Sichuan highlights
Over the hills and far away
Towering Himalayan peaks, whitewater rapids and stunning grasslands offer intrepid travellers rich rewards in Western Sichuan. Daniel Allen gets adventurous
Bent double under 50 kilograms of dried chilli peppers, Kunsang stops to shift the unwieldy burden lashed to her back. Thirty feet below, under the rudimentary suspension bridge of wire and thin wooden boards that support her, the mighty Dadu River churns past, drenching the air with heavy spray. Constrained by steep canyon walls, the noise is deafening.
Kunsang and her family will brave the frothing waters of the Dadu several more times today as they transport their fiery harvest to the opposite bank. Despite the toil and obvious danger, everyone is in good spirits. “We got a fair price from the local merchant,” explains Jamyang, Kunsang’s father, between long drags on his pipe. “Maybe there’ll even be some spare money to fix up the bridge,” he adds mischievously.
In a landscape that can be as unforgiving as it is dramatic, the people of Kunsang’s village seem accustomed to taking a little extra risk. Row upon row of quaint, red-and-white stone houses sit at the base of a gigantic, overhanging rock face, tempting gravity or seismic forces to do their worst. Still, as visitors soon discover, Western Sichuan has never been a place for the faint of heart.
Stretching north to Gansu, south to Yunnan and west to Tibet, Sichuan’s western highlands rear up from the tableland around Chengdu, capital of Sichuan, and boast some of Asia’s most thrilling scenery. Remote valleys dotted with shaggy yaks, delicate flowers and golden-roofed temples sit below snowy mountain ranges, all set against an azure sky.
“We often sing of the beauty of our surroundings,” says Kunsang, a richly decorated hair braid encircling the weathered contours of her face. “Some people say this land is like a fortress paradise. It’s hard to get here, but once you arrive, you won’t want to leave.” If James Hilton’s Shangri-La does exist, it could well be in this wondrously wild corner of south-west China.
These days, Western Sichuan is easily accessed by road from Chengdu, where the majority of tourists see the sights and stock up on creature comforts before heading out. Independent travel in the region is certainly possible, but unless you speak Mandarin Chinese and are a fan of long, uncomfortable bus journeys, it’s best to join a tour, or at least hire your own vehicle and driver.
“Western Sichuan is a land ripe for exploration,” says Roland Zeidler, a German national who co-runs Western Sichuan Tours out of Chengdu. “There are still many areas where tourists have never been to, and peaks which are only now being attempted by climbing expeditions. With its vibrant culture and stunning landscapes, this is one part of China I never tire of visiting.”
While the chilli peppers of Kunsang’s village are now widely cultivated in Western Sichuan, another crop of a more soothing nature has had far greater influence on the region. Ya’an’s Hengduan Mountain Range boasts some of the richest green-tea producing slopes in the world, and a love of leaves from this area led to the establishment of the Tea Horse Road between imperial China and Tibet.
“After tea from Sichuan was introduced into Tibet, it quickly became part of the Tibetan diet,” explains local historian-cum-tour guide Li Qiang, cautiously sipping his own flask of steaming hot beverage. “From around 600 AD, right through to the early 20th century, tea caravans crossed Western Sichuan into Tibet, where bags of leaves were bartered for thoroughbred Tibetan horses for the emperor’s armies.”
Although the Tea Horse Road has long been rendered obsolete by modern highways, the centuries of cultural exchange and regional commerce it promoted are evident across much of Western Sichuan. On the verdant slopes of Mount Mengding just outside Ya’an, serried ranks of tea bushes still blanket the ground like gently rippled corduroy.
“Mengding tea is some of the best in China,” says long-time local farmer Chen Yusheng, who also grows corn and tobacco on his elevated terrace. “In the old days, coolies would carry bricks of tea from here across rivers, over mountains and through deep valleys to Kangding and beyond. Trucks take my tea away now of course, but it still tastes as good as ever, and I still get to wake up to this beautiful view every morning.”
Most of Chen Yusheng’s tea now ends up in Kangding, administrative capital of western Sichuan. With its fascinating mix of Han and Tibetan cultures, many visitors to the region choose to base themselves here for a few days, soaking up the scenery and acclimatising to the increased altitude. Kangding’s recently opened airport – the second highest in the world – means Chengdu is now only 40 minutes way, although flights are sometimes cancelled due to bad weather.
Kangding is a surprisingly dense metropolis squeezed between high valley walls. Arriving today, it’s hard to imagine the place as it was half a century ago. A rabbit warren of ramshackle wooden houses, Kangding was then a rustic outpost – a frontier town in a wild landscape. Caravans would arrive from the west, exchanging their horses, yak hides and herbs for tea and silk.
Kangding’s Tibetan population adds a sizeable splash of colour to the neighbourhoods. These are the Khampa, renowned as much for their warrior tradition as religious devotion. Nowadays, however, the silver daggers are ornamental, and the biggest battle is all about the longest hair braids and most extravagant headgear.
Living close to Kangding, Tenzin, a Khampa farmer, makes weekly pilgrimages into town to sell wild mushrooms and dairy products at the local market. Beside the raging Zheduo River that bisects the main street, his makeshift stall is overloaded with giant wheels of creamy yellow butter, much of it wrapped in protective yak hide.
Tenzin often invites passers-by to share a cup of freshly brewed yak butter tea. “Foreigners generally don’t like the taste of it,” he says. “I take the tea leaves and soak them in hot water for a few hours. Then I add a chunk of butter, a few spoonfuls of salt, a cup of milk and mix the whole concoction together. You’d appreciate it a little more if you were a couple of thousand metres higher up and it was 30˚C colder.”
