Daocheng Yading Travel Notes 07: Daocheng – Xinduqiao – Jiaju Tibetan Village

On the first day of our trip to Daocheng and Aden, due to detours and traffic jams on National Highway 318, it was already night when we arrived at Xinduqiao. This place, known as a photographer’s paradise, was already immersed in night. Although we were amazed by the scenery along the way, we still regretted missing the beauty of Xinduqiao. When we return to Xinduqiao from Daocheng, there will be enough time to make up for all this. Compared with the shortcomings in life that have been lost and can never be regained, we only met Xinduqiao a few days late. What a blessing!

Xinduqiao is located at the bifurcation of the Sichuan-Tibet Southern Line and the Northern Line. It connects to Garze in the north and Litang in the south. It is the only way from Tibet to Kangding. Xinduqiao is called "Ranangka" in Tibetan and "Wuyang Town" in Chinese. It is said that Princess Wencheng passed by this place when she went to Tibet. She saw that the soil was fine, moist and sticky, and she secretly vowed to come here to collect soil if she wanted to build a temple in Tibet. Later, when the earthen walls of the Potala Palace were being built, five sacred sheep were sent to Xindu Bridge to carry earth. To this day, there are still five goats carrying earth murals on the walls of the Jokhang Temple in Lhasa. Later, the government built a bridge in Wuyang Town and named it "Xindu Bridge", from which Xindu Bridge got its name.

Here, you can overlook Mount Gongga, the King of Shu Mountains. When we stood on the roof of the hotel and looked at the Gongga Snow Mountain in the distance, it was still early. Only then did I admit how stupid I was for being lazy and not wanting to bring an extra lens. Gongga Snow Mountain is rated as the second most beautiful snow mountain in China by "China National Geographic" magazine. At this moment, this holy snow mountain is right in front of me, and I only brought a wide-angle lens, so I couldn't record it with my camera. Her splendor and beauty. When Vicky, a girl from Shenzhen, took her camera to the rooftop to take pictures of Gongga Snow Mountain, I shamelessly borrowed her lens and attached it to my camera to take a few pictures:

Xinduqiao

On this day, our itinerary is to start from Xinduqiao, go north along S215, pass through Bamei Town, and then turn to S303 to Danba Zangzhai.

Xinduqiao is a fascinating "world of light and shadow", a "photography paradise" that travelers are fascinated by, and a picturesque paradise. Magical light, boundless grassland, winding creeks, golden poplars, rolling mountains, Tibetan villages scattered among them, and cattle and sheep grazing peacefully. Tibetan villages are scattered on both sides of the road, nestled between mountains and rivers, and a shallow river meanders side by side with the road. Standing tall and tall on the roadside in front of the house are poplars, showing off their unique golden color in the autumn wind and sunshine. Herds of yaks and goats dot the pastoral pictures of Xinduqiao, while the distant mountain ridges slowly draw beautiful arcs on the sky, and the plain scenery of western Sichuan blooms beautifully.

Throughout the day, we walked along the beautiful scenery. Maybe it was because the trip was easy, or maybe the altitude sickness gradually disappeared as the altitude dropped, so everyone became more relaxed. Even the driver who usually didn’t joke around with everyone started to get high together with everyone. A “positive and friendly” interaction. However, everyone still complained about not stopping at the best photography section and thus missing some good shots. The driver didn't say anything anymore, and friends who liked photography walked back in groups in search of the best scenery and angles.

Mani River

Mani River is a scenic spot on the way. In fact, I really don’t like words like tourist attractions, which always make people think of huge crowds of people, expensive tickets and poor service. The so-called scenic spots along the way are just places where a certain scenery is more concentrated, or a place with a better viewing angle, not because the scenery here is the most beautiful, not because there are admission fees. Of course, there are also some that require admission, such as Tagong Temple after the Mani River.

The Mani River, whether in the water, on both banks, or on the mountains on both sides, is filled with Mani stones and hung with prayer flags. All over the mountains and plains, there are six-character mantras of "Om, Mah, Ne, Ba, Mi, Hum" made of Mani stones. The most direct meaning of the Mani Stone Pile is to pray for blessings and relief, allowing people to pray and correct their thoughts and behaviors at any time. In rural villages far away from towns and monasteries, Manidui has become an indispensable place for the spiritual life of Tibetans. In the vast and sparsely populated Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the ubiquitous Manidui serve as part of the functions of sutra halls and monasteries, making them extremely sacred.

