At 10am on June 23rd, the Eastern Airlines plane landed on time at Chengdu Shuangliu Airport, and our Shanghai family and friends group began their second trip of the year.

Due to road maintenance and landslides, today we only visited the 2000 year old Taoping Qiang Village. The Qiang ethnic group has the title of ethnic living fossil. They have no written language, rely on language, music, dance, and opera to inherit history and culture. Taoping Qiang Village adopts a combination of peacetime and wartime architectural layout, a complete underground water network, and protects the safety and development of generations of Qiang people. Surprisingly, there have been three major earthquakes in the past 100 years, especially the Wenchuan earthquake in 2008. Except for the 9-story watchtower that serves as a lookout, the interior of this village was slightly damaged, while the other buildings were mostly intact.
Staying at the Top Cloud Tent Manor in Lixian at night. Due to the car not being able to reach the hotel entrance, almost all of the hotel staff went down the mountain to help us move our luggage and deliver it to the room door, providing attentive service. The estate has 18 tent style glass houses, located halfway up the green mountains, surrounded by green trees, with flowing water and leisure.

This is the place where the Qiang king often sits, of course, the person in the photo is not the Qiang king.

On June 24th, the road grades in the Awa area of Sichuan Province were comprehensively upgraded. Due to the complete closure of the original route, we can only take a detour. In order to pass through when the road is open, everyone gave up the hotel breakfast. At 8:30, I had breakfast in Wenchuan and rushed to the second traffic checkpoint in the direction of Maoxian, which was about to close. Surprisingly, near Hongyuan, we encountered the third road closure at almost 3 pm in the afternoon. At this time, we didn't have lunch either. According to the transportation department's suggestion, everyone's dinner may be after 8 pm at night. The tour guide and driver had multiple interactions with the traffic police. The traffic police also got on the bus to check if we were elderly people in the car, and then made an exception by allowing all the cars, including six tourist buses, to pass through more than an hour in advance.
We spent almost the whole day on a tourist bus, with only one attraction: the watershed between the Yangtze River and the Yellow River - Chazhen Liangzi Mountain. Stepping onto the mountaintop at 4345 meters, one cannot see the Yangtze River or the Yellow River. Of course, at the foot of the mountain, there are two clear streams of water rushing towards the distance.
Today's journey is moving forward. On the 3500 meter mountain, there is a dense forest. Above 3700 meters, there are green alpine meadows where herds of yaks play and chase on the grasslands.
The hotel tonight is Hongyuan Liwan Hot Spring Resort Hotel. The room facilities are good, with oxygenation equipment and average breakfast.

When I visited northern Shaanxi this spring, I wanted to see the first bay of the Yellow River. Due to an unsmooth journey, we were unable to achieve our desired outcome. When designing this trip, it was only clear that the true first bay of the Yellow River is located in the core area of the Hongyuan Grassland in Sichuan.
The Yellow River flows from Gansu into Sichuan, giving rise to the only county in China named after the Yellow River - Maqu County (Maqu in Tibetan means Yellow River). A huge first bay was formed in Tangke Town, opposite Gansu Province. As soon as the bay turned around, it entered Qinghai Province (see the first photo).
We took the 14 car escalator and traveled 538 meters to reach a small hill over 3600 meters away. This is the best angle to view the First Bay and also a platform to appreciate the Red Plains grassland. Unfortunately, when we reached the mountaintop, the heavy fog locked the mountain and we couldn't see anything.
Someone commented on the 99 bays of the Yellow River as follows: the first bay shows the peace and composure of the mother river; Hukou, on the other hand, embodies the boldness and passion of Mother River.
In the afternoon at Ruoergai Flower Lake, we enjoyed most of the lake scenery. Perhaps due to the cold weather, the Gesang flowers that bloom from mid to late June to early July are almost invisible. However, people are still enthusiastic about Flower Lake, one of the three major wetlands in China with vast expanse of blue. Wild ducks create ripples on the clear water surface. If we could open up cruise ships and let colorful boats float on the lake, what a beautiful scene it would be.
Today on the national highway, our station wagon was intercepted by multiple batches of yaks and sheep. The person who suppressed the formation is so mysterious.
Staying at the Ruoergai Western Ranch Guge Dynasty Hotel in the evening, the room conditions are good and oxygen is diffused.