One place close to Kangding that may be perfect for yak butter tea appreciation is Mount Gongga. Soaring high above Western Sichuan’s jagged topography, this elegant pyramid of granite, snow and ice peaks out at over 7,500 meters, and was once thought to be higher than Everest.
Mount Gongga’s splendour belies its treacherous nature. Until 1999, more people had died climbing it than conquered its summit. These days, most visitors opt for a cable car ride up to a 3,600-metre platform beside the Hailuogou Glacier, one of four frozen rivers that creep down the mountain’s plunging flanks. As temperate forest wreathed in mist gives way to Hailuogou’s fissured tongue of blue-white ice and rock, this is a breathtaking ascent in more ways than one.
“On a clear day, you can see the mountain all the way to Chengdu,” explains Tang Lei, a high-altitude vendor hawking boiled water and fried dough balls next to the cable car terminal.
Leaving Kangding and the mighty Mount Gongga behind, the road twists and turns as it fights the gradient. An endless succession of switchbacks offers ever more stunning views over pine forests and craggy mountain ranges. Giant boulders stained with bright ferrous deposits lie discarded beside meltwater streams, while overhead gossamer strands of lichen decorate branches in a primeval spider’s web of vegetation.
Western Sichuan is not all mountains, forests and rivers, though. From the town of Tagong, 100 kilometres north-west of Kangding, a high altitude sea of grass stretches toward the horizon. Ringed by a necklace of snowy peaks, this lush tapestry of undulating meadows and hills is a pristine environment where Khampa horsemen once honed their fighting skills.
“People usually end up staying in Tagong longer than they plan,” says Sally Norbu, Khampa co-owner of the perennially popular Sally’s Kham Restaurant. “We have a very vibrant and special community here.”
The sprawling grasslands of Western Sichuan have long been associated with horses, both as beasts of burden and battle, and as commodities for bargaining. The tea caravans and warriors have long since disappeared, but the horse remains one of the best ways to get around, for locals and visitors.
“For Khampa men, riding horses has always been a glorious thing,” explains Sally. “As they gallop across the grassland with the wind in their face, yelling at the tops of their voices, Khampas have a great sense of togetherness and honour. In Tagong we have a popular song that says: ‘A good steed is like a swift bird, a golden saddle is like its feathers. When the bird and its feathers are together, then the highlands are easily crossed.’ Khampas don’t make so many great journeys as before, but there are plenty of horse festivals around here where the local men can prove their strength and ability.”
One of Tagong’s most popular day trips is a cross-country horse ride. The trail wends its way through a carpet of grass and vivid blue flowers. Semi-wild horses roam free here, their bellies fat from grazing, while restless herds of yak search out the lushest pastures. Vultures soar effortlessly above, casting shadows over the picturesque topography.
Most Khampa in Western Sichuan now live in wood or stone houses with brilliantly carved windows, eschewing the mud-brick dwellings and yak-hair tents of the past. Around Tagong, however, the nomadic way of life is still much in evidence, with sporadic groups of tents pitched under the big blue sky. Many are patrolled by huge mastiffs, the traditional guard dog of the grassland.
“One of the best things about riding round here, apart from the scenery, is meeting the local nomads,” says Sally. “If you’re invited to join them don’t worry about the dogs, which are usually tied up. People on the grassland are very friendly. Even if they don’t have much they usually still offer visitors a cup of yak butter tea.”
Today, Western Sichuan remains a land of great contrast. The terrain may be inhospitable, but the warmth of the local welcome is deep and sincere. Materially, they may be poor, but the Khampa inhabit a land rich in culture and endowed with great natural beauty. For a little less than all the tea in China, the walls of their fortress paradise are surely worth scaling.
Sichuan fact file
HOW TO GET THERE
KLM operates two direct flights per week (Sundays and Wednesdays) to Chengdu Airport from Amsterdam Airport Schiphol.
Travelling solo is possible, but it’s easier to join a tour or at least hire your own vehicle and driver. Many parts of Western Sichuan are very high, so altitude sickness medication is recommended, and ensure you become acclimatised to changes in elevation gradually.
Western Sichuan Tours
This small, multinational outfit runs eco-tours across Western Sichuan. Tours can be tailored to the group’s requirements (mountaineering, trekking, general sightseeing) and include a guide, accommodation and transport. Gaoshengqiao, Luofu Shijia 4-1-104, Chengdu; +86 139 80035421 www.wstourix.com
Sam’s Guesthouse & Tours
This low-end but comfortable guesthouse also runs tours in Chengdu and across Western Sichuan. The tour office can hook up small parties with transport (jeep, minivan) and competent drivers (who will also recommend places to sleep and eat). 130 Shanxi Street, Chengdu; +86 28 8611 8322 www.hostelchengdu.com
WHERE TO EAT
Sally’s Kham Restaurant & Bar
You’ll fine a range of very reasonable Western, Chinese and Tibetan food – check out the yak and potato stew (pictured below left). Also has special tea for relieving altitude sickness. Tagong (next to Snowland Guesthouse)
Grandma’s Kitchen
Here you will be treated to an array of tasty Western dishes (along with great breakfasts) and an extensive drinks list. There is free Wifiavailable and the staff speak English. 22 Renmin South Road (Nan Lu), Chengdu; +86 28 8555 3856
WHERE TO SLEEP
Jya Drolma and Gayla’s Guesthouse
Large, comfortable guesthouse which is decorated in a Tibetan style. Can also arrange horse riding and local tours. Tagong (close to Tagong Temple on the main square); +86 836 2866056
