Guizhou, Sichuan, Chongqing, Let's Go!

I've been to Guizhou, Sichuan, and Chongqing many times. This time, to fill in the gaps, I specially designed an itinerary and called on three friends. It lasted 18 days: We rented a car twice, took high-speed trains four times, and joined a group tour once. We covered land, sea, and air. Now, I present it in words and pictures for your enjoyment.

Zunyi Xinzhou Airport

DIY6/18: Arrived at Zunyi Xinzhou Airport near midnight. After staying at the airport business hotel, the rental car company delivered the car to us the next day as agreed. Our first destination was Hailongtun, located southwest of Zunyi. It is the only World Cultural Heritage site in Guizhou Province. Its story dates back 600 years, when the Yang family had ruled Bozhou for centuries, establishing a tusi system akin to an independent kingdom. By the Wanli period of the Ming dynasty, the ruler Yang Yinglong's conflict with the imperial court intensified, leading to a massive war. This military fortress, hidden deep in the mountains and meticulously built over generations, eventually turned to dust. Today, we visited the ruins of the so-called unconquerable Hailongtun. It had multiple defense lines, several passes and gates, as well as palaces and towers. Due to the difficult climb and incomplete development, I only made it to Tongzhu Pass, Tiezhu Pass, and Feihu Pass, not reaching the summit—a small regret.

A few kilometers away, the memorial archway pavilion

Bozhou Tucheng is a newly built project. You must pass through it to reach Hailongtun. It has a visitor center, restaurants, entertainment venues, as well as farmstays and various guesthouses.

Bozhou Tucheng 1

Bozhou Tucheng 2

Bozhou Tucheng 3

Entrance (need to take a sightseeing bus into Hailongtun)

The mountain road is winding.

The climbing path to the pass is nearly vertical, very difficult to ascend, called the "Heavenly Stairway."

2. After leaving Hailongtun, we headed to Loushanguan, but first entered the city. The Zunyi Conference Site is Zunyi's number one attraction; no matter how tight the schedule, we had to see it.

The site is in the city center, with narrow roads and heavy traffic.

During the pandemic, many indoor venues were closed, including the exhibition hall.

Took a photo as a souvenir!

3. We arrived at Loushanguan around 3:30 p.m. By then, the sky had cleared, and it was the best time of the day. The scenic area is about 50 km northeast of Zunyi. In 1935, the Red Army won its first victory since the Long March here, which inspired Chairman Mao to write the famous poem "Dream of a Maiden of the River: Loushanguan." From the visitor center, we took a scenic bus straight up to Xifengtai at over 1,200 meters, then went to the glass walkway, then back to Yanming Pagoda, Changkong Bridge, then to the Poem Stele, the Pass Tower, and back to the visitor center. The entire itinerary was smooth and orderly.

Below is the Sichuan-Guizhou Highway, truly "one man can hold the pass against ten thousand."

Changkong Bridge beneath Yanming Pagoda

DIY6/20: Stayed overnight in Zunyi. The next morning, we drove north. The famous Maotai distillery is located in Renhuai Town, on the way from Zunyi to Chishui. We couldn't miss the chance to visit.

Gate of the main packaging plant

Arrived at Bing'an Town around 1 p.m. After lunch, we went to the Great Waterfall. The entire Chishui Danxia scenic area is vast. Admission was free (all scenic spots in Guizhou were free during the pandemic), but the round-trip sightseeing bus cost 20 yuan, and an additional 20 yuan for a one-way elevator ride. Although this waterfall is not as famous as Huangguoshu, the experience was no less impressive, and its drop is even greater than Huangguoshu.

Distant view, grand in scale

Close-up, thunderous sound

Mid-range, like a thousand troops and ten thousand horses

Tourists below the waterfall

Foguang Rock was quite far from the Great Waterfall. Visiting both attractions in one day was nearly impossible, so we chose to stay in Bing'an Town. Using early morning and late evening, we explored the ancient town of Bing'an. Historically, it was a distribution center for Sichuan salt, but it is also famous in the Long March; Lin Biao's First Army Corps was stationed here, and nearby is where the Red Army crossed the Chishui River four times, so the red revolutionary atmosphere is strong.

