed to explore the rest of the trail together. When we parted, they promised
to be best friends forever.
With photos as proof.
How romantic!