Where earth touches sky: China’s mountains that inspired Avatar

ZHANGJIAJIE, China – There’s something almost ceremonial about walking into Huángshízhài especially when your first sight is the Greeting Double Gate.

The towering stone pillars rise from the thick canopy like an ancient city’s grand entryway, their rough sandstone surfaces carved by centuries of wind and rain.

I arrived at Huángshízhài in the early afternoon, and though the light lingered...