A Painting of Rain and Sunshine Without Fixed Patterns——2021 Sichuan-Chongqing-Enshi 16-Day Travel Diary ● Land of Six Springs
June 23, 10:00 AM: The China Eastern Airlines plane landed on time at Chengdu Shuangliu Airport, and our Shanghai family group started our second trip of the year.
Due to road repairs and mountain landslides, we only visited the 2,000-year-old Taoping Qiang Village today. The Qiang people are known as living fossils of ethnicity. They have no written language, relying on speech, music, dance, and opera to pass down their history and culture. Taoping Qiang Village, with its military-civilian integrated architectural layout and complete underground water network, has ensured the safety and development of generations of Qiang people. Remarkably, in the past 100 years, the area has experienced three major earthquakes, especially the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake. Aside from some internal damage to the 9-story watchtower, the other buildings were largely intact. In the evening, we stayed at the Top Cloud Tent Manor in Li County. Since the car couldn't reach the hotel entrance, almost all the hotel staff came down the mountain to help us carry our luggage and even delivered it to our rooms—a thoughtful service. The manor has 18 tent-like glass houses nestled halfway up the green mountains, surrounded by lush trees and flowing streams, incredibly relaxing.
▲ This is where the Qiang king used to sit. Of course, the person in the photo is not the Qiang king.
June 24: Roads in the Aba region of Sichuan are being comprehensively upgraded. Since the original route was completely closed, we had to take a detour. To make it through before the road closure, we skipped the hotel breakfast. After an early breakfast in Wenchuan at 8:30 AM, we hurried toward the second traffic checkpoint in Maoxian, which was about to close. Unexpectedly, near Hongyuan, around 3 PM, we encountered the third road closure. By then, we hadn't even had lunch. According to traffic authorities, our dinner might not come until after 8 PM. The guide and driver negotiated multiple times with the traffic police, who even boarded the bus to check if we were all elderly passengers. They made an exception and let all vehicles pass over an hour early, including six tourist coaches. For the entire day, we spent almost all our time on the bus, visiting only one attraction: the watershed between the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers—Mount Chazhen Liangzi. When we reached the 4,345-meter summit, we could see neither the Yangtze nor the Yellow River. Of course, at the foot of the mountain, two clear streams flowed into the distance. Today’s journey was all uphill. At 3,500 meters, the mountains were covered in dense forests. Above 3,700 meters, there were lush alpine meadows, with herds of yaks playing and chasing each other across the vast grassland. Tonight’s hotel, Hongyuan Liwan Hot Spring Resort, has nice rooms equipped with oxygen devices, but the breakfast was average.
June 25: When I visited northern Shaanxi this spring, I wanted to see the First Bend of the Yellow River, but the itinerary didn't allow it. While planning this trip, I finally learned that the true First Bend lies at the heart of the Hongyuan Prairie in Sichuan. The Yellow River flows from Gansu into Sichuan, giving rise to the only county named after the river in China—Maqu County (where "Maqu" means Yellow River in Tibetan). At Tangke Town, it forms a massive first bend, with Gansu Province on the opposite side. After this bend, the river enters Qinghai Province (see photo 1). We took a 14-section escalator, running 538 meters, to reach a small hill over 3,600 meters high—the best vantage point for viewing the First Bend and a platform for overlooking the Hongyuan Prairie. Unfortunately, at the summit, thick fog obscured everything. Someone once described the 99 bends of the Yellow River as follows: The First Bend shows the mother river’s peace and calm; Hukou displays its boldness and passion. In the afternoon, we visited Ruoergai Flower Lake and saw most of the lake scenery. Perhaps due to the cold, the Gesang flowers that usually bloom from mid-to-late June to early July were almost invisible. Still, everyone was fascinated by the vast, verdant Flower Lake, one of China’s three major wetlands. Wild ducks rippled the clear water’s surface. If boat rides were allowed, with colorful boats drifting on the lake, what a beautiful picture that would be! Today on the national highway, our tourist bus was intercepted by multiple groups of yaks and sheep. The herder at the back looked quite mysterious. In the evening, we checked into Ruoergai Western Pasture Guge Dynasty Hotel, with good rooms filled with oxygen.
