2020 National Day Self-Driving Tour of Southern Gansu and Northern Sichuan
This year, due to the pandemic and family matters, I had no chance to travel. Just before the National Day holiday, the pandemic eased and family issues were resolved, so I planned to take advantage of the holiday to go on a self-driving trip. The destination was basically set as natural scenery in the wild, avoiding crowded places to reduce the risk of infection. After discussion, we initially settled on two destinations. One was Anhui and Jiangxi. Neither of us had been to Mount Lu, and it was a place often celebrated by ancient literati. Events like the Lushan Conference were also major memories for us, so we felt we should visit. Plus, the traditional Anhui dwellings and autumn scenery made the trip worthwhile. The second choice was Southern Gansu and Northern Sichuan. I had long heard about the natural scenery along National Highway 213. I had visited Jiuzhaigou once before, in summer, and wanted to see it in autumn. My partner had never been to Jiuzhaigou, so it was worth the trip. First, I made a guide for Mount Lu, but I found that private cars were not allowed up the mountain during holidays (though usually allowed), so I gave up that option and chose the Southern Gansu-Northern Sichuan route.
The overall principle was a relaxed tour. The general route was: Yanchi - Linxia - Luqu - Ruoergai - Jiuzhaigou - Songpan - Dujiangyan. Although I had a simple plan, reaching the destination was not the only goal. We would play wherever we went and turn back when time was up. We didn't book accommodation too far in advance; because it was a holiday, we worried about finding rooms at the last minute. Basically, we booked the next night's stay one day ahead. In the latter part of the trip, we usually booked the evening's room on the same day.
D1: Shijiazhuang - Yanchi
The theme of this stop was Yanchi Tan sheep, eating authentic hand-held Tan lamb. The journey was 770 km.
When I got up in the morning, the highway was closed due to fog, which made me a bit anxious. By the time we left at 8 a.m., the weather had cleared and the highway reopened. We took the Beijing-Kunming Expressway, where there wasn't much traffic, unlike the busy scenes seen online. Compared to the densely populated eastern coast, it seemed that not many people were heading west during this holiday, so our route was a good choice. Because of the light traffic, we had trouble finding lunch at service areas after noon; two consecutive service areas had no restaurants open. Finally, at Jiaxian Service Area, we found a restaurant and had noodles.
During this journey, we set out from the North China Plain, drove along the Beijing-Kunming Expressway, passed through the Taihang Mountains, reached Shanxi, then transferred to the Pinglin Expressway, crossed the Lüliang Mountains in western Shanxi, and arrived at the Loess Plateau in Shaanxi. The plateau landscape unfolded before us, typical features being undulating loess hills and cave dwellings. Then, within Shaanxi, we traveled from north to south, where population gradually became denser and vehicles increased, until we reached Yanchi. We arrived at Yanchi Hotel at 5:30 p.m.
The Yanchi Hotel was booked the previous night. Based on common sense, such government guesthouses are usually of decent quality, so we chose it. In reality, the service was excellent: they gave us mooncakes, butter tea, and even milk before bed. The downside was that the hardware was poor—no heating air conditioner or radiator. When we felt cold in the middle of the night, we couldn't find extra blankets and had to ask the front desk for an extra one.
After a short rest at the hotel, we went for dinner, which was the highlight of this stop: Yanchi Tan lamb. After checking online and asking the hotel parking lot attendant, we went to Xizi Hand-Grab Lamb. Unfortunately, the restaurant was too popular, and the experience was not great. We ordered noodles, hand-grab lamb, and mushroom with rape. The noodles came first; by the time we were almost full, the lamb arrived. The meat was indeed delicious—tender, fragrant, and not gamey—served with vinegar and garlic sauce. After consulting the server, we learned the mushroom and rape dish hadn't been started, so we canceled it.
D2: Yanchi - Linxia
The theme of this day was the scenery along the way and the Linxia Museum. The distance was 610 km, crossing from Ningxia to Gansu. The landscapes included desertified grasslands, gobi, barren hills, and the Gannan grasslands. Along the way, following the Gaode navigation, we entered Lanzhou city and experienced its traffic congestion.