On June 26th, next to the national highway to Huanglong Scenic Area, there was a large grassland, and our car drove for 10 minutes without reaching the end. There are tens of thousands of yaks on the grassland, that scene is unforgettable.
On a grassy field, several relatives and friends rode horses and exclaimed that they were having a great time.
Huanglong Scenic Area is well-known to everyone for its four wonders of colorful pools, snow capped mountains, canyons, and forests. Everyone took the cableway up the mountain and spent over 4 hours walking the 3.6-kilometer mountain road in the scenic area. From sunrise to cloudy days, and then to moderate rain, we witnessed the various styles of the 'Yellow Dragon', which were breathtakingly beautiful.
Today holds special significance for our family and friends with an average age of 68. Everyone has been traveling on the plateau at around 3500 meters for three consecutive days. On the first night, everyone experienced altitude sickness. Fortunately, relatives and friends encouraged each other, and the next day they didn't drink at dinner, tried not to take a shower or take a quick shower as much as possible. Finally, all relatives and friends enjoyed all the beautiful scenery on the regular route in Huanglong and completed the big exam. Tomorrow, the plateau will just be passing by, and from then on, our journey will be smooth. In the evening, when we entered the Jiuzhaigou Valley Scenic and Historic Interest Area Golden Dragon International Resort Hotel, which is more than 1000 meters above sea level, we laughed and toasted, and scored at least 85 points in the final exam.

Colorful Lake at an altitude of 3900 meters

In Jiuzhaigou Valley Scenic and Historic Interest Area before the earthquake on June 27th, according to the guide, there are more than 100000 tourists every day. I don't know how many people came here today. According to official statistics, there were seven to eight thousand tourists per day in the past few days.
The beauty of Jiuzhaigou Valley Scenic and Historic Interest Area is well known to all, and it is also a famous scenic spot in the world. Wei Wei, a great writer, said of Jiuzhaigou Valley Scenic and Historic Interest Area: beauty of nature, beauty of nature; Heaven on earth, heaven on earth.
The tour guide said that the weight of Jiuzhaigou Valley Scenic and Historic Interest Area can be said as follows: she fed half of the tour guides and half of the tourist drivers in Sichuan. It is said that Jiuzhaigou Valley Scenic and Historic Interest Area may be upgraded to a city.
I came here in 1991. At that time, I went to Jiuzhaigou Valley Scenic and Historic Interest Area for a week. By the time the car returned to Chengdu, the braking system was about to malfunction, causing everyone to break out in a cold sweat. Of course, the management level of Jiuzhaigou Valley Scenic and Historic Interest Area scenic spot is different from that of 30 years ago.
In Jiuzhaigou Valley Scenic and Historic Interest Area, it suddenly occurred to me that in the early 1980s, a female colleague of my office, whose lover was a painter, went to Jiuzhaigou Valley Scenic and Historic Interest Area to paint from nature. When I came back, maybe I bought the painting and tied it with a belt around my waist in Chinese yuan.
The scenic spot in the sixth photo below is called Jinghai, and the angle is almost the same as the photo I took at Lake Dream in Canada. Menglian Lake is widely recognized as the most valuable lake in the world for photography, and Jinghai is no less impressive. Jinghai Lake is only one of the 108 lakes in Jiuzhaigou Valley Scenic and Historic Interest Area.
Jiuzhaigou Valley Scenic and Historic Interest Area Golden Dragon International Resort Hotel is good in the local area. Breakfast is abundant. Unfortunately, the room is not air-conditioned, and the washed clothes cannot be dried.

A group photo of family and friends, just a small team of 12 people.

