72 Strange Buildings (72 Qilou)

72 Strange Buildings, or 72 Qilou, 72 Wonders Tower, is the highest modern building in the form of a large stilted house certified by Guinness. With a fascinating light show and interesting folk performances, it has become a social media spot as well as the first choice to pursue colorful nightlife in Zhangjiajie.

The entire building is composed of 18 separate ancient stilted houses – the traditional wooden buildings for defense and discussing important events of the Tujia ethnic minority groups in Xiangxi Area, Hunan Province, fixed together by steel structures, some of which are even more than 200 years old. With the bottom about 15 meters (16.4 yards) above the ground, it looks like a suspended Tujia village in mid-air from a distance. These houses were disassembled where they were originally located and reconstructed and combined in this area. Its symbolic cave, 38 meters high (41.6 yards), 28 meters wide (30.6 yards), and 21 meters deep (23 yards), is in the middle of the whole building, through which people can see the huge Tianmen Cave on Tianmen Mountain miles away. 

Main Body of 72 Strange Buildings

  No, only 18. Even so, its large scale would amaze you. In local Tujia culture, 72 represents “a lot” and “numerous”, so does the “72” of the 72 Strange Buildings. For its magnificent structure, the 72 Wonder Tower has the nickname – Tujia’s Potala Palace.

For the protection of wooden ancient buildings as cultural relics, the main building is not open to visitors, and there are no facilities like hotels inside; no residents live up there, either.
 Together with the block for shopping, sightseeing, and catering beneath the main building, 72 Strange Buildings develops into a complete scenic area that is open all day. However, few tourists come during the daytime because the highlight appears at night when the lights are on. Besides, this attraction doesn’t cover a large area, so there is no need to reserve a long time for it: you can arrange 72 Strange Buildings in the evening on arrival or departure day for Zhangjiajie, and a total of 1 - 2 hours is sufficient. 

72 Strange Buildings during the Day

72 Strange Buildings in the Night

 The two-floor block under the main building is divided into several parts, including the bonfire square, Xiangxi specialty market, food court, bar street, and movie-style sightseeing area. 
 After nightfall, more than 36,000 RGBW lights illuminate the entire building complex: warm orange outlines the giant stilted house; backed by distant Tianmen Mountain, it looks much more spectacular.

As the lights come on, the block becomes a super open-air theater. Various large-scale performances of real landscape are put on different stages, centered around the bonfire square. Each show lasts 5 - 15 minutes, including folk songs, traditional love stories, and ancient and mysterious ceremonies like the Xiangxi People Drive Dead Body. 

Watch the Performance of Real Landscape

At the end, a large bonfire party is held. You can participate in dancing around the fire with residents and other tourists. At the same time, the changing color of the main building with the music allows tourists to see the 72 Wonder Tower in different styles.

Performance/ Activity Name	Time	Venue
Lighting ceremony	20:00 – 20:15	Bonfire Square
Folk songs	20:00 – 20:15	Singing Terrace
Sacrificial dances for Fire God	20:20 – 20:25	Bonfire Square
Love of My Life	20:30 – 20:45	Bonfire Square
Mysterious Xiangxi	20:55 – 21:20	Charming Folk Songs Tea House
Zombie Walk	21:30 – 21:45	Tongxin Pavilion – Feichang Avenue
Bonfire party	21:55 – 22:20	Bonfire Square

Bonfire Party

Notes:
1. Only the regular and most popular performances are listed above. The shows begin at around 15:30, but they are mostly simple and repetitive folk songs and acrobatics during the daytime. Besides, on heavily rainy days, they may be canceled. You can check the accurate timetable for the day at the entrance.
2. Performances held outdoors are free of charge, but no seats are provided. To watch those at the indoor tea house, you need to pay a cover charge of CNY 18. 3. The building is lit up twice every day, once at nightfall and the other at the lighting ceremony, which marks the beginning of the night shows, meaning that there will be a short light-off in between. So, if you find it’s dark in the evening, don’t worry.

