Heading into Spring: A March 2019 Road Trip to Enjoy Spring (Part 6) – Shuhe, Lijiang, Panzhihua

Spring is felt more intensely by those from the north. The vast land transforms from bleak desolation and howling north winds to late winter's easing frosts, as the spring breeze brings warmth to Tusu wine. Entering the spring equinox, the rich sense of spring greets you like a wave. The wind turns from biting cold to genial warmth; trees, once dry and barren, now sprout tender buds on every branch; flowers are poised to bloom. As if overnight a spring breeze blows, a thousand trees burst into pear blossoms. Traveling at this time must be 'the finest season of spring, when a thousand miles ring with orioles singing amidst green and red.' On March 20, my spouse and I, following the footprints of spring, embarked on our spring outing journey.

Day 1 (2019, 3, 20): 6:26, departure from Beijing Daxing on the G4 Expressway. 12:06, arrival at the Yin Xu ruins (trip meter: 495 km). 12:40–15:20, lunch at 'Shengdeli' and toured the Yin Xu ruins. 15:48, visited Ma's Manor. 17:20, checked into Lavande Hotel (543 km). 19:38, dinner at '76 People's Traditional Handmade Stewed Noodles'.

Day 2 (2019, 3, 21): 6:47, departed from Lavande Hotel in Anyang, took the Nanlin Expressway. 8:17–12:10, visited the Hongqiqu Youth Cave Scenic Area (631 km). 16:59, arrived at Manxin Hotel in Yuncheng (1,050 km). 18:33, dinner at 'Longxingmei Noodle Restaurant'.

Day 3 (2019, 3, 22): 7:46, checked out and set off. 8:00–8:50, visited the Colorful Salt Lake (1,057 km). 9:22–11:00, visited the Haizhou Guandi Temple (1,082 km). 11:56–12:43, lunch and visited Yongji Puji Temple (1,150 km). 13:10–14:26, ascended Guanque Tower (1,157 km). 17:25, checked into Xi'an Aegean Sea Hot Spring Hotel (1,327 km). 18:45, dinner at 'Lintong Impression'.

Day 4 (2019, 3, 23): 8:10–12:08, explored Huaqing Palace. 12:50–15:10, visited the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda (1,396 km). 15:41, checked into Ibis Hotel (1,405 km). 18:00–21:08, dinner at 'Liuxiang Noodles' and strolled through the Muslim Quarter.

Day 5 (2019, 3, 24): 8:50–11:55, walked atop the Xi'an City Wall. 12:10, lunch (Old Tongguan). 12:43, departed for Hanzhong. 16:30, checked into Hanzhong Riverside Garden Hotel (1,670 km). 18:00–21:00, leisurely walk along the Han River and dinner.

Day 6 (2019, 3, 25): 6:22–7:50, morning stroll by the Han River. 8:42, checked out. 9:19–13:50, drove through Xiema Township, Hongfu Road, Hanshan Peak, Yangchun Town, and Nanzheng South Lake to admire rapeseed blossoms (1,750 km). 14:00, headed towards Guangyuan. 15:50, checked into Hilton Garden Inn Guangyuan (1,915 km). 18:05–20:30, dinner and wandering around.

Day 7 (2019, 3, 26): 8:28, departed. 9:16–12:08, explored Zhaohua Ancient Town and lunch at 'Zhaohua Flavors' (1,946 km). 17:08, checked into Leshan Jinhaitang Hotel (2,389 km). 17:30–21:10, visited the confluence of three rivers, Leshan Giant Buddha, and dinner at 'Leshan Flavors'.

Day 8 (2019, 3, 27): 6:50–8:00, riverside walk. 8:42, checked out and left (2,406 km). 9:41–14:25, experienced the Jiayang Steam Train in Qianwei (2,471 km). 16:40, checked into Ya'an Yucheng Impression Hotel (2,642 km). 17:05, strolled around and dinner at 'Pangshi Fish House'.

Day 9 (2019, 3, 28): 8:40, departed. 12:42–15:48, explored Qionghai National Wetland Park (2,943 km). 16:04–17:30, visited Lushan Mountain. 18:08, checked into Xichang Beautiful Landscapes Hotel (2,957 km). 19:20, dinner at 'Niumuke'.

Day 10 (2019, 3, 29): 8:00, departed towards Lugu Lake (2,960 km). 13:45, reached the entrance gate of Lugu Lake in Yanyuan County (3,201 km). 14:30–15:18, strolled through Caohai (Sea of Grass) and the Walking Marriage Bridge (3,205 km). 16:03, parked at Daluoshui Village (3,221 km). 16:20, checked into Mani Dui Hotel. 16:50–20:00, lakeside walk and dinner.

Day 11 (2019, 3, 30): 6:50, took photos by the lake. 9:20–15:40, circled the lake by car (3,299 km). 18:30–20:00, strolled around and dinner.

Day 12 (2019, 3, 31): relaxed in Daluoshui Village and along Lugu Lake.

