Tianmen Mountain

Tianmen Mountain rises 1,518 metres above Zhangjiajie city and is topped by a broad, flat plateau of primeval forest, misty cliffs, and Buddhist temples. Its defining feature is Tianmen Cave ("Heaven's Gate"), a 131.5-metre-tall natural arch that punches through the mountain's southern face — large enough to fly aircraft through, which has been done in several spectacular air shows. According to local legend, the arch appeared spontaneously in 263 AD with a thunderclap, dividing the cliff face and opening a "gate to heaven." The mountain is reached by the world's longest passenger cable car (7.5 km), which ascends from the city centre through 99 bends to the summit. A glass-floored skywalk called the Coiling Dragon Cliff Path clings to the cliff face near the summit, offering vertiginous views straight down the mountainside. Near the summit, Tianmen Temple is an active Buddhist complex with centuries-old halls and incense smoke drifting through the mountain mist. The 999 steps down through Tianmen Cave to a viewing platform is one of the most dramatic walks in Hunan province.