I recently saw the movie Avatar and like most people, was awed by the visual effects. Another thing that awed me though was that I realized that I had been to Pandora before. It wasn't in some far away world, but instead in central China; Hunan actually, Zhangjiajie to be exact.

There are actually two locations in China that are fighting over the bragging rights to the Avatar imagery; Zhangjiajie in Hunan and Huangshan Mountain in Anhui Province. I haven't been to Huangshan Mountain yet; however, I can tell you that I immediately saw the resemblence between the images in the Avatar film and the peak in Zhangjiajie; in fact, I kind of feeling like trying to claim the 100,000 RMB prize for finding the Avatar Hallelujah Mountain that the recently established "General Official for Avatar-themed Tourist Trips" ("Avatar Office" for short) in the Zhangjiajie government is offering, haha.

Anyway, I doubt I'll get any of that but I'm sure you'll enjoy the over 40 pictures below from my last trip to Zhangjiajie in 2007; especially if you're planning a trip to Hunan yourself. Can you spot the Avatar Hallelujah peak yourself?

If you're coming to China, whether for business or pleasure, and have any questions, please feel free to ask. I'm currently in Shenzhen in Southern China and recently worked on a guidebook to Shenzhen Parks, another amazing place to visit in China.