June 26: Along the national highway to Huanglong Scenic Area, there was a vast grassland. Our bus drove for ten minutes without reaching the end. There must have been tens of thousands of yaks on the grassland—an unforgettable sight. On a grassy patch, a few family members rode horses and thoroughly enjoyed it. Everyone knows Huanglong Scenic Area, famous for its "four wonders": colorful ponds, snow-capped mountains, canyons, and forests. We took the cable car up and spent over four hours walking the 3.6-kilometer mountain trail. From sunny to cloudy to moderate rain, we witnessed all the various splendor of "Huanglong"—so beautiful it’s overwhelming. Today was especially meaningful for our family group, with an average age of 68. We have been traveling on plateaus around 3,500 meters for three consecutive days. On the first night, some of us already had altitude sickness. Fortunately, we encouraged each other, avoided alcohol at dinner the second night, and minimized or skipped showers. Finally, all family members completed the challenge and enjoyed all the scenic spots on the regular route at Huanglong. After this final test, we bid farewell to the highlands starting tomorrow. From now on, our path is smooth. In the evening, we checked into Jiuzhaigou Jinlong International Resort Hotel at an altitude of over 1,000 meters. Everyone laughed and raised glasses to celebrate, scoring at least 85 points on this challenge.
▲ Five-Color Lake at 3,900 meters altitude.
June 27: According to the guide, before the earthquake, Jiuzhaigou received over 100,000 visitors daily. I don’t know how many came today. Official statistics say several thousand per day in recent days. Jiuzhaigou’s beauty is universally known; it’s a world-famous scenic spot. The great writer Wei Wei once described Jiuzhaigou: "Natural beauty, beauty natural; heaven on earth, earth in heaven." The guide said Jiuzhaigou’s significance can be summed up like this: It supports half of Sichuan’s guides and half of its tourist drivers. Rumor has it that Jiuzhaigou might be upgraded to a city. I first came here in 1991. Back then, a round trip to Jiuzhaigou took a whole week. When the bus returned to Chengdu, its brakes were nearly failing—everyone was shocked. Of course, Jiuzhaigou’s management level today is incomparable to 30 years ago. At Jiuzhaigou, I suddenly recalled a story from the early 1980s: the husband of a female colleague in my office was a painter who went to Jiuzhaigou to sketch. When he returned, perhaps he had sold his paintings, and all his money was tied around his waist with a belt—all in Renminbi. The sixth photo below shows a spot called Mirror Sea, which looks almost exactly like a photo I took at Moraine Lake in Canada. Moraine Lake is considered the world’s most photogenic lake, and Mirror Sea is no less impressive. And Mirror Sea is just one of Jiuzhaigou’s 108 lakes! Jiuzhaigou Jinlong International Resort Hotel is considered good locally, with a rich breakfast, but unfortunately, the room had no air conditioning, so our washed clothes didn’t dry.
▲ Group photo of our family group—just a small team of 12.
June 28: Maoxian, as a vital transport hub from Chengdu to Hongyuan or Jiuzhaigou, had multiple traffic interruptions today due to road construction. Some waiting times lasted an hour, and others caused accidents, with vehicle queues stretching over ten miles. One wonders: Is the management of this county's relevant departments scientific? Should provincial departments come down to investigate and guide? Due to traffic jams, we only took a quick glance at Songpan Ancient City and gave up other attractions. We didn’t arrive at Qingcheng Mountain Daonong Hotel until nearly 7 PM. The room conditions made us, experienced travelers, give a thumbs up. Dinner was at the trendy Qingcheng Dao. Tables were scattered in a small garden—elegant. The wood-fired chicken (four ways to eat it) cost over 400 yuan, and a cold-water fish nearly 400 yuan—both whetted our appetites so much that we finished six bottles of yellow wine.