Day 13 (2019, 4, 1): 9:30, headed towards Lijiang. 14:00, checked into Shuhe Mozhu Washe Inn (3,496 km). 14:30–17:30, lunch at 'Xiaoguo Fan' and explored Shuhe Ancient Town. 18:20–22:00, visited Lijiang Old Town and dinner at 'Next Door Lao Wang'.

Day 14 (2019, 4, 2): 6:20–8:40, wandered through Shuhe Ancient Town. 9:26, headed towards Panzhihua. 15:48, checked into Panzhihua Zhuxia Hotel (3,763 km). 18:20–22:00, strolled around and dinner at 'Yiba Gu'.

Day 15 (2019, 4, 3): 8:50, headed towards Dongchuan Red Land. 15:02–18:10, explored Dongchuan Red Land and took photos (4,165–4,205 km). 19:26, checked into Dongchuan Century Lijing Hotel (4,249 km).

Day 16 (2019, 4, 4): 7:50, headed towards Bijie. 12:30–17:40, visited the Baili Azalea Scenic Area (4,689 km). 21:55, checked into Bijie Nanfang Excellence Hotel (4,770 km).

Day 17 (2019, 4, 5): 9:00, departed for Longsheng, Guangxi. 15:49, reached the ticket office of Longji Rice Terrace Scenic Area (5,351 km). 17:38, parked at Ping'an Village (5,392 km). 18:35, checked into 'Seven Stars Accompanying the Moon Resort Hotel'.

Day 18 (2019, 4, 6): 6:30–8:00, took photos of Longji Rice Terraces. 9:40, headed towards Dongjiang Lake in Zixing, Hunan. 15:10, checked into Zixing Dongjiang Lake Qishi Hotel (5,856 km). 16:00–19:00, stroll and dinner with 'Qiaozui Fish'.

Day 19 (2019, 4, 7): 7:20–11:30, toured Dongjiang Lake. 12:10, headed to Yingtan, Jiangxi. 18:45, checked into Yingtan Fengdan Bailu Hotel (6,451 km).

Day 20 (2019, 4, 8): 7:00, departed for Jiande, Zhejiang. 11:00, arrived at the parking lot of Jiande Qili Yangfan Scenic Area (6,785 km). 11:40–13:35, strolled along the Fuchun River and had lunch at Kaiyuan Fangcaodi Village Hotel. 14:30, checked into Tonglu Daman Hotel (6,841 km). 18:00–21:40, explored Tonglu county town:

Day 21 (2019, 4, 9): 6:30–8:00, walked along the Fuchun River. 9:50–11:30, visited Daqi Mountain National Forest Park. 18:20–21:10, strolled downtown Tonglu and dinner.

Day 22 (2019, 4, 10): 9:50–15:00, spent time by the Fuchun River, Tianmu Stream, Fenghuang Mountain, Tongjun Cable Bridge, and Binjiang Park, lunch at 'Mother-in-Law' restaurant. 19:00–20:40, strolled downtown Tonglu and dinner.

Day 23 (2019, 4, 11): 9:00, headed to Nanjing (6,885 km). 12:02, lunch at 'Du Shunxing Zhenjiang Pot Cover Noodle' in Yixing. 14:08, checked into Crystal Orange Hotel Yixian Bridge in Nanjing (7,247 km). (Needed to do a lab test in Nanjing and see a doctor two days later.)

Day 24 (2019, 4, 12): 8:45, headed to Xinghua. 11:06–13:50, visited Xinghua Qianduo Scenic Area (7,466 km). 16:50, checked into Suzhou Geya Hotel (7,696 km). 17:30–21:20, Jinji Lake and dinner.

Day 25 (2019, 4, 13): 9:40–13:45, Jinji Lake. 14:20, checked into Lefu All-Suite Hotel. 17:40–21:30, strolled Pingjiang Road and dinner at 'Dingsheng Xian'.

Day 26 (2019, 4, 14): 8:50, headed to Tianmu Lake. 10:59–13:30, visited Tianmu Lake Shanshui Garden and lunch (7,876 km). 14:45, checked into Nanshan Zhuhai Inn (7,921 km). 16:20–19:30, Tianmu Lake Yushui Hot Spring.

Day 27 (2019, 4, 15): 9:17, returned to Nanjing. 12:30, Nanjing Zhongshan Hotel (8,056 km). (Picked up lab report and saw doctor at Nanjing General Hospital.) 15:15, headed to Xuzhou. 18:50, checked into Xuzhou Pengcheng Hotel (8,394 km).

Day 28 (2019, 4, 16): 5:40, departed for Beijing. 12:46, arrived at our home in Daxing, Beijing (9,076 km).

Route: Beijing – Henan – Anyang – Hongqiqu – Shanxi – Yuncheng – Yongji – Shaanxi – Xi'an – Hanzhong – Sichuan – Guangyuan – Leshan – Qianwei – Ya'an – Xichang – Lugu Lake – Yunnan – Lijiang – Sichuan – Panzhihua – Yunnan – Dongchuan – Guizhou – Bijie – Guangxi – Longsheng – Hunan – Zixing – Jiangxi – Yingtan – Zhejiang – Tonglu – Jiangsu – Nanjing – Xinghua – Suzhou – Liyang – Nanjing – Xuzhou – Beijing.