Bing'an Town in the early morning

Stilted houses? Not quite!

This is also the hometown of Geng Biao.

DIY6/21: Foguang Rock is also about 25 km from Bing'an Town, one to the east and one to the west. After driving to the scenic area, we took the sightseeing bus inside, then hiked along the path. Foguang Rock has an arc length of 1,117 meters and a drop of 385 meters, known as "the crown of world Danxia." Remarkably, there is a waterfall in the center, cascading down gracefully.

After visiting Foguang Rock, our trip in Guizhou ended. We drove to Yaoba Ancient Town, which is not far but belongs to Hejiang County, Luzhou, Sichuan. Yaoba is one of China's top ten ancient towns, located at the junction of Guizhou, Sichuan, and Chongqing. It has a prosperous trade, many historical relics, and is well-preserved. There are the Zhou Mansion of a martial arts juren, the former residence of the famous second-generation director Ling Zifeng, and the exhibition hall of renowned critic Wang Chaowen. The ancient town is different from the water towns south of the Yangtze; it has simple folk customs and unique architecture, an excellent choice for experiencing the folk customs of western Sichuan.

Imitation city gate tower (with introduction to Hejiang inside)

Ancient tree in front of Guanyin Temple

Baba tea, Longmenzhen (storytelling)

Former jinshi mansion, later Tianhong Rice Shop, now an activity center.

Teahouse, activity room

Ancient temple's stage tower

Movie still from Ling Zifeng's film "The Madman"

Wang Chaowen Exhibition Hall

Luzhou is only about 27 km from Yaoba. The city has Fangshan, Luzhou Laojiao distillery ruins, and other attractions. Due to time constraints, we chose the Bell and Drum Tower in the city center. Stayed overnight in Luzhou (no further details).

On the left is the Bell and Drum Tower

Stayed at Siji Lanting Hotel

Ate at "Xiangli Xiangqin" (Fellow Villagers)

DIY6/22: Drove 80 km straight to the national scenic area "Shunan Zhuhai" (Bamboo Sea in Southern Sichuan). Unfortunately, the weather didn't cooperate; it was drizzling, misty, and visibility was poor. Moreover, the rules for entering the scenic area had changed: private cars were no longer allowed inside, replaced by sightseeing buses operating on a stop system. So our plan to stay inside the scenic area was disrupted. Following recommendations, we visited Xianyu Cave, Tianbao Fortress, Feicui Corridor (Jade Corridor), and Qicai Feipu (Colorful Waterfall). We had hoped to take a panoramic photo from the Sea-Viewing Tower, but it was under repair. To see the panorama, Xiao Chen and I each paid 70 yuan to take the scenic cable car round trip.

Xianyu Cave (below is a large canyon)

Tianbao Fortress (with 36 Stratagems stone carvings)

Feicui Corridor, a comfortable place.

Took the sightseeing cable car to see the vast bamboo sea.

Mo Xi (Ink Stream) at the foot of the mountain.

After visiting Shunan Zhuhai, we drove directly to Xingwen County, 70 km in nearly 2 hours. The next morning, we went to "Xingwen Shihai Dongtian Scenic Area" (Stone Sea Cave Heaven). It is located in southeastern Sichuan. Although it is a national scenic area, few people visit. But everyone who has been there praises it highly. It has not only strange mountains and rocks but also cave fairylands, as well as southwestern ethnic minority customs. There is a lot to see, and the content is rich.

Looks like volcanic lava

Took a photo with the beautiful guide at the Tiankeng (giant sinkhole)

Called "the largest cave tourism area in China"

From here, take the sightseeing bus back to the visitor center, 50 yuan for the round trip.

After visiting the stone forest cave scenery and having lunch, we drove over 130 km to Yibin—the hometown of Wuliangye liquor. We returned the rental car as agreed. At this point, the first phase of our trip ended. Next, we would rely on public transportation for the second phase.

