Hunan
Zhangjiajie
The sandstone pillars are the reason most people come, and photographs do not prepare you. But the Tujia have lived among them for a very long time, and their food, music and building are the half of Zhangjiajie that visitors usually miss entirely.
The towers get photographed. The people who live below them do not.
Days in Zhangjiajie
-
Tujia Brocade and a Hunan Table in Zhangjiajie
One day, roughly 09:00 to 19:00
A private day with Tujia hosts below the sandstone towers — brocade weaving on a back-strap loom, hillside cooking, and the songs that go with both.
Questions
Who are the Tujia?
One of China's larger recognised minority peoples, long settled across western Hunan. Their timber building, brocade weaving and funeral songs are distinct from Han practice and still in daily use.
Is Zhangjiajie only about the scenery?
The scenery is extraordinary and most itineraries stop there. Ours spends at least half the time with Tujia hosts, which is the part guests remember.