From Lugu Lake to Shuhe, it's less than 200 kilometers, following the Jinsha River for most of the way. The sky was overcast with occasional raindrops. The road twisted and turned, climbing over mountains, with mesmerizing scenery along the way.

At this point, the Jinsha River looked nothing like what I had imagined—it was tranquil and soft, like a blue ribbon floating through a deep, narrow valley.

Around 2 p.m., we arrived at Shuhe Mozhu Washe Inn. The inn, right next to Shuhe Ancient Town, was a garden-style courtyard with its own parking lot. The butler, Xiao Qi, a warm and polite young woman, helped us with our luggage, gave us detailed tips on local cuisine and sightseeing routes, and even prepared umbrellas for us—truly heartwarming.

Perhaps due to the rain, there weren't many people in the ancient town. The food at 'Xiaoguo Fan' was quite good, and the steam-pot chicken was better than many I've tried elsewhere.

Shuhe Ancient Town was once a village that had to be passed on the Tea Horse Road to Diqing. Xu Xiake once recorded, 'Crossed a dry stone bridge, looked west to Zhonghai, where willows shaded rippling waves, a large settlement perched above it, which was the Shihuoyuan.' 'Shihuoyuan' was the old name for Shuhe Ancient Town. It's evident that at least by the Ming Dynasty, Shuhe was already an important town on the Tea Horse Road, comparable to Dayan Ancient Town, another Naxi settlement.

Compared to the crowded, bustling Dayan Ancient Town, Shuhe remains, even today, quaint and quiet. Despite inevitable commercialization, the town's charm endures.

The town thrives on Longquan spring water, irrigating, nourishing, and washing every street and alley. Centered on Sifang Square, it drew travelers from all directions, playing out the joys and sorrows of the Tea Horse Road.

Much like many ancient towns, Shuhe nestles between mountains and waters, its streets arranged according to the flow of water, like arteries in a body. This not only met the need for daily water but also provided natural purification, which is why the town has remained fresh and clean for centuries. The water in Shuhe Ancient Town is neither fast nor dense, neither wide nor deep, but just enough to make Shuhe lively and spirited—the babbling water is Shuhe's murmur and song.

Sifang Square is a standard feature of ancient towns: roads from all directions converge here, forming a transport and commercial hub, much like today's town squares. Shuhe's Sifang Square unites five paths, connecting to the Tea Horse Road towards Diqing, once a bustling market.

Past Sifang Square and up the hill, you reach the famous Qinglong Bridge. This stone bridge, over 400 years old, spans the Qinglong River and was a must-pass on the Tea Horse Road. The mottled stones on the bridge whisper touching stories of the ancient trade route.

Today, Shuhe still has its ancient streets, temples, and the grand homes of caravan leaders (maguotou), as if scenes of horse caravans from long ago were still unfolding.

Walking on the rain-washed flagstones, bathed in sunlight, inhaling the fragrance of flowers, I was all smiles and contentment.

Sifang Tingyin, more like a music plaza than Sifang Square, seemed to host song-and-dance performances and bonfire parties—likely a cultural tourism project built in recent years.

Dayan Ancient Town (Lijiang Old Town) lies about eight or nine kilometers from Shuhe. Compared to many years ago, it has lost the rustic tranquility and simple folkways. At night, it blazes with lights and teems with tourists. Apart from Naxi architecture and small bridges over flowing water, little distinguishes it from modern towns. Its streets, however, are even noisier and more boisterous than ordinary towns, filled with restaurants, shops, bars, and inns. Compared to Shuhe's peacefulness, I prefer Shuhe, which is why I chose to stay there. Dinner at 'Next Door Lao Wang'—the twice-cooked pork was delicious.

At dawn, Shuhe Ancient Town is serene and peaceful, the air especially fresh. The stone-paved streets, adorned with clusters of flowers and babbling streams, offer the town's loveliest moments.

Our inn was a typical Naxi dwelling, tastefully designed with winding paths leading to secluded nooks and a yard brimming with flowers. After breakfast, we said a reluctant goodbye to Shuhe.

From Shuhe to Panzhihua, it's about 270 kilometers, winding through high mountains and deep valleys, mostly on provincial roads with sparse traffic and average conditions—watch out for falling rocks. After Huaping County, we finally got onto the Rongli Expressway at Shilongkan, and about 40 kilometers later reached Panzhihua.

The Jinsha River appeared and disappeared, as if impossible to shake off.

Near Chenghai in Sanshuan Town, Yongsheng County, a watery landscape unfolded. From above, the fields formed a vast expanse of lush green and shimmering water—truly beautiful.

We arrived in Panzhihua close to 4 p.m. After dinner, we strolled along the Jinsha River, with the river breeze warm and comforting.

My previous knowledge of Panzhihua was limited to Panzhihua Iron and Steel. Later I learned that Panzhihua has among the world's leading reserves of rare metals like titanium and vanadium, and that it's also where the Jinsha and Yalong rivers converge. Since we only passed through quickly this time, I couldn't learn more; I hope to visit again next time.