DIY6/24: Took high-speed train G2232 to Chengdu East. We stayed at a 7 Days Inn close to the station. Xiao Chen and I went to Jinsha Site Museum and Kuanzhai Alley, while Xiao Yang and Old Hu went to Wuhou Shrine. On the 25th, we joined a "two-day one-night Heishui tour."

1. Jinsha Site Museum

The site was discovered in 2001, yielding the Sun Bird gold foil, now a symbol of World Heritage, and a gold mask similar to those at Sanxingdui.

Shape of the Sun Bird gold foil

The ancients' reverence exceeded imagination.

Kuanzhai Alley is a favorite of young women.

Kuanzhai, I finally made it.

DIY6/25: We joined the "Two-Day One-Night Heishui Tour." Heishui is a county in Ngawa Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture. It takes about 5 hours from Chengdu. Because the road from Maoxian to Heishui was under repair, we didn't arrive until 3 p.m. The seat of Heishui County is Maoergai from the Red Army period; Dagu Glacier is the last snow mountain the Red Army crossed, called "Dagu Snow Mountain."

The weather was excellent that day—blue sky and white clouds. Since the scenic area required reservations, we first visited "Naizigou," known for its colorful forests, outside the scenic area, and visited the Tibetan villages of Jiazu, Luoluocuo, and Yangrong Village one by one.

Stayed overnight in Heishui. The next morning, when I opened the window, it was raining. Helpless, we had to make the best of it. It took another 50 minutes by bus from the scenic area to the cable car station, and then the cable car carried us to the summit at 4,800 meters. Due to bad weather, the snow-capped mountains that would have been under blue sky and white clouds could only show their shy faces.

Self-driving tourists

2. Dagu Glacier

Vegetation in rain and fog

Trendy coffee house

Challenge myself: I didn't use the oxygen can provided by the tour agency.

Glacier faintly visible

"Tear Lake" formed by Glaciers 1 and 2

Shouted in awe of the magnificent mountains and rivers

Glacier No. 3 sloping down

"Zhongdapu" on the way back

Battlefield flowers are especially fragrant

On the way back from Heishui to Chengdu, it was windy and rainy, plus road construction caused traffic jams. We didn't return to western Chengdu until 10:30 p.m. Fortunately, we caught the last subway and smoothly returned to our hotel near Chengdu East.

DIY6/27: Early morning, took the 8:27 bullet train to Jianmen Pass. After getting off, we stored our luggage at a station locker and rented a car for 40 yuan directly to the Jianmen Pass visitor center. Jianmen Pass: we went from the North Gate → Cable Car 1 → Fairy Corridor → Bird Path → Glass Walkway → Liangshan Pavilion → Stone Bamboo Shoot Peak → Xianyun Inn → Leiming Bridge → Pass Tower → South Gate. It took over 4 hours, the most tiring part of the entire trip.

North Gate visitor center

On the cliff, the upper path is the Bird Path, the lower is the Ape Path (requires safety rope, 60 yuan per person).

For climbing the Bird Path, gloves are important.

The natural barrier of the Shu Road: Jianmen Pass

After coming down from Jianmen Pass, we missed one train, so the four of us directly hired a car to Guangyuan and checked into Dissen Hotel.

DIY6/28: Hired a car to Mingyue Gorge and Thousand-Buddha Cliff. Guangyuan has five must-visit places: Jianmen Pass, Zhaohua Ancient City, Mingyue Gorge, Thousand-Buddha Cliff, and Huangze Temple. Due to time, we skipped Zhaohua Ancient City because we would visit the better "Langzhong Ancient City" tomorrow.

Mingyue Gorge is in Chaotian District, about 10 km away. It has two entrances, one closed due to the pandemic. Six roads have appeared here over time: the Jialing River waterway in the middle, the Qin Dynasty plank road on the left, the original National Highway 108, and the Jinniu Road; on the right are the Baoji-Chengdu Railway and the towpath for boat trackers.

Thousand-Buddha Cliff by the Jialing River was first built in the Northern Wei dynasty, flourished in the Tang dynasty, with over 950 niches of statues. It has remained largely intact for a thousand years and is listed as one of the first batch of national key cultural relics protection units.