After exiting the highway in Linxia, we headed straight to the Linxia Museum. It was around 4 p.m., and we made a reservation online on the spot. The Linxia State Museum's basic exhibition, "Majiayao Culture Painted Pottery Exhibition," displayed painted pottery from 5,000 years ago. Through four sequences—Majiayao type, Bianjialin type, Banshan type, and Machang type—it comprehensively and systematically showcased the profound historical heritage and colorful artistic charm of China's Majiayao culture painted pottery, demonstrating the superb artistic creativity of primitive ancestors. It was a concise history of prehistoric society.
Before exiting the highway, we saw an advertisement for Bafang Shisan Alley. After checking into the Vienna International Hotel (no air conditioning; we asked for an extra blanket upon check-in), we originally planned to drive to a popular restaurant for hand-grab lamb, and then, if time allowed, visit this attraction. Due to road construction, we first arrived at Bafang Shisan Alley. We parked and started exploring. Just as we entered, we saw a quiet restaurant called Old Alley Taste, which offered hand-grab lamb in an elegant setting, so we went in. We ordered hand-grab lamb. The owner recommended kang yangyu (roasted potatoes), fermented rice egg drop soup, and shredded cabbage. The restaurant wasn't crowded, and the food was tasty. The lamb wasn't as tender as in Yanchi, but still good. This time, the lamb was served with onions and garlic.
After dinner, we continued walking through the alleys, learning about some historical architecture, culture, and customs. Among the crowd, we saw many people dressed in Hui ethnic attire, adding an exotic atmosphere.
Back at the hotel, after showering, I planned to rest early, but received a video conference invitation from a classmate. We joined an online reunion for the 30th anniversary of our university graduation. In 2005, we had a 15-year reunion in Beijing; in 2010, a 20-year reunion in Tianjin; and this year, for the 30th, we commemorated it this way.
D3: Linxia - Luqu
The theme of this day was the Labrang Monastery and Sangke Grassland. The journey was 170 km. There was a short highway section from Linxia to Labrang Monastery, then we exited and took a national highway under construction to reach the monastery. Labrang Monastery appeared much larger than the Potala Palace. Since I don't understand Buddhist culture, we planned just to view the exterior and appreciate the exotic architecture. In the parking lot, we saw a man in his thirties who had ridden a motorcycle from Shandong. We briefly talked about drone flying and I admired him.
After a simple look at the exterior, we had a simple halal lunch (lamian noodles, small rape, cumin beef). The sun came out, and the red-and-white Tibetan Buddhist buildings looked even more beautiful against the blue sky and white clouds, with green hills as a backdrop. After taking a few more photos, we set off for the grassland. The entire afternoon was spent crossing Sangke Grassland. Initially, there were wetlands under blue sky and white clouds—water, yellow grass, yaks grazing with heads down. By the roadside, we also saw a group of large birds fighting over a dead horse. The birds were not afraid of people; many onlookers watched, but they remained fearless. Some were eating, while others, full, rested and dozed off.
Around 5 p.m., we arrived at Luqu County's Xicang Temple Hotel (with air conditioning). After freshening up, we went out for dinner. The county town was very small. Passing a decent-looking Sichuan restaurant, we sat down but found the owner had only one menu, and we had to queue just to see it. Feeling wary, we left and continued searching. After walking a bit further, we found another Sichuan restaurant. We went in, quickly ordered, and then waited. Just as we were getting impatient, all the dishes came at once: iron-plate lamb, lettuce, cabbage and tofu soup, pickled vegetables, and rice. Perhaps this was their custom; we followed local practices.
D4: Luqu - Ruoergai
The theme of this day was Gahai Lake, Huahu Lake, and Ruoergai Grassland. The total distance was about 110 km.
When I pulled back the curtains in the morning, I was surprised to see a white blanket of snow covering everything. After breakfast at the hotel, we cleared the snow from the car and set off toward the snowy region. We passed a rest stop and bought some grilled yak meat, then continued.
Gahai is a wetland park and was still free. When we arrived, the dark clouds had dissipated, revealing blue sky and white clouds. Under the warm winter sun, we strolled along the boardwalk built over short grass and shallow water. Various birds circled in the sky or foraged on the water surface. The water, the yellowed grassland, and the distant rolling mountains made the moment so beautiful.
