Having heard of the stunning beauty of Fenghuang Ancient Town and Zhangjiajie for a long time, the girls of ExtendMax were restless since the beginning of the year, eagerly awaiting a company trip with amazing experiences in the northern land. Let's follow ExtendMax on a magical journey exploring two of China's most renowned scenic spots in 4 days and 3 nights. We will also share the pitfalls of the trip – the tricks that tour companies never want you to know about.

Landing in Zhangjiajie

Departing from ExtendMax's headquarters, we arrived at Noi Bai Airport at 3:30 PM on June 7, 2024. The group set off with light luggage, and the group leader provided thorough guidance, making the emigration process smooth. We boarded the plane around 7:15 PM and spent about 90 minutes on a packed flight. Had we arrived during the day, the view from above of the Zhangjiajie mountains would have been an unforgettable experience. Unfortunately, our flight landed at Zhangjiajie Airport around 9:30 PM China time.

Zhangjiajie (Chinese: 张家界市) is a prefecture-level city in Hunan Province, China. As a prefecture-level city, Zhangjiajie covers a vast area with 22 small cities scattered across valleys among mountain ranges. The name Zhangjiajie is believed to be related to Zhang Liang, a famous Han Dynasty politician who secluded himself in this area. In Vietnamese, Zhangjiajie means the land of the Zhang family or the border of the Zhang family.

Zhangjiajie Airport is a small domestic airport that only receives international charter flights, so there are few immigration counters. We patiently lined up for immigration procedures, not expecting the troubles that emerged.

During the immigration process, many members of our group were called into private rooms by Chinese customs officials without explanation. Interestingly, they mostly called those who were married. The young girls of ExtendMax, seemingly using their charm to enchant the customs officers, passed through immigration smoothly. Even though I have entered China several times and had "tea" with Chinese customs officials before, I still felt my time was wasted.

However, with my experience, I knew that staying calm and acting naturally for them to observe was key, and everything would be OK. After nearly 40 minutes, each member of our group received their passports back and proceeded to the domestic area. The ExtendMax team was the last group to leave Zhangjiajie Airport.

We arrived at the hotel at 11:30 PM. This hotel, advertised as a 4-star hotel by "local standards," was located in a small city in Hunan Province (湖南), China. The hotel was quite old, but the rooms were spacious, so we didn't feel too disadvantaged.

Exploring Fenghuang Ancient Town

The next morning, the group woke up early to head to Fenghuang Ancient Town by tour bus. The journey from the city near the airport to Fenghuang Ancient Town took about 3 hours, but we didn't feel tired because the quality of the highways in China is excellent. The roads were smooth, almost without any noticeable joints. The route passed through mountainous terrain similar to northern Vietnam provinces, but the ride felt like traveling on flat land. We hardly encountered any sharp curves or steep climbs. All slopes, passes, and hills were bridged or tunneled through for a straight path.

Fenghuang Ancient Town (Chinese: 凤凰古镇) is actually called Tuojian Town (沱江镇), a small town in Fenghuang County, Xiangxi Autonomous Prefecture of the Tujia and Miao people, under Hunan Province, China. The town stretches about 3 km along both sides of the Tuojian River (China), with an ancient city called Fenghuang within it. This might be why Vietnamese netizens call this town Fenghuang Ancient Town.

Having long heard the praises of Fenghuang Ancient Town’s beauty, the whole group was eager to explore it firsthand. Indeed, the scenery here was even more beautiful than in the pictures. Although we arrived on a rainy day, we were overwhelmed by the poetic beauty of an ancient town, possibly even more charming than in the photos.

The town was well planned, with all architectures sharing a time-worn look. The scene lacked any modern architecture, creating an atmosphere that seemed to have slowed down by a few hundred years compared to the outside world.

The Jumping Stone Bridge in Fenghuang Ancient Town was built in 1704, during the 43rd year of Kangxi's reign. This bridge is made of cylindrical stone slabs placed a step apart, with two parallel rows for people to cross. This bridge seems to be the most famous photo spot in Fenghuang Ancient Town, and of course, we didn't miss it.

n the evening, the group dined at a restaurant right in the center of Fenghuang Ancient Town. We were pleasantly surprised by how delicious the meal was, far exceeding the usual expectations of a tour meal. Here, ExtendMax’s CEO participated in a unique and thrilling challenge: drinking wine according to Miao son-in-law standards. This traditional custom requires participants to drink a large amount of wine in a short time to prove their bravery and courage. Those who pass this challenge are recognized as qualified to marry a Miao girl. Let's see if CEO Tran Thanh Phuong can pass the challenge and which Miao girl he will be interested in.