Huangze Temple is a living shrine to Empress Wu Zetian, containing her true golden statue, very precious.

Six roads of ancient and modern times in one gorge

Above is the original national highway, below is the plank road.

An enormous and arduous project, opening up the Shu Road!

Baoji-Chengdu Railway, freight trains occasionally flash by.

Jialing River outside Thousand-Buddha Cliff

Truly an ancient temple

Niches densely packed on the cliff face

Climbing allows you to appreciate each grotto

Northern Wei style, Yungang charm, Su niche (Tang).

Dayun Ancient Cave (Tang)

DIY6/29: Early morning, took train K544 from Guangyuan to Langzhong. At the exit, we stored our luggage for 20 yuan, then hired a car for 20 yuan to "Aoshan Shengyao Scenic Area." After touring, we walked down to "Nanjin Ancient Town," crossed the town to the ferry, and took a ferry to Langzhong Ancient City on the opposite bank. We ascended Huaguang Tower, then hired a car to the White Pagoda on the opposite bank of the Jialing River (80 yuan) to take a panoramic photo of Langzhong (the return trip directly dropped us at Zhang Fei Temple on West Street). After visiting Zhang Fei Temple, we walked east along the street, passing Zhongtian Tower to the Western Sichuan Administrative Office, the Examination Hall, and the Confucian Temple. In one day, we visited all the attractions in Langzhong city. At 18:30, we took train C5846 to Chongqing North and checked into Yishi Hotel.

1. Aoshan Shengyao Scenic Area

"Aoshan Shengjing" is a fairy-tale cultural tourism area.

Worships Kuixing Emperor and Guansheng Emperor; during the college entrance exam period, students flock here.

Newly built five Wealth Generals and Zhao Gongming.

Climbed Kuixing Tower

2. Nanjin Ancient Street

Nanjin Pass: During the Three Kingdoms, Zhang Fei and Ma Chao fought here for over a hundred rounds, leaving a millennium-old story.

Ancient street is free for visitors.

Graffiti is very creative.

Strong commercial atmosphere.

Here we boarded the ferry to cross eastward (5 yuan per person).

3. Langzhong Ancient City

The first tower of the ancient city: Huaguang Tower

Ascending this tower, one can see the entire city.

Old houses moved past the window lattice.

At the White Pagoda, you can photograph the entire city below (featured on CCTV).

Surrounded by mountains on four sides, water on three sides—China's number one city of feng shui.

Zhang Fei Temple has a history of over 1,700 years.

A tiger among officials, a good shepherd, but his head and body were separated.

Zhongtian Tower is at the center of the city.

Strong flavor of late Qing and early Republic.

Historically, Langzhong served as the capital of Sichuan for over twenty years.

Sichuanese people value education, leaving this for reference.

High-end guesthouses.

DIY6/30: Arrived in Chongqing, ending the second phase. We weighed pros and cons and decided to rent a car again. After picking up the car, we drove to Wulong, over 170 km away. The weather forecast said cloudy, but on the highway, we realized something was wrong: the radio broadcast a yellow rainstorm warning. At 9 a.m., a torrential rain arrived as forecasted. Rain poured down, and we could barely see outside the car window. Fortunately, the highway wound through the mountains, and we encountered no landslides or mudslides.

Upon reaching Fairy Mountain Town, everything was white. At the visitor center, we were told that the Three Natural Bridges scenic area was closed due to waterlogging. So we could only find a hotel to stay. Around 2 p.m., we decided to check out the Fairy Mountain Scenic Area. To our surprise, the situation at the top was different; the mist was dissipating. Fairy Mountain is a national-level tourist resort that Chongqing has heavily developed, integrating tourism, leisure, and camping. It features forests, grasslands, and jungles, known as the "Switzerland of the East." Entering the scenic area didn't require getting out of the car; we simply scanned a QR code to drive in.

Planned area of 70.6 square kilometers, with 15 square kilometers already developed; very large.

The mist cleared, revealing a lush green landscape.