June 29: A few years ago, we visited the back mountain of Qingcheng, a leisure spot. Today, we went to the front mountain, a Taoist sacred site. Before the main gate, there is a memorial archway inscribed with: "First Mountain of Western Sichuan." The right couplet reads: "Looking at thirty-six peaks—rain and sunshine, light and heavy, a painting without fixed patterns." The left couplet: "With a hundred and eight scenes, walking and composing, pausing to reflect on Du Fu's poems." This is Qingcheng Mountain as seen through immortal eyes. In modern martial arts novels, Taoism’s founder Zhang Daoling’s martial arts are unfathomable. During the Eastern Han dynasty, Celestial Master Zhang established his thatched hut and preached Taoism here, eventually ascending to immortality in the mountains. Today, we only went as far as Shangqing Palace. The couplets on both sides of the palace gate read: "Looking up at Shangqing, elegant as clouds and dragons; viewing Daming, beautiful as colorful phoenixes." Famous painters like Zhang Daqian and Xu Beihong have created masterpieces at Qingcheng Mountain. After hiking, we sat at a tea house in Ci Yun Ge Square, chatting and relaxing—leisurely and carefree.
▲ Two live peacocks!
June 30: Today is the eighth day of our trip. We finished touring Sichuan and took a train to Chongqing. Our first stop was Dazu Rock Carvings. From the late Tang to early Song dynasties, over about 250 years, more than 70 rock carving sites with 100,000 statues were created in the Dazu area. They depict Buddhist stories and showcase the highest level of rock carving art of that time, praised as "divine humanization, human divinization." Today we saw the Baodingshan rock carvings—a 500-meter cliff face that is a scroll of Buddhist culture. Among them, the Thousand-Armed, Thousand-Eyed Avalokitesvara is a national treasure of national treasures, magnificent in scale (see photo 10). Samantabhadra Bodhisattva (see photo 8) is hailed as the "Eastern Venus." So, who is the "Eastern handsome man" among bodhisattvas? Of course, it is Manjusri Bodhisattva. In the Baodingshan carvings, there is a rare character (see photo 11). My friend, can you guess it? Tonight's hotel is the famous Kaiyuan Guantang Hotel. Perhaps due to heavy rain, even the bedding felt damp. Breakfast was quite good—we had our first freshly ground coffee of the trip.
July 1: Today I wore a red T-shirt to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China. The Tiankeng (Heavenly Pit) and the Three Natural Bridges in Wulong, Chongqing, are only over 3,000 meters long but have many attractions. Besides the three natural bridges—Tianlong, Qinglong, and Heilong, the largest in Asia at over 200 meters high and 100 meters wide—there are the Thumb Cave (haha, I named it), Sky-Supporting Pillar, Carp Leaping Over the Dragon Gate, and Eagle Tiankeng, etc. Waterfalls and flowing streams add a lively spirit to the majestic tiankeng. This is the only filming location for Zhang Yimou’s movie "Curse of the Golden Flower" (see photo 2) and one of the locations for "Transformers 4." Did you guess yesterday’s character? That complex character is composed of: wealth, Buddha, and forest. Some explain it: Only by cultivating deep in the remote mountains and forests can a monk achieve high virtue and prestige. Tonight’s hotel is Huazhu? Fairy Mountain Night Banquet Inn. It’s convenient because it is right beside the scenic area service center; otherwise, it’s average.
▲ Eagle Tiankeng
July 2: In August 1994, Chinese and British explorers entered Wulong’s tiankeng and ground fissures for investigation. Although most exploration projects failed, both Chinese and foreign explorers agreed that Wulong’s tiankeng and ground fissures are "world-class." The Wulong Ground Fissure, also called Longshuixia Ground Fissure, has a 2,000-meter-long tourist route. We were the first visitors to enter the scenic area today. Luckily, just as we entered, the rain magically stopped. Perhaps due to the current rainy season, the roar of waterfalls echoed through the canyon. A huge inverted-triangular rock was wedged into a narrow crevice. I pretended to push it with all my strength, but the guide, almost lying on the ground, couldn’t capture my "strongman" image. In the afternoon, we went to Changshou Lake, known as Chongqing’s Central Park. More than 60 years ago, for the construction of a hydropower station, this lake—the largest man-made lake in southwestern China—was formed, covering nearly 66 square kilometers. This is also the birthplace of the novel "Red Crag." In 2005, during an aerial photography session, it was discovered that part of the islands in Changshou Lake formed a giant "Longevity" character—amazing. I was attracted by a legend: An ancient official was caught in heavy rain during a private visit and rested in a street-side tavern. He saw the opposite house decorated with lanterns; a person over 90 years old was celebrating his grandfather’s birthday. Then a 40-something-year-old and a young child also came to celebrate the grandfather’s birthday. The official was astonished and visited the house. The host, realizing the guest’s extraordinary speech, brought out the Four Treasures of the Study and asked for an inscription. The official wrote: "Flower eyes accidental text." The host didn’t understand. The official then used those four characters as the first character of each line of a poem: "Flower armor two rounds and a half, eyes witness seven generations; accidental encounter wind and rain block, literary star bows to birthday star." The inscription ended with: "Son of the emperor, teacher of the emperor." It turned out that the official was the current emperor’s teacher and the prime minister. Later, the emperor decreed that the place be called Changshou County (Longevity County). We came here to absorb the immortal aura of longevity. Changshou Lake Hotel has outdated facilities but an excellent environment. Perhaps because few tour groups stay there, the waiter at breakfast actually refused to let the guide eat, causing quite a stir.
