Heaven's Gate Arch

Heaven's Gate Arch (Tianmen Dong) is the spectacular natural opening that punctures the southern face of Tianmen Mountain, 1,518 metres above Zhangjiajie city. The arch measures 131.5 metres high and 57 metres wide — large enough to accommodate the famous aerobatic displays in which aircraft fly through the gap, a spectacle performed by the Red Bull Air Race team. According to local legend, the arch appeared spontaneously in 263 AD with a thunderclap that split the cliff, opening a "gate to heaven." Today it is reached via 999 steps that ascend from a mid-mountain cable car station through the arch's interior to a viewing platform on the far side, with sheer drops on either side and mountain mist swirling through. The arch is the centrepiece of the Tianmen Mountain Scenic Area, with a glass-floored skywalk (Coiling Dragon Cliff Path) on the summit plateau providing additional vertiginous thrills.