At 3:30, the Three Natural Bridges reopened, and we entered as the last batch of visitors that day. The Three Natural Bridges are a World Natural Heritage site, a National 5A Scenic Area, and a National Geopark. We took a sightseeing bus in, then an elevator down to the bottom of the gorge, and visited Tianlong Bridge, Qinglong Bridge, and Heilong Bridge in order. The one-and-a-half-hour tour was just right.

2. Three Natural Bridges

Elevator straight down to the gorge bottom.

Tianlong Bridge, a thousand-foot cliff.

DIY7/1: Leaving Wulong, we went directly to Hechuan, mainly for two attractions: Laitan Ancient Town and Fishing City (Diaoyu City). Laitan is also one of China's top ten ancient towns, dating back to the Song dynasty. The existing city wall was built during the Xianfeng period of the Qing dynasty. It has cliffs on three sides and faces a river on one side, so it's more apt to call it Laitan Ancient Fortress. Inside, the "Erfo Temple" is widely renowned.

Hechuan's Diaoyu City is even more remarkable. During the Southern Song dynasty, Möngke Khan of the Mongol Empire led his army to conquer the Song. When they advanced here, they encountered stubborn resistance from the Hechuan army and civilians. Relying on the special terrain of Diaoyu City, they held out for a full 36 years. Möngke was defeated under the city walls, almost changing world history.

1. Laitan Ancient Town:

A 12.5-meter tall golden Buddha statue.

2. Diaoyu City:

Symbol at the visitor center.

Fortifications built on sheer cliffs.

At the confluence of three rivers (Qujiang, Fujiang, and Jialing), the throat of Chongqing.

Commanding a height, easy to defend and hard to attack.

Many inscriptions of praise.

Thousand-Buddha Cliff, Reclining Buddha.

DIY7/2: Left Hechuan early in the morning. Along the way, we picked up "Wenfeng Ancient Street" and then went to Dazu to visit the famous "Dazu Rock Carvings." Since the expressway wasn't fully open, it took a full 2 hours of driving. The Dazu Rock Carvings are spread out, but mainly concentrated in Baodingshan and Beishan areas. They began in the early Tang dynasty and flourished in the two Song dynasties, representing the highest level of global rock art from the 9th to 13th centuries. They were inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1999.

1. Baodingshan Grottoes:

Dazu Rock Carvings Museum.

Three Sages of Huayan (Southern Song).

Mahaparinirvana Sutra with filial piety (Southern Song).

Nirvana of Sakyamuni (Southern Song).

Millennium-old temple: Shengshou Temple.

Footprint pavilion in front of the temple (Dazu).

2. Beishan Grottoes:

Protective corridor built over them.

Interior structure of the corridor.

Vaisravana King niche (Tang, Jingfu first year).

Sakyamuni preaching niche (Tang, Jingfu first year to Qianning second year).

Water-Moon Avalokiteshvara niche (Southern Song, Shaoxing period).

Mayuravidyadhara niche (Northern Song, Jingkang first year).

DIY7/3: Today was the last day in Chongqing. Considering the complexity of Chongqing's traffic, we returned the car early to experience the city's metro and light rail. Our plan: in the morning, visit Ciqikou Ancient Town, Zhazidong (Sino-American Cooperation Office prison), Baigongguan (White Mansion), and Liziba. At noon, return to the hotel for rest. At 4 p.m., head to the Yangtze River Cableway, Jiefangbei (Liberation Monument), Hongyadong, and Qiansimen Bridge for night views.

1. Ciqikou Ancient Town:

2. Zhazidong and Baigongguan:

Baigongguan is quite far from Zhazidong.

Baigongguan was originally Xiangshan Villa.

3. Liziba:

4. Yangtze River Cableway:

The cable car station has become a scenic spot.

Views of both banks of the Yangtze River.

Skyscrapers vying for height.

5. Liberation Monument: Chongqing's center point.

6. Hongyadong:

7. Qiansimen Bridge:

DIY7/4: Free time in the morning. At 14:32, we boarded train Z258, arriving at Shanghai South Station at 9:05 the next day. The 18-day trip to Guizhou, Sichuan, and Chongqing ended successfully. Everything went according to plan.