suggestion the best route to cover attractions in hunan, sichuan and yunnan?

A． 4 weeks are enough to cover all these attractions. It is doable to have a DIY trip without joining any tour. Trains are available for most trips.
B． Here is my suggestion of an efficient plan as well as the transportation:
1. Take a high speed train from Shenzhen North to Changsha South in around 3.5 hours. Then walk to the nearby Lituo Bus Station to take a direct bus to ZJJ. Upon getting there, you can easily take a bus to the national forest park at the same station. You can spend 3-4 days to visit all attractions including the great hallelujah. By the way, free eco buses are available in the scenic area.
2. At ZJJ Bus Station, direct buses to Phoenix/Fenghuang Ancient Town are available.
3. A direct long-distance bus is scheduled from Fenghuang Bus Station to Chongqing Longtousi Bus Station at 10:00 daily. It takes around 6.5h to arrive. Then walk to North Railway Station to take a high speed train to Chengdu. At local Xinnanmen Bus Station, direct buses to Jiuzha Valley are available. After visiting, take the shuttle bus (usually leaving in early morning) to Huanglong Scenic Area.
4. Take a long-distance train from Chengdu Station to Kunming in around 20 hours. Direct tourist buses to Stone Forest are available at the local East Bus Station.
5. There is direct train service from Kunming to Lijiang and it takes around 8 hours. Local bus no. 18 or 4 can take you to the ancient town. Direct tourist buses to Lugu Lake are available at Lijiang Bus Station every morning and they get back in the afternoon.

1. Baisha Village is only around 12km from the town. You can ride city bus to arrive directly. And bus no. 11 can take you from Lijiang Ancient Town to Shuhe.
2. Go to the Hongtaiyang Square of Lijiang and take bus no. 7 to Jade Dragon Snow Mountain.
3. At Lijiang Bus Station, take a bus to Qiaotou Town. Then the distance to upper section of the gorge is 9km and to the middle section is around 30km. It is easy to rent a car or charter a van (seems the only way) to arrive and the charge is pretty reasonable.
4. To Bamei, the paradise in folks, you should take a bus or train back to Kunming. Then at the South Bus Station, take a long-distance to Guangnan County. There you can easily take a shuttle bus to Bamei. The village is really worth your time!

You should take it easy for a backpacker trip in China. Things are not that hard. Chinese people are usually very friendly and they always would like to offer help. Sometimes, the language may be a problem, so it is suggested to show them the Chinese characters or Pinyin for the correct directions. But to ensure having train tickets, you are suggested to book them in advance.

thank you sooo much emily for the answer. it really help me to plan my journey... i have further clarification:

1(a) other than high speed train shenzhen north-changsa south, is it ok and advisable if i opt for direct train from shenzhen to zhangjiaje. i check there is a train K9064 for this route (but off course it take longer time but i don't mind since i have quite flexible time)

1(b) how many hour from Lituo Bus Station to ZJJ?

1(c) could u explain further on free eco bus at scenic area? does the purpose of this eco bus same as shuttle bus that ply around and we can hop on and hop off?

1(d) i a bit confuse of ZJJ national forest park. u say spend 3-4 days in ZJJ national forest park, does it mean to cover the pakej CNY245+CNY3 insurance?

1(e) is it ok and advisable if i just take the CNY258 to visit Tianmen (Heavenly Door) Mountain Scenic Area without take the CNY 245+CNY3 insurance one (Core Wulingyuan Scenic Area includes Yellow Stone Stronghold, Golden Whip Stream and Yaozi Village in the National Forest Park and Yangjiajie, Yuanjiajie, Tianzi Mountain, Ten-mile Gallery in Suoxiyu Valley Scenic Spot and battery car)

cont...

cont'd...

1(f) for the cable car, if we don't take it, what other option that we have?

1(g) what's different between Wulingyuan Scenic Area and ZJJ Scenic Spot. i just confuse between this two.

1(h) for my trip to cover ZJJ national forest park and pheonix ancient town, do i need to stay hostel at ZJJ and fenghuang?

3. for Jiuzha Valley and huanglong, where should i stay? possible to just stay at chengdu or i need to stay at jiuzha valley then when move for huanglong then stay at huanglong area?

4&5. if i m from chengdu, is it possible to cover lijiang and its attractions straight away without reaching kunming first then trackback to lijiang as u recommended. is it possible if my route is chengdu --> lijiang --> kunming?

one more thing, since there are so many ancient town in my list (phoenix in fenghuang, lijiang oldtown, baisha village, shuhe and bamei)... in your opinion if i were to limit to only 3 ancient towns to visit, which one do u suggest most?

1. Yes, there are two trains available, one leaves from Shenzhen West Railway Station at 10:42, and the other leaves from Shenzhen Railway Station at 13:19. The train ride is about 17.5 hours.
2. The bus duration is about 3.5 hours.
3. Yes, it is just like free shuttle bus, which will stop at different scenic spots, you can hop on and off at any stop you want.
4. Yes, you are right. It covers park entrance fee CNY245+CNY3 insurance fee.
5. it is a through ticket, which means you can cover all the spots in the scenic area, including Tianmen Mountain, Yellow Stone Stronghold, Golden Whip Stream and Yaozi Village in the National Forest Park and Yangjiajie, Yuanjiajie, Tianzi Mountain, Ten-mile Gallery in Suoxiyu Valley Scenic Spot.

F: If you do not take the cable car, you have to cover the spots with the sightseeing eco bus and some hiking. However, that enables you to see more spots than a fast cable car.
G: The whole scenic area is called Wulingyuan Scenic area, and ZJJ Scenic Spots are the most typical part of it.
H: During several days in ZJJ, you are suggested to stay in hostel in the town near the scenic area. There are also hostels in the mountain area available, you can also live there.
While Fenghuang is an ancient town with many local dwellings, which will provide accommodation. You have a lot of selections.

You should stay in Jiuzhai. Near the valley entrance, there are a lot of hotels near Goukou Area, you can choose one to stay. In Huanglong, the accommodation is quite limited, and for Huanglong, half a day is enough to cover the spots.
4&5: If you are in Chengdu, you are suggested to visit Jiuzhai Valley and Huanglong first. From Chengdu, there is no direct bus to Lijiang,, so you may take a bus or train via Kunming.

If limited to 3, the Lijiang Old Town, Phoenix Ancient Town and Bamei are recommended. They are worth a visit and have their distintive characters. I believe you will feel differently in the towns.

hi emily,
do they have a guesthouse at the 3 ancient town that u were suggested so that maybe i can stay at that guesthouse.. thanks

It is very easy to find a hostel or guesthouse at Fenghuang and Lijiang old towns. In Bamei, there are many farmer resorts which are operated by the locals for your choice. The accommodation won't be a problem in these towns. Don't worry!

Dear Emily,
Could you please advise me the time and cost for the bus from Fenghuang to ZhangJiaJe?
Also the cost for bus from FengHuang to Chongqing

To ZJJ, the direct buses depart at 08:30 and 14:30; ticket fare is about CNY70 and duration is about 4 hours.
To Chongqing, it departs in the morning at 0800. Duration is about 5.5 hours and ticket fare is about CNY170.