 Lighting-on time of 72 Wonder Tower
April to October: About 19:30 – 23:30
November to March: Around 19:00 - 22:00

Love of My Life

Parade at Feichang Avenue

 Although the main body of 72 Wonder Tower is not open to visit, many other ancient buildings hidden in the scenic area are worth visiting. For example, Prince’s Palace, the residence of the leaders of the Tujia ethnic group, has a 150-year history. Number One Scholar Building, where local scholars lived before, was built without any iron nails but using mortise and tenon. The exquisite, awe-inspiring wood, stone, and brick carvings catch every visitor’s attention. 

Watch Performance at Teahouse

Movie-style Street

 It’s an excellent way to leave unique memories for your Zhangjiajie travel. Numerous travel photography shops, both inside and outside the scenic area, offer all kinds of traditional Miao clothing, paired with silver headwear, necklaces, and other accessories, suitable for tourists of all ages. Photographing locations are scattered across the whole scenic area, like narrow alleys with stone slabs, oil paper umbrella corridors, and old wooden bridges.

Various Miao Costumes

 You should reward your stomach after sightseeing and taking enough photos. Along the food street, authentic snacks at stalls and restaurants give off fragrance. Be sure to try rice tofu, blood cake duck, and Tujia cured pork with rice. Don’t be afraid of spicy food, as you can choose medium spicy, slightly spicy, or totally not spicy when placing the order.

Food Street

Rice Tofu Stall

 Tired tourists are advised to enter a bar with an elegant environment and a pleasant atmosphere to have a rest after a fulfilling day trip. Before leaving, visit the local specialty shops selling accessories of Miao embroidery such as sachets and ropes woven with colorful threads for good luck, and handmade silver jewelry.

For those who travel with a tight schedule but still don’t want to miss this attraction, you may as well appreciate the panoramic scenery of the stilted house cluster on the safety island across the entrance without entering the scenic area. It actually serves as the best viewpoint from a distance.

Visit the Souvenir Shop

 Located in the bustling downtown, 72 Qilou is only about 5.6 kilometers (3.5 miles) away from the city center, with convenient transportation:
 By city bus: No.7, 16 & 17. It’s only a 3-minute walk away from the Zhangjiajie Institute of Aeronautical Engineering stop.
 By taxi: CNY 15, taking about 10 minutes from the city center

Please note that the bus stops service at around 8:40 pm. If you leave late, only the taxi or online-hailing taxi can be your choice. However, it is usually peak time for leaving, when a large number of tourists gather at the parking lot. What’s worse, many drivers refuse to take orders due to the congested roads here. So, it is recommended to first walk about 500 meters (546.8 yards) to a less crowded intersection and then hail a taxi. Or book one online early and negotiate a quieter pick-up point. 
 1. Left baggage: Self-service lockers are set outside the ticket center.
2. If possible, visit 72 Strange Buildings on weekdays rather than public holidays for fewer tourists and a better experience.

Entrance to 72 Strange Buildings

Tourist Center

 

Type	Time	Price
Daytime ticket	8:00 – 16:30	Adult aged 18 – 65 (excluded): CNY 48 Children under 12 years old: Free Youth between 12 – 18 (excluded): CNY 30 Senior between 65 - 70 (excluded): CNY 30 Senior aged 70 and above: Free
Night pass	16:30 – 22:00	Adult aged 18 – 65 (excluded): CNY 88 Children under 12 years old: Free Youth between 12 – 18 (excluded): CNY 60 Senior between 65 - 70 (excluded): CNY 60 Senior aged 70 and above: Free

Notes: 
1. Where to buy a ticket: ticket window at the entrance of the scenic area, official WeChat mini program
2. Tourists with daytime tickets are allowed to stay in the scenic area until its closure in the evening, without the need to purchase an additional night pass. If you plan to do so, enter after 16:00 to avoid prolonged fatigue, especially for visitors traveling with children or elderly individuals.

Further Reading:
Best time to visit Zhangjiajie
Top things to do in Zhangjiajie