72 Qilou Towers Entry Ticket & Show Zhangjiajie

72 Qilou: Zhangjiajie's lantern-lit Tujia towers

72 Qilou rises in the heart of Zhangjiajie city, in Yongding District, a short taxi ride from the railway station and most city hotels. The complex recreates, on a monumental scale, the diaojiaolou of the Tujia people: wooden houses raised on stilts, with upturned eaves, stacked balconies and carved railings, that once lined the riverbanks and hillsides of western Hunan. The central tower is recognised by the provincial government as the tallest Tujia-style stilted building, and around it spread lower towers, bridges, courtyards and terraces.

The name comes from a western Hunan legend of nine bows, eighteen stockades and seventy-two strange towers, and the design weaves this story into its lanes and gateways. Is 72 Qilou worth visiting? After a day among the cliffs of the national park it is the perfect contrast: architecture, music and light instead of mountains, without leaving town.

The night view: lanterns, reflections and golden hour

The default night entry starts at 16:00, which is the best time to visit 72 Qilou: you see the carved wood in soft late-afternoon light, then watch the towers switch on one by one as dusk falls. After sunset the whole complex glows with thousands of lanterns and warm floodlights, a scene that has earned it a listing as a national cluster for night-time culture and tourism.

For photographs, climb to the upper terraces for the classic view of the central tower framed by the roofs below, then come back down to the lanes and water features for reflections. Weekend and holiday evenings are lively and crowded; weekday evenings are calmer and easier for pictures. Allow two to three hours to enjoy the illuminations properly, and keep the six-hour window of the ticket in mind if you arrive early.

Tujia folk performances and craft workshops

Your ticket includes the scheduled folk song and dance performances held in the courtyards and on small stages around the complex. Expect Tujia call-and-response singing, drum rhythms and dances in embroidered costumes with silver ornaments, often retelling local legends of hunting, harvest and courtship. Performance times vary by day and season, so check the boards near the entrance and plan your route around one or two shows.

Between performances, explore the streets of handicraft shops, small museums and workshops where traditional skills are on display, such as silverwork, Tujia brocade weaving and woodcarving. It is a good place to find a meaningful souvenir from western Hunan and to see how these crafts are made by hand. Premium experiences inside the complex are not part of the ticket and are paid on site only if you choose them.

Food stalls, halal tips and how to get to 72 Qilou

Lanes of stalls sell Tujia and Hunan snacks such as rice noodles, grilled skewers and spicy tofu; food is not included in the ticket. Most stalls inside are not halal and many dishes use pork or lard, so Muslim travellers should rather look for the halal (qingzhen) noodle restaurants run by Hui families in Zhangjiajie city, recognisable by their green signs with Arabic script, or ask us for nearby suggestions.

How to get to 72 Qilou: it stands in the city centre, an easy taxi or ride-hailing trip from most Zhangjiajie hotels and from the high-speed railway station. From the Wulingyuan area near the national park, allow roughly 40 to 50 minutes by road. Transport is not included, but we can arrange a private transfer on request, so you can spend the day in the mountains and come here for the evening.