Tagong Temple

The full name is "The Temple of Liberation at the First Sight". It is one of the famous temples of the Sakya sect of Tibetan Buddhism. It has a history of more than a thousand years and is one of the holy places of worship for the Tibetan people in the Kham region. There is a statue of Sakyamuni in the temple that is the same as the Jokhang Temple in Lhasa. Legend has it that Princess Wencheng passed through this place on her way to Tibet and took it to Lhasa to build a statue of Sakyamuni and keep it in the temple. Because there is an extremely special and unique relationship between the two, "anyone who wishes to make a pilgrimage to Lhasa, Tibet but fails to do so, can have the same effect and merit by worshiping the statue of Sakyamuni in Tagong Temple in Kangzang." Therefore, Tagong Temple also has the same effect and merit. It is known as the "Little Jokhang Temple". [Excerpted from Du Niang]

Due to reasons that everyone knows well but cannot explain, Tibetans in Sichuan cannot enter and exit Tibet at will, let alone go to the Jokhang Temple, the most noble place in the hearts of Tibetans, to worship. Therefore, Tibetans here regard it as Tagong Temple is similar to the Jokhang Temple, so it can be seen that Tagong Temple has the highest status in the hearts of Ganzi Tibetans.

Tagong Grassland

Tagong means a place that Bodhisattva likes. Tagong Grassland is located on the Sichuan-Tibet line, with an altitude of 3,730 meters, and is an alpine grassland. The entire grassland covers an area of ​​more than 700 square kilometers, which is about a quarter of Guangzhou and about the same size as Nansha District. Tagong Grassland has a gentle and vast terrain, luxuriant water and grass, and flocks of cattle and sheep. In front of and to the right behind Tagong Temple stands the majestic Yala Snow Mountain, which complements the grassland. It was already late autumn when we arrived, and the water grass on the grassland was withered and yellow, and there were no spring-specific flowers everywhere. On the other hand, there are groups of Tibetan dogs wandering around the grassland, swimming at the feet of tourists in the hope of being fed by tourists. Although these Tibetan dogs are not as tall as Tibetan mastiffs, they look much better than Tibetan mastiffs, and their temperament does not seem to be as violent as Tibetan mastiffs. If it's not too inconvenient and I don't see any puppies, I would really like to take one back to Guangzhou.

Bamei Town

Bamei Town is the place where the 7th Dalai Lama Gasang Gyatso took refuge and the 11th Dalai Lama Kdrup Gyatso was born. Here is the largest prayer wheel in the world, which is said to be cast with 1,180 kilograms of gold. The most beautiful season here should be in spring, when the grasslands are green and the flowers are in full bloom. Tibetan villages are scattered on the gentle slopes of the plateau, dotted with white pagodas and patches of woods, just like a fairyland outside the world. When we came, it had a different charm because of the colorful autumn colors.

Yala Snow Mountain

Yala Snow Mountain is 5820 meters above sea level. The top of the mountain is covered with snow all year round and shrouded in clouds and mist. Only the lucky ones can see the snow peaks of Yala Snow Mountain. On this day, whether in Tagong Temple, Tagong Grassland or Bamei Town, we all I admired its beautiful face from different angles. Viewed from Tagong Grassland, Yala Snow Mountain looks like a lotus throne surrounded by petals. When looking at Yala Snow Mountain from Bamei Town, it looks like a crown. Looking from the Nonge Mountain directly to the west, the Yala Snow Mountain looks like a sitting Maitreya Buddha. Yala Snow Mountain sits under the blue sky, with a mushroom-shaped white cloud rising like the light smoke of a sacrifice. There is a road under the mountain that seems to lead to Yala Snow Mountain. I was thinking that if it were a self-driving car, I would definitely drive all the way there (actually, this road is the beautiful road we took to Danba that day).

Stunning S303

S303 is a mountain road from Bamei Town to Danba Zangzhai. The word "stunning" has already fully described her beauty. I really don’t know how to describe this kind of beauty in words, and I really can’t find any words to describe it. I’ll stick to the old rule and just post photos. Regrettably, I could only take a few unsatisfactory photos through the dirty car windows along the way, and those truly breathtaking beauties were all on the road, and not a single shot was captured. No matter how it is, if you use the camera too much, you often have less eyes and heart to feel. When the camera is limited, you have to use your greedy eyes to discover and your moved heart to experience. Therefore, if the following photos are not so beautiful, it is not my fault, but that I am helplessly correct.

Danbajiaju Zangzhai

Jiaju Zangzhai is hidden in a deep mountain not far from Danba County. From Danba County to Zangzhai, you need to climb a road built on a cliff, and at your feet is the rolling Dadu River. If you are afraid of heights, it is best to close your eyes and not open them during this journey, otherwise your little heart may be thrown into the Dadu River and cannot be retrieved. If you don’t believe me, here are some photos for you to see:

Jiaju Zangzhai was ranked first among the most beautiful villages in China by China National Geographic magazine. The "China National Geographic" supplement published in October 2005 has been thoroughly read by me, but it has always been kept on my bookshelf. I flip through it from time to time to plan the next route or the next destination. I have imagined the beauty of Jiaju Tibetan Village many times before, imagining how those distinctive Tibetan houses could be seen vaguely in front of my eyes in the morning mist. But it was in the afternoon when we actually arrived. The sun is shining brightly, and the panoramic view of Jiaju Tibetan Village is exposed to the eyes without any obstruction. Although it is no longer as graceful and fresh as imagined, I am still impressed by its tranquility and beauty.

