We left the popular, crowded eastern coast of China for the rocky, wild interior, stopping in several major cities of more than 5 million people along the way that are largely unknown to a Western audience. And, while those cities were brimming with culture, art, and incredible food, I’ll focus here on our destination: the mountain town of Zhangjiajie in the now-famous Zhangjiajie National Forest Park.

Angela couldn’t help but compare Zhangjiajie to Moab, Utah. Not because of its culture or topography, but because it’s the perfect home base for two of the most incredible natural areas on the planet. While Moab has Arches National Park to the northeast and Canyonlands National Park to the northwest, the city of Zhangjiajie sits ideally between the Zhangjiajie National Firest and the equally-impressive Tianmenshan (Tianmen Mountain) to the other side.

You will recognize the karst pillars of Zhangjiajie from the Avatar movies, the floating mountains of which were based appropriately on the red and brown columns of rock found throughout this otherworldly landscape. And, while the impossibly-balanced rock spires certainly inspire awe and wonder, the verdant foliage clinging to the towers are the real heroes here. Centuries-old evergreens finding purchase on a two-foot ledge, with roots reaching into the heart of the pencil-thin mountains, slowly tearing their heavenly home apart but having no choice otherwise.

Cling, erode, and survive. Or die. 

Vines reaching out and down into the abyss, forever failing to reach the valley thousands of feet below. Flowers throwing petals and hearty fruit throwing seeds into an unseen river, like coins in a wishing well, never knowing if they will ever matter. 

Hope endures, even for the flora.

And everything covered in the rushing mist, wet in the shadows but quickly drying in the sun and wind and deceptively thin air.

Angela and I explored this magnificent world, daring wooden paths suspended over the precipice and dodging the resident monkeys when necessary. Like everywhere in China, even at the very gates of the firmament itself, you can still find a plastic souvenir, an excellent hot meal, and a stiff drink. So, we wandered and wondered and indulged.