After visiting Gahai, we continued along the Ruoergai Grassland. The whole stretch was grassland, similar to the scenery from Nagqu to Lhasa on the northern Tibetan plateau—perhaps it was the same grassland. Soon we reached Huahu Lake. We parked in the Huahu parking lot. The wind was strong, and the temperature was low. The altitude here was relatively high, 3,468 meters. Feeling drowsy after lunch, I dozed off and then developed a headache. I knew it was altitude sickness. Once my body reacted, my enthusiasm for sightseeing faded. This was a ticketed scenic spot, featuring plateau lakes and wetlands. We had just seen similar scenery at Gahai, and the next stop, the First Bend of the Yellow River, would likely offer similar views. Missing it wouldn't be a great loss, so I decided to fly the drone and not enter the scenic area. We went directly to Ruoergai county town to check in.
We had booked the Ruoergai Dazang Sunshine Hotel the day before. When we arrived, the front desk had no rooms left—good thing we booked in advance. The hotel was Tibetan-style, which was why we chose it. The building was old and had no elevator. The altitude was still above 3,000 meters, but fortunately our room was on the second floor. The air conditioning was okay, and breakfast was decent.
After checking in, we asked the staff and searched online for a Tibetan restaurant, Aruo Tibetan Restaurant. The county town was small, so we walked there after resting at the hotel. The restaurant was tiny, with only two front desk staff, but it was very busy. When we entered, all seats were full. While talking to the staff, a table finished and left, so we waited briefly for it to be cleaned and then sat down. The previous guests were two Sichuan people traveling with their pet cat—this was my first time seeing such a thing. The staff was very honest and helped us order hand-grab yak meat, fried mushrooms, yak meat buns, yak yogurt, butter tea, and milk tea—all specialties. The restaurant decor had a trendy, photogenic vibe, and the dishes were unique, but I found the taste average—quite bland. Perhaps the pure Tibetan flavor is not what we northern Han people are used to.
D5: Ruoergai - Jiuzhaigou
The theme of this day was the Nine Bends of the Yellow River and grassland scenery. The day's journey was 361 km.
When I woke up and pulled back the curtains, it was snowing again, which soon turned into sleet. After breakfast, we refueled at a Sinopec station and set off. Since we were on a national highway and had a scenic spot to visit along the way, although time wasn't tight, it didn't feel very relaxed either.
On the way to the First Bend of the Yellow River, it rained continuously. The road conditions were okay, but when we arrived, there was even a brief hailstorm. We bought tickets at the visitor center and drove further. We bought tickets that included the sightseeing elevator to the observation point. Following the staff's instructions, we reached the elevator parking lot. The elevator carried us up effortlessly in sections, making the ticket feel very worthwhile. But watching visitors walking down step by step, I sensed a problem: the elevator only went up, not down. After ascending about 160 meters in altitude, we reached the observation platform, where the Nine Bends of the Yellow River lay before us—it was truly magnificent. After fully enjoying the view, we thought about the upcoming journey and started descending. Looking at the endless stairs, with my already problematic knees, I felt daunted. I forced myself down. After descending the equivalent of 160 meters of altitude via stairs, my knees felt out of control—they were essentially ruined. From now on, before taking an elevator up at a scenic spot, I must understand the way down.
While touring here, we met someone who had come from Jiuzhaigou and said the road had landslides and blockages—it was difficult. They had arrived at 2 a.m., implying the road ahead was rough. Based on their suggestion, we booked Jiuzhaigou tickets online in advance. We still had nearly 300 km ahead. We left at 2 p.m., driving along the Jiuhong Grassland Highway toward Jiuzhaigou. The plateau scenery along the way was beautiful—blue sky, white clouds, yellow grasslands, and good road conditions. This made us imagine the worst about the road ahead, so we pressed on without stopping to enjoy the scenery. After passing Chuanzhusi, the forested mountain landscape appeared—tall mountains with lush trees. Unfortunately, we came a bit too early and missed the golden autumn leaves. It would have been wonderful to drive through a golden forest path.
We arrived at 7 p.m. We stayed at the Jiuzhai Fairytale Tibetan Experience Inn, which we booked after passing Chuanzhusi. It was close to the entrance of the scenic area, just a few hundred meters away. Besides breakfast, it offered two complimentary Tibetan-style dinner vouchers. After a day of travel, we didn't want to look for dinner anymore. The hardware was basic, but the service was attentive. Dinner was a simple buffet with butter tea, highland barley wine, and live Tibetan songs. There was also a briefing on the next day's Jiuzhaigou itinerary and foot-soaking salt. In the room, besides air conditioning, for the first time on this trip, we saw an extra blanket prepared.