▲ Stepping onto the Magpie Bridge, full of vitality.
▲ Hand in hand, sharing weal and woe through wind and rain.
▲ Growing old together, no regrets.
▲ The fish paste at dinner was delicious.
July 3: Today we visited Baigongguan and Zhazidong, deeply moved by the unwavering faith and dauntless heroism of the revolutionary martyrs. Many martyrs sacrificed their lives even as they heard the booming cannons of our People’s Liberation Army—so moving! Cíqìkǒu Ancient Town has over 1,000 years of history. In the past, it was: "A thousand people bowing by day, ten thousand lanterns lit by night." Now it is a scenic spot for Bayu ethnic culture tourism. We didn’t walk much, but we bought plenty of twists and other snacks, some shipped directly home. The designer of Liziba Metro Station probably never imagined that the metro passing through here would become an internet sensation, forcing city managers to expand the Jialing River waterfront platform to accommodate countless fans taking photos. We specifically took this metro line, which runs at the level of a six-story building, to experience the train passing through a high-rise. In the evening, we originally wanted to go to the hotpot restaurant "Spicy Third Cheng" run by Sha Yi, but even though we lined up before 5 PM, we wouldn’t get a seat until 8 PM. So we went to Brother Zhou’s place, spending 68 yuan to get a private room. Brother Zhou’s hotpot restaurant has three halls, two rows of private rooms, and over 90 tables—all full, with many people waiting outside. It’s said that Brother Zhou has 18 branches in Chongqing, serving about 100,000 diners a month. Chongqing people love hotpot no less than Chengdu people. The front desk of Heyue Hotel is on the third floor, with the road outside the door. The first floor of this building is the front desk of another hotel, also with the road outside. The hotel facilities are very new and nice.
July 4: Chongqing once had two cross-river cableways: the Jialing River Cableway built in 1982 and the Yangtze River Cableway built in 1987. At that time, both were means of transport for locals crossing the river, called "air buses." Now, Chongqing residents no longer use such cableways—they have many cross-river bridges. The "air buses" are now crowded with out-of-towners like us, using them as platforms to enjoy Chongqing’s scenery (see photo 1). However, crossing the river only takes 4 minutes and 30 seconds. Originally, we wanted to go to the high Pipashan (Loquat Mountain), a viewpoint for Chongqing’s scenery, but there was no parking, so we had to give up. The Mountain City Trail, like the alleys in Shanghai, is on a slope and by the river. As the former wartime capital, there are buildings such as embassies and generals’ villas, and now many small shops. It’s only about 1,700 meters long, with the flavor of old Chongqing. Although it is still under renovation, it’s worth a walk. Here’s an excerpt from the commentary: "Let us remember the city’s history and continue its cultural lineage amid the time-precipitated ‘old objects.’" Tonight’s Hotel Lavande is near Chongqing Railway Station, almost newly renovated. The rooms are small but well-designed.
