In this blogpost I’ll describe my visit to the Heaven’s Gate and the Stairway to Heaven, you could play one of these while reading the rest of my post:

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From the level where the glass walkways are, there are long escalators going to the level where the Heaven’s gate is. I think I counted 7 very long and deep escalators descending to the Heaven’s gate cave …

Eventually you enter the big donut …

The mist shards were drifting through …

It seems quite unique to stand in this echoing Heaven’s Gate, this hole which penetrates through a mountain, but although this is a very large one, this natural phenomenon does occur more often.

Again this phenomenon lends itself almost perfectly for minimalist photography …

Statue’s Meaning

Touching the statue is believed to bring good luck, blessings, or spiritual protection. The tradition stems from centuries-old beliefs that Tianmen Mountain is a gateway between the earthly and heavenly realms—the spiritual energy of the location is thought to be especially potent around certain icons, such as the statue within the Heaven’s Gate cave …

Tianmen Mountain and the Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon, both attract a lot of extreme sports athletes who perform the most daredevil like feats.

In 2007, Alain Robert scaled the cliff below the arch, bare-handed and without protection; a plaque commemorates his feat…

There is even an extreme sports event this year (2024) at Tianmen Mountain …

There are long stairs going up to, or coming down from Heaven’s gate and these are called the:

Stairway to Heaven

The Stairway to Heaven at Tianmen Mountain is a famous, steep staircase of 999 stone steps that leads visitors from the Cave Square up to Tianmen Cave, known as Heaven’s Gate, in Zhangjiajie, Hunan Province, China.

Structure and Meaning

• The stairway starts at an altitude of roughly 1,050 meters and ends at 1,170 meters, totaling 218 meters in length.

• The steps are divided into nine slopes—five gentler and four steeper—symbolizing the ups and downs in life, with the number nine representing infinity and eternity in Chinese culture.

• Climbing all 999 steps is physically challenging, especially due to their steepness and the dense crowds.

• The journey usually takes about 25–30 minutes, though rest stops are provided for recuperation.

• For those less inclined to climb, there is an escalator inside the mountain to reach the cave more comfortably. The Wandelgek however 

• After reaching the top, visitors are rewarded with impressive views from Heaven’s Gate, a massive natural arch that holds spiritual and cultural significance

• Climbing the 999 steps is considered challenging and takes about 25–30 minutes for most people, drawing comparisons to hiking the Great Wall of China.
• The route is popular with tourists, offering rewarding views, a sense of achievement, and opportunities for meaningful reflection.
• Most visitors access the stairway after taking the Tianmen Mountain Cableway, one of the world’s longest cable cars, known for its scenic ride up to the mountain.

The more you walked down the stairs, the better the names Stairway to Heaven  and Heaven’s gate rang like they had some possible truth to them…

The Stairway to Heaven got more and more impressive …

At the Cave Square there was a large vessel in which incense sticks could be placed…

You have to be Chinese to build a stairway like this on top of a mountain, ascending toward a hole like this …

This was still high on the mountain and the views over the surrounding mountains were really impressive …

 

Beneath is a shot of the mountain top above the Heaven’s gate …

Lots of Chinese people were visiting too and loads of photographs were made …

But still it was relatively quiet compared to the high season, when the Stairway sees black of people …

People like ants climbing the stairs and eventually reaching the Heaven’s Gate …

The mist slowly drifting through …

After the 99 steps of the Stairway to Heaven, The Wandelgek enjoyed the view on the lush green mountains surrounding him, when he took another cable car down to where he could take a bus. …

The 99 bend road was closed for public so the cable car was at that moment the only alternative for walking down. On the photo beneath you can see the end of the 99 bend road to the right and at the bottom right the theater …

It is quite a technical feat to see these small cable cars creeping up and down the mountain slope …

After a last view from above, …

The Wandelgek entered the cable car and a really beautiful journey down followed …

It was never a gradually descending journey, but one where occasionally the cable car had to ascend again to conquer a pass, before descending again …

But finally the finish was reached and there was a great view on top of the open air theater, before reaching the cable car station …

A white red eyed fox was lying on top of a roof …

After getting off the cable car Gaby immediately guided me to the ticket machines for the theater show tickets and ordered 2 tickets, because she was gonna keep me company tonight …

Next the cab driver appeared and we were transported back to my hotel in Zhangjiajie.