Chinabackpacker.com - Travel Information for Jiulong in Sichuan

Travel Information for Jiulong in Sichuan
Uploaded on 2005-10-02 11:57:12

A relatively untravelled area to the south west of Kangding is the mountainous Jiulong（九龙）county. It is only six hours drive [250km] on the daily bus from Kangding along a good road, but few westerners come this way. It’s a pity because Jiulong has some of the best alpine scenery in Sichuan or if you believe the articles of explorer Joseph Rock, “the scenery hereabouts is overwhelmingly grand. Probably its like cannot be found elsewhere in the world … A scenic wonder of the world, for centuries it may remain a closed land ….”

The main attractions are the alpine lakes of Wuxu Hai (伍须海) and Lieta Hu （猎塔湖）, the yeti “Wild Man” temple [Yeren Miao 野人庙] and the massive 3000 metre deep gorge of the Yalong river that forms the western border of Jiulong with the equally remote Muli county. Jiulong is also a fascinating melting pot of Tibetan, Pumi and Yi cultures as well as a few Han Chinese.

Interestingly, its climate is quite mild compared to Kandging, which makes visiting more pleasant at the end of the year when all the autumnal colours are out. The locals say the best time to visit are in June, when all the azaleas and rhododendrons are in bloom on the mountainsides, and in late October-November, when the autumnal colours reach their peak.

The main [only] town is Jiulong, a pretty uninspiring one street town of mock-Tibetan apartments on the main north south highway connecting the Tibetan highway with the Sichuan towns of Mianning （冕宁）and Xichang（西昌）. But the street life is interesting – with Tibetans and Yi in full dress rubbing shoulders with modern Chinese.

There is a lively market and a lot of interesting eating places in Jiulong, but it is really only a jumping off point for the surrounding area. There are also a variety of hotels ranging from the clean and simple Traffic (Jiaotong 交通) Hotel above the bus station for 40 kuai a night, to the palatial Longhai Dajiudian – for 160 a night, that dominates the town square.

A trip to Jiulong is worth it almost for the stunning Tibetan scenery en route. From Kangding there is a daily bus that leaves at 7am and costs 72 kuai. It follows the Tibetan highway west towards Litang over the Zheduo Pass (4000+ metres) but then branches off south down a valley just before Xinduqiao. This road has recently been improved and is now much smoother than the potholed Kangding-Litang route! The bus is also comfortable, and when I travelled had VCDs of Hollywood MTV on the onboard TV.

Heading south the area is completely ethnic Tibetan. Towards Shade (沙德) the landscape is barren hills [very similar to Otago NZ] dotted with Tibetan fort-like houses some with their old village watchtowers still remaining. There are a few small monasteries also en route. Beyond Shade there is a turnoff to Liuba （六巴）, 7km up the track, where horse treks to Gongga Shan can be arranged. The scenery around here is more wooded and the road follows a fast flowing tributary of the Jiulong river. The scenery is very beautiful.

The bus continues south climbing up to the barren Jizu Pass, with views of some of the Jiulong peaks. Then it descends to the town of Jiulong, and the houses now look different – with Chinese style sloping tile roofs rather than the Tibetan style flat roofs. But the people are still predominantly Tibetan.

Arriving in Jiulong in mid afternoon you will get a lot of friendly stares from the locals who have seen few “big noses” around town. Nobody speaks English, but everyone speaks and understands putonghua. Jiulong town consists of a downhill main street (Tuanjie Dajie 团结大街) flanked by two side streets, hemmed in by a valley. The local houses look rather grim, owing to the use of the sooty coloured black limestone. There is an old collection of watchtowers – Dapuzi on a ridge to the north end of town where the Wuxu Hai road turns off. Otherwise, there isn’t much to see in town, but it has all the basics – a couple of supermarkets, post office, though nowhere to change western money.

I stayed at the Gao Er Binguan, for 40 kuai a night (ask for Wang Qi!) , but there are plenty of other hotels to choose from – and they all seem happy to accept foreigners.

detailed map

Wuxu Lake (伍须海)

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The main attraction of Jiulong is the Wuxu Lake, about 25km north west of town along a dirt track. This can be reached in about 90 minutes by car or jeep, which can be hired outside the Longhai Dajiudian for 100 kuai one way/200 return, if you want to be picked up again next day. There is no bus service.

