Tujia Folk Customs Park (Tusi City)

Rebuilt on the site of the Tusi City (Baishou Hall / Jiuchongtian Hereditary Hall—a 48m all-timber structure), a complex of Tujia stilted houses (diaojiaolou); regular performances of the Maogusi dance and hand-waving dance. A Tujia culture-themed park in downtown Zhangjiajie, it restores the layout and ritual order of a Tujia royal city around the Tusi City at its core: the 48-meter-tall Jiuchongtian Hereditary Hall is built entirely of wood without a single nail or rivet, its tiered flying eaves rising up the hillside, acclaimed as the crowning masterpiece of Tujia stilted-house architecture; the hand-waving dance and Maogusi dance are performed at set times before the Baishou Hall, and visitors can join the Tujia lads and lasses in dancing the 'Sheba Day'. The park displays historical materials on the tusi (native chieftain) system and the Xilankapu brocade-weaving craft; the stilted-house cluster, wind-and-rain bridge, and Tujia ancestral halls form a complete architectural sequence—a quick window into Tujia culture beyond daytime peak-forest sightseeing, easily reachable downtown with a convenient route.

Getting there: Downtown