Majestic Maling Tianguan (马岭天观, "Maling Sky View"): the golden Buddha's Hand Bridge, held up by two giant hands on a 1,000 m ridge in deeply rural Zhejiang. An optional, long but rewarding day out on Fri 18 Dec, best done as an overnight with Hangzhou.
The reason to come. Two golden Buddha hands, each about 22 m tall, hold up a walkway about 150 m above the valley on a ridge about 1,000 m above sea level. It faces the "Pujiang Beauty Peak" and sways slightly in the wind. Morning light is best for photos.
Wanfu Peak (万福顶) is the highest point, with a panorama over the layered ridges. The Sky Mirror (天空之境) is a large glass platform that reflects sky and cloud; it is better in afternoon light. Both are included in the sightseeing ticket.
The Flying Magic Carpet is five covered conveyor sections up and down the mountain, about 40 minutes each way, and you can sit down on it. Guides advise visitors over 60 to use it rather than the hiking trail, with help getting on and off. The all-access ticket adds the 3.9 km glass "Scream Drift" raft slide, the dry slide, the zip line, the glass walkway and the cliff swing. Several of these run only in suitable weather, and the zip line was closed for rectification in late 2025.
| Part of the day | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| On site: family route | About 4 hours | Magic Carpet up (≈40 min), bridge, Wanfu Peak and Sky Mirror (≈2 hrs), Magic Carpet down (≈40 min), plus a snack stop. |
| On site: quickest | About 3 hours | Carpet up, bridge and back down, with no queues. |
| On site: everything | 5–6 hours | All-access rides and the hiking trail; not recommended for the grandparents in winter. |
| Door to door from Shanghai | 12–13 hours | About 3.5–4 hours each way: Jubelle apartments to Hongqiao (≈45–60 min), train to Tonglu (≈1 hr 45 min–2 hr 15 min), then the car (≈40 min). |
| From a Hangzhou hotel | About 1.5 hours each way | Hangzhou East to Tonglu by train (≈30 min) plus the car, or a hired car the whole way (≈1.5 hrs). |
Opening: about 08:30–16:30 in the cooler season (September–May), with last entry from about 15:30. Sources disagree, so confirm on the day. Winter: the ridge is 5–8 °C colder than Hangzhou and could be near freezing in December. Glass walkways and some rides close for ice, wind or fog. Wear warm layers and non-slip shoes, and check conditions the evening before.
Maling Tianguan is in rural Zizhou village (梓洲村), Qiantan Town, Jiande, where Jiande, Tonglu and Pujiang meet. There is no practical public transport: the local bus 246 runs only three times a day. The reliable way is high-speed train plus a pre-booked car.
| Option | Outbound | Return | Cost guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| A. Day trip from Shanghai (rail + car) | Leave Hongqiao by about 07:00 for Tonglu (桐庐). Some trains run through, such as Shanghai–Huangshan/Jingdezhen services; otherwise change at Hangzhou East. Your car meets you at Tonglu for the 40-minute drive, and you reach the gate by about 09:45. | Leave the scenic area by about 14:30–15:00 and be at Tonglu by about 15:45 for a train back. You reach Hongqiao about 17:30–18:30, and the apartment by about 19:00–19:30. | Rail fare: check 12306. Car about ¥80–100 per taxi each way; five people need two taxis or one 7-seater, so agree a return price that includes waiting. |
| B. Recommended: overnight in Hangzhou on 17 Dec | After the Hangzhou day, stay at the InterContinental (ICC) or Qiyue Song Heritage Hotel. Optionally see Songcheng's evening show. Next morning, take a train from Hangzhou East to Tonglu (≈30 min) plus the car, or hire a car and driver from the hotel (≈1.5 hrs). | From Maling, go straight back to Shanghai: car to Tonglu and train to Hongqiao (via Hangzhou East if needed), arriving early evening. | Adds one hotel night; the Shanghai apartment stays booked. It saves about 2 hours of travel on the Maling day and gives Hangzhou an evening. |
| C. Rail to Pujiang (alternative) | Train to Pujiang (浦江, on the new Hangzhou–Wenzhou line, usually changing at Hangzhou West or Yiwu), then about 40 minutes by taxi. | Same in reverse; check the last suitable train. | Taxi about ¥80–100 per car each way. |
| D. Private car and driver the whole day | About 1.5 hours from central Hangzhou via the Changshen Expressway (exit Qiantan) and the S210, or 3–3.5 hours from Shanghai. | Door to door; no station changes. | Quote for a 7-seat vehicle with driver for the day; parking at the scenic area is ¥10. |
12306: Shanghai → Tonglu · 18 Dec 12306: Tonglu → Shanghai · 18 Dec 12306: Hangzhou → Tonglu · 18 Dec DiDi (ride-hailing)
Tickets for 18 Dec go on sale on 4 Dec, 14 days ahead. Book the return car before you go: taxis rarely wait at the scenic area, and the scenic area's own car-share desk is not guaranteed. Have the scenic area's name in Chinese ready for drivers: 马岭天观景区 (乾潭镇梓洲村).
Food inside the scenic area is limited and pricey, so bring water and snacks. Farmhouse restaurants in Zizhou village are within about 1 km of the entrance (≈¥40–50 a head). To stay nearby instead of in Hangzhou, the options are Zizhou village homestays (≈10 min walk, ≈¥150–250 per person with breakfast), Qiantan Town hotels (≈15 min drive) or the high-end Bu She Ye Maling in Pujiang (≈20 min drive).
The scenic-area pin comes from OpenStreetMap; the red circle is Tonglu station. Confirm the ticket-centre entrance on Amap before travelling.
OpenStreetMap tiles require internet access. Amap (高德) is generally more practical inside mainland China; location search links are included with every pin.