Daredevils descend on Zhangjiajie's iconic peaks

Argentina's Lautaro Chialvo celebrates after winning the 2024 Parkour on the Highest Ladder at Tianmen Mountain National Forest Park in Zhangjiajie, Hunan province, on Aug 25. (Chen Zeguo/Xinhua)

Standing atop a vertigo-inducing platform 1,458 meters in the air, and surrounded by Zhangjiajie's iconic towering verdant peaks, Ambroise Serrano from France, dives into the air, gliding in his specially designed wingsuit toward a 10-centimeter target in the valley below.

The Frenchman was not alone on his way to this year's World Wingsuit League Wingsuit Flying World Championship title, joined by similar daredevils from across the globe descending on Tianmen Mountain National Forest Park in Zhangjiajie, Hunan province, for the 10th iteration of the event.

The world's top 16 fliers competed in the most recent championship in September, which included a speed section, where contestants launched themselves from a 1,458-meter platform on the mountaintop, gliding 1.3 kilometers to the finish line, descending 990 meters vertically before landing. Their maximum speeds reached can hit more than 200 kilometers per hour.

The stunning performance of the athletes and the breathtaking view of the scenic areas in the city has prompted the return of increasing numbers of international travelers to Zhangjiajie, known for being the inspiration for the scenery in the Hollywood blockbuster Avatar.

From this year, the country has implemented a visa-free entry policy for 38 countries for 30 days, and expanded the 144-hour visa-free transit policy to 37 ports and 54 countries, according to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

Tian Hongman, deputy director of the Zhangjiajie bureau of culture, tourism, radio, television and sports, said the city welcomed a total of more than 786,000 international travelers in the first half of this year, up by 671 percent from the same period last year.

Tourism revenue from international travelers reached more than $218 million during the period, marking a year-on-year increase of 737 percent, she said.

The total number of foreign travelers is expected to reach between 1.3 million to 1.5 million for the whole year, she said.

Nie Senfeng, director of Zhangjiajie immigration inspection, said the number of foreign travelers arriving via international flights to the city has seen remarkable growth this year, with the highest daily entry being more than 3,000.

The number of travelers on international flights this year had reached almost 400,000 as of Sept 26, with more than 2,500 flights arriving, marking an increase of 177 percent compared to last year, he said.

There are 50 international flights each week between Zhangjiajie and 13 international destinations, he added.

Serrano, the wingsuit champion, said he enjoys coming to China, and especially the scenery in Zhangjiajie.

The scenery and landscape in Zhangjiajie are amazing, and he had no idea something like this existed in the world before coming to the place, he said.

According to the organizers, the seven-day competition, from Sept 13 to 19, attracted almost 100,000 visitors to Tianmen Mountain, and the event was viewed by more than 10 million people online.

Ding Yunjuan, deputy manager of the marketing department for Tianmen Mountain, said the scenic area is always thrilled to welcome flying enthusiasts from home and abroad.

Tourists from South Korea take pictures on a glass bridge in Zhangjiajie in May. (Chen Zhenhai/Xinhua)

The scenic area is known for its Tianmen Cave, a natural karst cave, which has a height of around 131 meters, a width of approximately 57 meters and a depth of about 60 meters, Ding said.

The cave has also become a hub for extreme sports enthusiasts to take part in parkour, bungee jumping and experiencing the glass walkway, she added.

All of this has made it one of the most famous scenic areas for international travelers in Zhangjiajie.

Jean Jacque Wallis from South Africa finished second in this year's wingsuit target competition and second in the speed competition.

It was the third time he'd participated in the event in Zhangjiajie, and he believes it's the best wingsuit event in the world.

"There is no place in the world like this, where there is a big cave and lots of spectators. The whole crowd can watch it. It's the best place to watch the sport and it's amazing to have the energy of all the people," he said.

Tian, the local tourism official, said that with the combined efforts from the local government and private tourism enterprises, Zhangjiajie has made strides in its international image branding through various marketing events and strategies.

The city has also worked hard to improve its services and infrastructure for international travelers. All major transport hubs, scenic areas, hotels and restaurants have signs in Chinese, English and Korean, she said.

Dhiren Rodrigues, 23, from Australia and visiting Zhangjiajie, said the popular tourist site was highly recommended online.

"Many people in the West believe it is difficult to travel to China, but if foreigners get Didi, Alipay (Chinese ride-hailing and payment apps) and a translation app, they will be okay. You do not need much," Rodrigues said.

The thing that shocked me the most is how friendly people here are, he added.

Tourism to China is not a big thing in Australia, and most people who visit are among the first of their friends to do so, so there is so much potential, he said.

China is affordable to get around, has very good food, safety, friendly people everywhere, and it can rival Western countries in terms of tourism attraction, the Australian added.

Twenty-three-year-old Fabian Kulhavy and his father Micheal, from Spain, also recently visited Zhangjiajie.

It's portrayed in Western media that it is not safe to travel to China; it's scary and one might get lost and never come back, Fabian Kulhavy said, so he wanted to see for himself. He found out it was just the opposite.

"I really like it and people are very nice. Even if they do not speak English, they will try to help you in any way they can," he said.

He said he will recommend his friends travel to China, because it's nothing like what the Western media says.

They are portraying China in a negative way because they are afraid that China has so many people, is a big country with advanced development, he said.

David Santiago Escriband, 35, also from Spain, said the infrastructure in Zhangjiajie, with cable cars and elevators, makes it accessible for everyone to enjoy the beautiful mountain views.

"Everything is impressive. Perhaps there are too many mountains," he joked.

People in Spain do not think too much about traveling to China, and they usually go to Japan, Thailand and the Philippines when they consider traveling to Asia, he said, adding that there are more people coming to China.

Visa-free travel helps a lot, according to Escriband. He has obtained a longer visa because he wants to spend more time in China, but 15 days is enough for most foreigners, and opens the country up to the rest of the world, he added.

Tom Foley and Sam Shand, both in their 30s and from the United Kingdom, also visited Zhangjiajie recently. They said it is one of the most beautiful places in the world and they really liked it.

"Once you have the necessary apps, it's easy. We'd recommend people to come here," Foley said.