D6: Jiuzhaigou
The theme of this day was the Jiuzhaigou scenery.
We left for the scenic area a little after 8 a.m. It was said that the visitor count that day was over 10,000, while the daily limit was over 20,000, so the crowd wasn't too large. Jiuzhaigou has three valleys. Starting from Long Lake, we visited Five-Color Pond, Five-Flower Lake, Pearl Shoal, and Mirror Lake one after another. It was so captivating that we lost track of time. By the time we reached Nuorilang Waterfall at 4 p.m., the light in the mountains had begun to dim, our stamina had dropped, and we were a bit tired of beautiful sights. For the remaining spots, we just mechanically got on and off the sightseeing buses to check in, without the initial surprise and excitement. At a little after 5 p.m., we exited the scenic area, ending our visit.
A regret of the day: the previous day's 160-meter descent at the Yellow River had hurt my knees and calves, leaving me with little energy to walk more mountain trails and quietly enjoy the mountain scenery. Normally, I walk five kilometers daily, so I should have had the stamina.
This was my second visit to the valley; the first was eighteen years ago in summer. This time, I wanted to see autumn, but I only saw a faint yellow, not the golden autumn colors.
While strolling at Five-Flower Lake, I met three freshmen from Sichuan University, all from the same dorm. We chatted briefly. Their dorm also had four people, which reminded me of our own four people thirty years ago. The thought of meeting classmates again took root in my heart.
D7: Jiuzhaigou - Xi'an
The theme of this day was on the road.
The original plan was to go to Huanglong next, stay in Songpan, and then visit Dujiangyan and Mount Qingcheng. But I was worried about the altitude at Huanglong, and also Huanglong only had an uphill cable car—I didn't know if the descent required walking, which my knees couldn't handle. Also, my partner had work matters and wanted to head home. So we decided to go back. We'll return to this National Highway 213 and leave the rest of the trip for next time.
We left Jiuzhaigou a little after 8 a.m., taking the national highway. Initially, the road was good, but near the Gansu border, road construction and landslides made it difficult. At noon, we arrived at Bikou Ancient Town, after 4 hours covering only 190 km. There, we had a simple lunch at a Sichuan restaurant: stir-fried pork with chives, dry pot tripe, and rice. I didn't expect the stir-fried pork with chives to be quite good.
Then we continued on the same road, stop-and-go for over 20 km before finally reaching the expressway. We arrived at the hotel in Xi'an at about 9 p.m., covering 770 km that day. After checking in, I made plans to have lunch the next day with a classmate from Shanxi.
D8: Xi'an - Shijiazhuang
The theme of this day was on the road, plus the old friendship from thirty years ago over lunch.
We drove from Xi'an to Xiangfen, over 320 km, taking 4 hours. I sat down to eat with a classmate for the first time in thirty years since graduation. We had lived together for four years in that ancient building, 18th Dormitory at Qilitai. Back then, our only communication with the outside world was through extremely slow letters, so dorm classmates were basically our entire world. When guests visited, we gave up our beds and shared a single bed; we wandered around the Tianjin University and Nankai University campuses at sunset, and on drizzly evenings, we took detours along the Haihe River on the way to evening study sessions. The meal was rushed; there was so much from the past that remained unspoken. We agreed to meet more often in the future. Carrying my classmate's vinegar, apples, and vermicelli, along with the memories of old times, I set off again.
We arrived home a little after 7 p.m., covering 910 km that day. The entire journey totaled over 3,700 km.
Table of contents: 1, Background; 2, Overall itinerary; 3, Detailed itinerary; Travel information; Hotel index; Strategy index; Airline index; Website navigation; Travel index; Cruise index; Enterprise travel index; Joining cooperation; Distribution alliance; Friendly links; Enterprise gift card procurement; Insurance agency; Agency cooperation; Hotel joining; Destination and scenic area cooperation; More cooperation; About Ctrip; About Ctrip; Ctrip hot topics; Contact us; Career opportunities; User agreement; Privacy policy; Business license; Security center; Ctrip content center; Intellectual property; Trip.com Group; Algorithm publicity