"On top" together at Tianmen Mountain

Tianmen Mountain is the second largest national park within Zhangjiajie, described as a fairyland, a beautiful garden halfway up the sky, and a symbol of Zhangjiajie. Tianmen Mountain stands at an average height of about 1400 meters above sea level, with cool weather and temperatures ranging from 20 to 24 ℃ in the summer.

The geological structure of Tianmen Mountain is significantly different from the northern mountains of Vietnam. Each rock layer horizontally represents the geological structure of different historical periods, stacked to form vertical mountains with lush greenery. The cable car ride to the top of Tianmen Mountain is one of the most spectacular journeys I have ever experienced.

The name Tianmen Mountain means "Mountain of Heaven's Gate." According to legend, during the Han Dynasty, the mountain suddenly cracked open, creating a massive hole through it. Locals believe this is a lucky sign, making the mountain a sacred place in feng shui.

Zhangjiajie Ancient Love Show

After an amazing scenic journey at Tianmen Mountain, we returned to the city area 30 km away for dinner and to watch the Zhangjiajie Ancient Love Show. This show is advertised as the final production of the talented director Zhang Yimou, making the entire group very excited.

Indeed, the show was grand in terms of effects, with the Chinese bringing a lake onto the stage and transforming it into mountains within 15 seconds. The performers were highly professional, incorporating traditional Chinese dance into the performance. If this is your first time watching a real-life show, you will surely find the 60 minutes here an amazing experience.

However, for me personally, this show was heavy on theatrical presentation and effects, which overshadowed the "realistic" depiction of life. You might find Vietnam's "Hoi An Memories" or "Quintessence of Tonkin" shows to surpass this one in that aspect.

Boat Ride on Baofeng Lake

Baofeng Lake is a large freshwater lake covering over 15 hectares, stretching 2.5 km around the Zhangjiajie scenic area. The name Baofeng is also derived from the towering Baofeng Mountains nearby, creating a magnificent natural landscape. This freshwater lake is a mountain lake with many similarities to Ba Be Lake in Vietnam. The expansive water surface with surrounding cliffs allows you to experience both sea and mountain at the same time.

On the lake, there are two houseboats where tourists can interact and listen to songs performed by Tujia boys and girls.

Experience shopping traps

As everyone knows, one of the "specialties" of a tour is the shopping stops in the itinerary. Personally, I do not have much criticism of the unique marketing in tours, as this is a form of "symbiosis" between the sales companies and the tour organizers. These companies sponsor the tour organizers, contributing to attractive tour prices. However, as you know, there is no free lunch. In previous trips to China for business, I had not experienced shopping in tours, so this time I was very curious about what they would sell and how they would get tourists to spend money. As expected, all the shops we were taken to sold and marketed products related to two of the biggest human needs: wealth and health.

Medicine Shop with Electric Shock Qigong

The first shopping stop was a company selling traditional Chinese medicine. In the product introduction room, a respectable-looking physician introduced their healthcare services catering to leaders, politicians, and high-level businessmen. However, as mandated by the government (China) to promote culture, they had to welcome tourist groups.

A few people were invited to experience qigong healing from the practitioners. According to the description, qigong would be transmitted from the practitioner’s hands to the participant, creating a tingling sensation like an electric shock. Those who participated confirmed this to be true.

However, the process of "transmitting qigong" was accompanied by suspicious clicking sounds, with each click coinciding with the participant's tingling sensation like an electric shock. This reminded me of the dry cell used to spark in a gas lighter button. The electric shock is real; believe it or not, it's up to you.

Enjoying Hunan Black Tea discount

Having heard about the Chinese tea culture many times, I imagined participating in a true tea ceremony performance. I expected to see the tea master gracefully swirling, rotating cups, and pouring water like a dance, introducing the Chinese way of making and enjoying tea.

But no, it was a multi-level marketing sales event. The tea company’s staff mixed cooking oil with water and then added black tea. Miraculously, all the oil separated into a distinct layer, leaving nearly clear water. The salesperson then introduced the fat-reducing, artery-cleaning, heart-protecting benefits of black tea. This presentation would be very convincing if the presenter weighed 50 kg. Unfortunately, the tea presenter for us was a 65 kg girl.

Black tea varieties were divided into four main types based on age: 5 years, 10 years, 18 years, and 30 years, similar to how Scotch whisky is graded. Initially introduced at high prices, the final price dropped to buy one, get one free when none of us showed interest in buying. If you are interested in buying tea, I believe this final price is reasonable for a tasting experience, but don’t rely too much on its medicinal benefits.