The road to Wuxu Hai follows a narrow forested river valley past limestone crags up to the picturesque village of Wuxu, where there are some tourists cabins being built (not operating yet in Oct 2004). From here it continues up to a few newly built tourist log cabins right at the lake. The last 5km is quite rough road and some car drivers may dump you at the village and tell you to walk the last bit. It’s a nice walk, passing a huge rock covered with colourful Buddhist deity paintings that locals circle round.

Wuxu Lake is an idyllic scenic spot, flanked to the south by a long range of grey peaks called the 12 Sisters, and with an expanse of paddock leading down to the [as yet] unspoiled waters edge. On the opposite side of the lake (reached by a track on the eastern – ie right hand side of the lake) the valley continues up to be lost in the snowy peaks of 18-20,000 foot high mountains. It’s all very Shangri La.

You can stay at the lake in some log cabins just built for tourists, starting for 20 kuai for a primitive dorm (just one big bed!) to 40-60 kuai for doubles. All blankets etc are supplied, but you could bring a tent if you wanted – it would be perfect for camping and trekking here. The log cabins also have a dining hall where you can get good meals such as beef, lamb etc for 25-30 kuai. Beer is also available, as witnessed by the huge pile of empties formed into a pyramid outside the kitchen shack. There is no shop so take everything else you might need.

The “resort” is run by Jiulong local government, and they are trying to be eco-friendly and use natural, local materials. They have installed a lot of bins in the form of hollow tree stumps, but the first Chinese visitors seemed to be ignoring these.

The guy who runs the cabins is a Yi and his hardworking wife is very friendly, despite having to cope with a son who is both blind and crippled.

The Tibetan locals will nag you relentlessly to “Qi ma” - ride their horses . They do rides up to a waterfall about 30 minutes on from the other side of the lake, and beyond to hot springs where you have to build the pool around yourself with boulders from the creek. You don’t need to ride a horse – you can find your own way quite easily by just locating the well trodden tack that bears off from the middle of the forest. The locals will charge you about 50 to ride up there on horses.

It is also possible to walk/ride up the surrounding forested hills to various lookout points, popular with professional photographers, with great views over the lake and mountains. These tracks are hard to find unless a local shows you.

There is also said to be a beautiful lake, “Tian Chi” (天池) that is sacred to the locals, about six to seven hours ride up the valley into the mountains on the opposite side of the lake. I didn’t go there, because you need to camp overnight and take all your own gear.

Word of warning: there are some Tibetan’s log cabins on the other side of the lake, where the canny locals invite you in for a cup of butter tea made with milk fresh from the yak. It’s fascinating if you’ve never been inside a Tibetan house before, to sit around the fire. But the friendliness can come at a price – of 10 kuai per cup! Ask first “Shou qian ma?” (Do you want money?).

You can arrange for a car to come and pick you up, or if you are fit it’s possible to walk back to town in about four-five hours. Quite a few day visitors leave around 4pm, so you may be able to hitch a lift – but don’t bank on it!

Lieta Hu （猎塔湖）and Wahui Shan mountains （瓦灰山）

Said to be even more beautiful than Wuxu hai, I didn’t visit this place but met a few Chinese/Taiwanese/HK tourists who did. You need to arrange your own 4wd transport – it costs about 200-300 kuai a day. The lake is high up in the mountains and is said to contain a monster. There are also very big frogs around here, apparently!

Yeren Miao (野人庙Wild man temple)

About an hour’s drive and a 40 minute walk up a bumpy farm track southeast of town, this small temple is built in a cave, half way up a cliff. Local legend has it that the local people knew of the cave and its stream many hundreds of years ago, and visited it to pray for a good harvest. Then one day some primitive statues and simple structures appeared overnight. No one knew who did it, and it was attributed to the “Wild Man” or Yeren – the Chinese term for yeti. You can now see the yeti’s big footprints and hand [paw?] prints, enshrined in the small temple, reached by a short but steep walk up the cliff path. There is a fancy new temple being built at the foot of the cliff – go past it and look for the track branching off to the left, over a stone bridge.

If you want to make your own way to the temple, take the left fork from the main street just after the public toilets. You can’t miss the smell!

Travel information for Jiulong - Part two: Yalong River Gorge Trek

Contributed by Michael Woodhead from Australia on 31.10.2004.
Visit his website: In the footsteps of Joseph Rock