The Tianmen Mountain of Zhangjiajie in China is seen by many as an authentic Gate to Heaven, due to its ethereal appearance that seems to unite the mortal world with celestial divinity. Its view is enriched by the hundreds of steps that ascend to it and through which thousands of visitors climb daily.
The Gate to Heaven in Tianmen
The adventure begins from the center of Zhangjiajie in the Chinese province of Hunan. Visitors embark on a cable car ride that transports them to Tianmen Mountain. For half an hour the aerial vehicle crosses a distance of just under 8 kilometers and ascends 1,250 meters in height.
At the top of the mountain lies the so-called Stairway to Heaven, a structure of 999 steps that gradually lead towards the top of Tianmen Mountain, until finally the journey culminates with the impressive view of the highest naturally formed arch in all the planet.
There the great mountain gives life to a sculpture that seems planned by men, but that has rather been carved by geological history. Prehistoric rocks intertwine at the top of Tianmen to form the magnificent arch that allows the sun’s rays to cross. This is why it has been called the Door to Heaven, since it seems like a portal to another dimension, a kind of entrance to heavenly divinity where the gods communicate with humans.
The arch is 128 meters high and stretches 55 meters wide at the top of Tianmen. Getting to it is not at all easy, in addition to the cable car climb, once you reach the top of the mountain, the procession must continue on foot. The 999 steps of the so-called Stairway to Heaven must be climbed one by one, where the number 9 is sacred, as the staircase doubles 99 times on itself before finally reaching the Door to Heaven.
A sacred ancient formation
Of course, the great landscape that the natural arch offers has not been there forever. Until 263 AD it used to be a common cliff. But that changed when that year the geological formation gave way to the momentum of the passage of time and formed a natural arch. Although many claim that its formation is more of a mystery, which further raises the enigma of the mountain that according to him has a sacred character.
For those who decide to visit the portal to the divine, there are also other sections to admire. Apart from the beauty of the staircase that leads to the arch, you can visit the Tianmenshan Temple, which was built in 870 AD, and is the most important Buddhist center in western Hunan. You can also walk through the surrounding geopark full of passive nature and where there are also walkways hanging from the cliffs, some of them made of glass that allow you to look into the void.
The astonishing views make it clear why the inhabitants of believe it to be a sacred place, the union between the realm of the gods and mortals.