What to see in Maoyan River Scenic Area?
Jiutian Cave,the national AAAA scenic area, is praised as the first cave in Asia. The name of Jiutian Cave is obtained from its nine skylights connected with the ground. Located in Sangzhi County,70km away from Zhangjiajie Downtown. Jiutian Cave is divided into upper, middle and lower layers with a total area of 2.5 million square meters, in which there are layers of stalagmites, stelae and stalactites in beautiful shapes and peculiar structures everywhere. It is a rare underground gem. In 1987, it was identified as "the first cave in Asia" after three on-site investigations conducted by more than twenty experts in caves from seventeen countries. In 1995, it was approved as a member of the Exploration Base of International Limestone Cave Association.
Kuzhu Ancient Village , a Tujia Village 12km away from Jiutian Cave, is located on the bank of Maoyan River, upper section of Lishui River in Sangzhi County, Zhangjiajie City. It is the starting site of Maoyan River Cruise. Kuzhu means " located between high mountains with two sides" in Tujia Language.
Kuzhu Village was first founded in the Tang Dynasty (628-907), and it was worldwide in the Ming Dynasty(1368-1844) and Qing Dynasty(1645-1911) . As the jetty of the upper section of Lishui River, it was the only way from Zhangjiajie City to Sangzhi County in ancient times. Over hundreds of houses standing there, this village became the famous village for businessmen in that time.
There are 19 stony statues and more than 50 stone carvings. The grottoes dissolve the stone carving, sculpture, literature, calligraphy and other arts in one furnace with high cultural value. Nowadays,It has been listed as the provincial cultural relic protection unit of Hunan province. Yuhuang Grottoes is located in Fengxianggang Township of Yongding District, Zhangjiajie City. In 1799, the grottoes were started to curve by the local stone artists employeed by Mr Li Jingkai, a famous local person in the period of Emperor Jiaqing of late Qing Dynasty( 1368-1911). After 8 years working, the grottoes were finished to curve in 1785.