July 5: In the morning, we took a bullet train from Chongqing to Lichuan, Hubei, and visited Tenglong Cave in the afternoon. At the entrance of Tenglong Cave, the Qingjiang River forms a large waterfall with a drop of about 30 meters. The roaring river and waterfall blend together, reminiscent of Hukou Waterfall on the Yellow River. The cave entrance is over 70 meters high, and the hall is over 200 meters high. Inside the cave, there are five peaks and ten halls. The vast cave and bizarre scenery amazed even us, who have seen many show caves. The reflection in the water (see photo 5) left me speechless when I took it—"worth it, worth it," so beautiful! The guide said that it took the People’s Liberation Army only eight days to liberate Enshi, but five days to take Tenglong Cave, showing the complex terrain of the area. Tenglong Cave is nearly 60 kilometers long; currently, we only visit a little over 5 kilometers. Recognized as one of the world’s super caves, Tenglong Cave was rated a 5A scenic spot at the end of last year.
▲ Spilled palette.
▲ View outside our hotel Daughter’s Village Resort.
▲ A dinner dish: local crack fish, tender; soup with matsutake mushrooms, delicious.
July 7: Suobuya Stone Forest is a typical karst landform, already 460 million years old. Unlike other stone forests, 80% of its stones are covered with vegetation, ranking first among stone forests in China, and it is called "Crowned Stone Forest." We visited Lotus Village. The description says: It takes stone lotuses as flowers, green trees as springs, like white lotuses born in green springs, with the lotus fragrance spreading thousands of miles. Because it was raining, the stones darkened, but their forms remained. When we reached the place called "Frogs Croaking at the Sky" (see photo 4), a thunderstorm broke out. We took shelter at a small shop there. Half an hour later, the place where we stood became a pool, and the rainwater rushing down the mountain path was torrential. Our leader shouted: "Charge out!" So we braved the pouring rain, wading through the rising water, laughing and snapping photos as we quickly left. By then, most of our clothes were wet, and continuing the tour was impossible. There was only one option: eat and go back to the hotel.
▲ A Sliver of Sky
July 8: In the morning, we visited Enshi Tusi City, rebuilt in 1998, which is a landmark of China’s chieftain culture. The chieftain was a local feudal lord. The Jiujin Hall is a miniature Forbidden City. The city is steeped in traditional Chinese civilization. The gate tower is four stories high, representing the four seasons; twelve pillars symbolize the twelve months; twenty-four beams represent the twenty-four solar terms. Outside the main gate, there are guardian spirits. The plaque "Benevolence and Love for People" is topped with two dragons playing with a pearl. A couplet reads: "Learning integrates ancient and modern, then talent is sharp; thoughts enter wind and rain, spirit naturally elegant." The parents' residence has a granary underneath, implying "clothes and food for parents"; the concubine’s residence has a treasury underneath, meaning "golden house hides a beauty." Beyond educating his children, the chieftain also had his own study. The couplet at the study door (see photo 9) reads: "Read thoroughly the true scriptures to establish ambition; think deeply on marvelous discourses to cultivate the self." Today is the 16th day of our family group trip. We are already on the train back to Shanghai. Over the past 16 days, several things are worth noting: One major challenge of this trip was Huanglong Scenic Area. After three consecutive days on plateaus around 3,500 meters, some of us (including me) had been taking "Rhodiola rosea" for three weeks and had minimal altitude sickness. Others hadn’t prepared and experienced altitude sickness along with psychological pressure. The guide described it bluntly: At Huanglong, every year some people leave their ID cards there! In that atmosphere, you also have to sign a liability waiver with the travel agency. Fortunately, our family group members are all seasoned travelers, with strong psychological adjustment. Relying on reason and perseverance, we successfully passed the test and feasted our eyes on Huanglong. Another thing is a bit funny: From Chengdu East to Dazu Rock Carvings was only one train stop. Since one ticket was in another carriage, we let a relatively younger and sharper friend go sit there. When everyone got off, we didn’t see this friend. The guide rushed to that carriage and shouted his name. The train started moving, and still no sign of him. At that moment, the gold-medal guide, Xiong Yi (a college student), showed her professionalism: She told the friend to immediately find the train chief, explain the situation, and ask for help. She also kept tracking his progress. As a result, the friend not only got a note from the train chief but also followed the chief to the free return train. In less than four hours, he rejoined the group safely—a close call. Travel will not always be smooth. What is needed is calmness and flexibility, as well as reliance on a good travel company and an experienced guide.
