Hunan

Zhangjiajie National Forest Park (湖南张家界国家森林公园) is located in Zhangjiajie City, Hunan Province, China. Well known for its pillar-like rock formations, Zhangjiajie National Forest Park is part of the larger Wulingyuan National Park that is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. There are about 90 of the pillar-like rocks that creates this breathtaking landscape.

The pillar-like rock formations are are the result of many years of erosion. The weather is moist year round, and as a result, the foliage is very dense. Much of the erosion which forms these pillars are the result of expanding ice in the winter and the plants which grow on them. These formations are a distinct hallmark of Chinese landscape, and can be found in many ancient Chinese paintings.

One of the park's quartz-sandstone pillars, the 1,080 meter (3,544 feet) Southern Sky Column, had been officially renamed "Avatar Hallelujah Mountain" (阿凡达-哈利路亚山) in honor of the film 'Avatar' in January 2010. According to park officials, photographs from Zhangjiajie inspired the floating Hallelujah Mountains seen in the film. The film's director and production designers said that they drew inspiration for the floating rocks from mountains from around the world, including those in the Hunan province.

China - Hunan