Zhangjiajie National Forest Park (Wulingyuan)

China's first national forest park (established 1982), UNESCO World Natural Heritage (1992) and Global Geopark; a quartz sandstone peak forest landform of 3,000-plus pillars ("enlarged bonsai, a shrunken fairyland"), the debate over the prototype of Avatar's floating mountains and the official naming of Qiankun Pillar as "Hallelujah Mountain". Established in 1982 as China's first national forest park and inscribed as World Natural Heritage together with Tianzi Mountain and Suoxi Valley in 1992, its quartz sandstone peak forest landform is unique worldwide — more than 3,000 stone pillars rise abruptly as if cut by knife and axe, described by travel writers as "enlarged bonsai, a shrunken fairyland". The dispute over the prototype of Avatar's floating mountains led to Qiankun Pillar being officially named "Hallelujah Mountain", lifting Zhangjiajie from a forestry farm in western Hunan to a world-class destination; the pass is valid for four days and eco-shuttle buses link all the sights — "three thousand peaks, a new view at every turn" is the truest experience here.

Getting there: High-speed rail, Zhangjiajie West Station / shuttle bus from downtown to the Forest Park ticket gate