Tianmen Mountain

Tianmen Mountain (simplified Chinese: 天门山; traditional Chinese: 天門山; pinyin: Tiānmén Shān; lit.: 'Heaven's Gate Mountain') is a mountain located within Tianmen Mountain National Park, Zhangjiajie, in the northwestern part of Hunan Province, China.

Tianmen Mountain
天门山
Highest point
Elevation1,518.6 m (4,982 ft)
Prominence1,518.6 m (4,982 ft)
Coordinates29°3′9.65″N 110°28′58.8″E 
Geography
Tianmen Mountain
Location in Hunan

A cablecar was constructed in 2005[1] by the French company Poma from nearby Zhangjiajie railway station to the top of the mountain. Tianmen Mountain Cableway is claimed in tourist publications as the "longest passenger cableway of high mountains in the world", with 98 cars and a total length of 7,455 m (24,459 ft) and ascent of 1,279 m (4,196 ft). The highest gradient is 37 degrees. Tourists can walk on kilometres of paths built along the cliff face at the top of the mountain, including sections with glass floors. An 11 km (7 mi) road with 99 bends also reaches the top of the mountain and takes visitors to Tianmen cave, a natural arch in the mountain of a height of 131.5 m (431.4 ft).[2]

The Tianmenshan Temple is located on the summit, with chairlift or footpath access. The original temple here was built during the Tang dynasty and destroyed during the first part of the 20th century. In 1949, as the Chinese Communist Revolution neared its end, construction of a new temple, with Tang dynasty architecture, commenced; the temple now sits on landscaped grounds covering 2 hectares (4.9 acres).

In 2007, Alain Robert scaled the cliff below the arch, bare-handed and without protection; a plaque commemorates his feat.

The World Wingsuit League held the first and second World Wingsuit Championships in Tianmen. On October 8, 2013, during a training jump for the second world championships, Viktor Kováts plunged to his death when he was unable to open his parachute.[3][4]

In August 2016, a glass skywalk overlooking Tongtian Avenue, called the "Coiling Dragon Cliff",[5] opened to the public.[6]

In February 2018, a hybrid Range Rover SUV driven by Ho-Pin Tung climbed the 45-degree angle staircase of 999 steps to Heaven's Gate using a combination of gasoline and electric battery power.[7]

  • View of the Heaven-Linking Avenue from a cable car
  • View of the natural arch and the stairway leading to it
  • View under the arch
  • Plaque commemorating Alain Robert’s climb in 2007
  • Tianmenshan Temple
  • The cliff path that encircles the mountain top
  • Guanyin Pavillion at Tianmenshan Temple
  • Tianmen Mountain National Park entrance

Events

Range Rover Sport (2018) Dragon Challenge – EXTREME CLIMB The challenge began at the bottom of the legendary 11.3km Tianmen Mountain Road (known as the Dragon Road).The showroom standard Range Rover Sport P400e took on the demanding course,with Panasonic Jaguar Racing’s Ho-Pin Tung behind the wheel and the Terrain Response 2 system in Dynamic mode.Ho-Ping Tung racing driver accepted LandRover's Dragon Challenge:drive 99 turns and 999 steps on the 45° steep stairway towards Heaven's Gate with the Range Rover sport.

References
  1. "The Sky Gate Escalators". Lift Magazine. Retrieved June 7, 2018.
  2. Tianmen Mountain, Hunan Zhangjiajie Tianmenshan Tourism Co. Ltd.
  3. Armstrong, Paul (October 12, 2013). "Wingsuit flier Viktor Kováts dies after cliff crash horror". Hong Kong. CNN. Retrieved December 1, 2013.
  4. Cadenbach, Christoph. "Sprung ins Ungewisse" (in German). Süddeutsche Zeitung Magazin. Retrieved December 1, 2013.
  5. "Glass cliff walk in China: Scary Coiling Dragon Cliff walk opens". News.com.au. August 3, 2016. Retrieved September 10, 2016.
  6. Yu, Elaine (August 2, 2016). "China's cliff-clinging glass skywalk opens to public". CNN. Retrieved August 2, 2016.
  7. Massey, Ray (February 12, 2018). "Range Rover's new hybrid tackles China's Tianmen Mountain". This is Money. Retrieved February 23, 2018.


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