On the last night of this trip, we stayed in a Tibetan village commonly known as "Beauty Valley". According to legend, the Tibetans living here are descendants of the royal family. The girls are very beautiful, but the men are not so good. Nowadays, most girls, whether they are beautiful or not, go to other places to work like other places. Whether what is left is still beautiful depends on personal appreciation. That night, the leader of the group, Little Zhangmei, called several local Tibetan girls, and they all danced Guozhuang around the bonfire. Stimulated by highland barley wine, the cheerful group members sang, danced and played pranks, and the small inn was full of joy. There was another team having fun with us, and the team leader was a man. When someone in their team finished a song or a dance, the whole team would shout slogans in unison, "Ya La Sui, Ya La Sui" . I have never really liked this MLM-like model of shouting slogans, so I kept hiding in the corner and refused to blend into such an atmosphere. I know it's my fault, not anyone else's fault, I just don't like this pattern.

The only thing I was interested in at the moment was the whole lamb being roasted over the wood fire. I imagined that when the whole lamb was cooked and served, I would need to eat a big piece. Later, because the roasted whole lamb became the most important thing in my mind at the moment, I even picked up the wrong lamb from another place—the one that was served was not from our team, but belonged to "Yalasuo". I ate a piece of mutton from "Yalasuo". Even though it was very spicy, no chili or cumin was added, and the taste was very unpleasant, I still felt very embarrassed and deeply guilty. At that moment, I felt like a thief who had openly stolen a piece of lamb from someone else's house! I was a little ashamed...

At night, I lay down on a bed in a 9-person room. The altitude here is already below 2,000 meters, so no one has altitude sickness. I was tired from the journey and fell asleep quickly. The next day, Wenzhou photography master Zhang Sheng, who was sleeping in the middle of the room, told me that I talked a lot in my sleep at night, and it seemed that they were all about work...

postscript

Or because of quitting smoking, the last article in this series was the worst written, but took the most time. Especially when writing, it is very painful not to have a cigarette to smoke. As of today, I have quit smoking for 19 days in a row, but it has not alleviated my addiction. I still have to endure the pain of addiction every day. Second, I had another problem with my left leg. I had inexplicable pain in the instep and my knee joint was still not fully healed. After hiking for a few days, the old disease relapsed and the pain persisted for a long time, so I had to go to the hospital for physical therapy. By the way, I had another Minor outpatient surgeries are actually long overdue. Third, I spent a whole week recording a training course for middle and senior managers in enterprises. This matter has been promised to the customer for almost a year, and this time it was finally fulfilled. During the recording, I had to endure the pain of anal prolapse. In this way, it is difficult to calm down and finish writing it during this period of time. So, when this last article is written, more than a month has passed since my trip to Daocheng and Aden.

It doesn't feel like so long has passed. The tranquility of Daocheng, the magnificence of Aden, the blue sky and white clouds of Litang, the pastoral scenery of Xinduqiao, the exquisite beauty of Danba Tibetan Village, and the beautiful scenery along the way are as clear as if they were seen yesterday. Regarding Daocheng Yading, my heart is full of contradictions. On the one hand, I hope that more people can see her beauty with their own eyes. On the other hand, I hope that no one will disturb this holy land and let her stay there quietly like it was a few decades ago.

In "Lost Horizon", the living Buddha Perrault, who lived for more than 200 years, had several long conversations with Conway. The Living Buddha hopes that the British diplomat Conway he is interested in can stay in Shangri-La so that he can inherit his mantle after his death and serve as a new generation of Living Buddha to lead the people here to resist the inevitable wars, looting and killings in the future. I hope that all precious things, all books and art, and all harmonious and beautiful things can be preserved for a long time, instead of being brutally plundered and burned like the British and French allied forces sacked the Old Summer Palace in distant Beijing.

Obviously, Mr. Perrault really does not want Shangri-La to be disturbed by the outside world. He told Conway: "We may not expect God to show mercy, but we vaguely hope that it will be forgotten by the outside world. We read, listen to music, and meditate here to preserve the fragile brilliance of a declining era and seek for human beings to live in it." The wisdom needed when passion is exhausted. There is a legacy that we need to cherish and let it pass on forever. We should try our best to strive for happiness and happiness until that moment comes. "

Which moment is it? ?

The night before leaving Aden, the air outside was a little cold. I stood at the door of the Tibetan residence where I lived, staring at the moon covered by clouds in the sky in a daze. The moon was hiding in the clouds. As soon as half of its face was revealed, it shyly hid behind the clouds, never revealing its full face. At this time, Shangri-La appeared in front of me with a cool and strong beauty that had never been seen during the day. The mountains are stacked on top of each other, like a dream, lying motionless on the edge of the sky. Behind them, the Xiannairi Mountain appears holy white under the cold light of the moon, like a frozen and solidified painting.

At that moment, people should feel peaceful, calm and satisfied inside.

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