The Jade Store Owner's Super Sale

The next stop was a jade and gemstone company with a magnificent display system far surpassing any gemstone company in Vietnam. Here, we experienced top-notch sales tactics and psychological manipulation from master experts.

Step 1 - Warm greeting: We were warmly welcomed right from the lobby, introduced to the treasures on display by the owner. Strangely, among the treasures was a jade burial suit that only emperors and high-ranking nobles in ancient China could have. This must be a national treasure of China, yet it was displayed at a branch of a company, indicating its immense wealth.

Step 2 - Narrowing distance: We were taken to a room for product introduction. After about 5 minutes of introduction, a managerial-looking person announced that the company owner had just visited the branch. As this was a special group arriving on a special day, the owner himself would greet us.

The owner, a middle-aged businessman, glittered with gold from head to toe, introducing himself as a Taiwanese who was about to marry a Vietnamese woman. As the Vietnamese groom, he gifted his wife's fellow countrymen a small jade accessory. Everyone in the group was overjoyed, marveling at our luck.

Step 3 - Baiting: Next, the owner introduced a series of best-selling items. The introduction was highly convincing when the owner pulled out from his shirt a jade pendant identical to the product being sold. For someone as wealthy as him, these products must be precious.

Emotions peaked when the owner brought out some jade bracelets, deciding to charge only for the craftsmanship, giving the jade away to his wife’s fellow countrymen. Despite many staff murmuring about the loss, the owner insisted on selling at just 500k.

Step 4 - Closing the deal: The owner continued selecting potential customers to directly introduce jade pendants and Pixiu (a mythical creature). On this special occasion, the owner only charged for the gold embedded in the jade, giving away the jade and craftsmanship. A pendant with a listed price of about 25 million VND was directly reduced to about 3 million VND. Wouldn't you find it tempting?

**Post-Sale: Later at the airport, we learned that all tour groups coincidentally met the senior leader of that gemstone corporation. Depending on the age of the main actor, it could be the owner selling cheaply to his wife's countrymen, the son proving his worth to the father by undercutting prices, the daughter, the wife... In my opinion, the most worthy product here was the jade bracelet during the "baiting" stage. After all, the bait must be good to attract the fish, right? However, one should not expect to own a jade bracelet for 500k. Nonetheless, it must be a high-end replica.

The Jeweler at Tusi City

Tusi City is the capital of the royal family in the Xiangxi Autonomous Prefecture, mainly inhabited by the Tujia people, so the Tusi King is a Tujia person. The palace of the Tujia people – a Chinese ethnic minority – is nearly the size of the Forbidden City in Hue's capital, possibly several times the size of the H'mong King's mansion in Ha Giang. The tour of this place was truly worthwhile. You will be overwhelmed by the distinctive architecture of the Tujia people with about 300 years of history.

At the tourist spot, there was a jewelry store selling handcrafted silver jewelry in the style of the Tujia and Miao people. Science has proven that using silverware for dining is very good for health, but reduce 90% of what the tour guide tells you. Silver 999 is also abundant in Vietnam and costs only a third of the price here. If you're not concerned about the price, choose a small piece of jewelry as a souvenir for the trip.

Other Experiences in China

Bargain while shopping: The Chinese usually quote high prices, so you should bargain. A reasonable price is about 2/3 of the quoted price. Of course, don't haggle in convenience stores. And if you want to buy at the "Taiwanese owner's" Jade Store, bargain down 90% of the listed price.

Cash is still usable: Before the trip, I was worried about China's heavy restrictions on cash usage. But that's not the case, at least in tourist areas, where using cash is quite convenient.

Few Chinese speak English: Chinese people have limited English proficiency, even hotel and restaurant staff, and even Starbucks employees are not fluent in English. You can overcome this inconvenience by using Google Translate.

Excellent infrastructure planning: China's infrastructure planning is excellent. Most private houses are apartment buildings, and the main street fronts are all commercial shops, creating uniformity. We encountered very few street vendors or shabby shops like in Vietnam.

Tour organiser: Vietnamese tour organizing company carry out the program quite well, the tour guide from the Chinese partner side is an ethnic Kinh (Kinh ethnic group living in China) so she speaks Vietnamese very clean. One plus point is that on this trip, the Chinese tour guide did not try to convince our group to buy things at the stores. This is completely different from our company trip to Thailand in 2023.