6.28 Maoxian County, as the main traffic route from Chengdu to Hongyuan or Jiuzhaigou Valley Scenic and Historic Interest Area, has caused many traffic stoppages due to road construction today. Some of them waited for up to an hour, and some of them also had traffic accidents, and vehicles queued for more than 10 miles. Questioning: Is the management of the relevant departments in this county scientific? Should the relevant departments of the province investigate and provide guidance?
Because of the traffic jam, we only took a look at the ancient city of Songpan. We gave up other scenic spots and arrived at the Daonong Hotel on Qingcheng Mountain at nearly 7 p.m. The condition of the room made us, the experienced old Kler, unable to help but give a thumbs up.
Dinner is on the popular Qingcheng Road. The dining table is scattered in the small garden, elegant. A firewood chicken that costs over 400 yuan per chicken and four meals per chicken, and a cold water fish that costs nearly 400 yuan, made everyone's appetite soar. Surprisingly, they drank six bottles of yellow wine.

6.29 A few years ago, we visited the back of Qingcheng Mountain, which is a place of leisure. Today, we arrived at Qianshan, which is a holy land of Taoism.
There is a archway in front of the gate, with the inscription: The First Mountain of Western Shu. On the right side is: Look at the painting of the Thirty Six Peaks with varying shades of rain and clear without any patterns; The left couplet reads: There are 108 scenic lines reciting poems by Gu Bu and Shao Ling. This is the scenery of Qingcheng Mountain in the eyes of immortals.
In modern martial arts novels, the martial arts skills of Zhang Daoling, the founder of Taoism, are unfathomable. During the Eastern Han Dynasty, Zhang Tianshi preached here and emerged into the mountains.
Today, we only walked to Shangqing Palace. The couplets on both sides of the palace gate are: Looking up, it is as clear and beautiful as a cloud dragon; The view is as beautiful as a colorful phoenix.
Famous painters such as Zhang Daqian and Xu Beihong have created a number of astonishing works in Qingcheng Mountain.
After climbing the mountain, everyone drank tea and chatted leisurely at the tea house next to Ciyun Ge Square.

▲ Two live peacocks

6.30 Today is the eighth day of this trip. After the tour in Sichuan, we will take the train to Chongqing. The first stop is Dazu Rock Carvings.
Since the late Tang and early Song dynasties, over a period of about 250 years, more than 70 stone carvings and 100000 statues have been formed in the Dazu area. They created works based on Buddhist classic stories, showcasing the highest level of stone carving art at that time, known as the "humanization of gods and the deification of humans".
We saw the stone carvings of Baoding Mountain today, and the cliff over 500 meters long is a painting of Buddhist culture. Among them, the statue of Guanyin with a thousand hands and eyes is one of the national treasures, with a magnificent aura (see photo 10).
Samantabhadra Bodhisattva (see photo 8), praised as the "Venus of the East". So, who is the "Oriental Beauty Man" among Bodhisattvas? Of course it's Manjusri Bodhisattva.
In the stone carvings of Baoding Mountain, there is a rare character (see photo 11). My friend, can you guess it?
Tonight's hotel is the famous Kaiyuan Guantang Hotel. Perhaps it's because there's more rain, even the bedding has a damp smell. The breakfast was quite good, and I had freshly ground coffee for the first time on this trip.

7.1 Today, I put on a red T-shirt to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the founding of our CPC.
The Tiankeng and Tiansheng Sanqiao in Wulong, Chongqing, are only over 3000 meters long, but there are many scenic spots. In addition to the three largest natural born bridges in Asia, which are over 200 meters high and 100 meters wide, namely Tianlong, Qinglong, and Heilong, there are also attractions such as Thumb Hole (haha, that's my name), Qingtian Pillar, Carp Jumping Dragon Gate, and Divine Eagle Sky Pit. Waterfalls and flowing water add a lively atmosphere to the towering sinkhole.
This is the only outdoor filming location for Zhang Yimou's movie "Curse of the Golden Flower" (see photo 2), and also one of the filming locations for "Transformers: Age of Extinction".
Did my friends guess that word from yesterday? This complex word is: Fu, Fo, Lin. Someone explained that only by immersing oneself in self-cultivation in deep mountains and forests can a monk be highly respected.
Is the hotel located in Huazhu at night? Xiannv Mountain Night Banquet Inn is very convenient because it is located next to the scenic service center, while others are average.

▲ Divine Eagle Sky Pit

In August 1994, Chinese and British explorers entered the Wulong Tiankeng fissure for investigation. Although most exploration projects have suffered setbacks, Chinese and foreign explorers unanimously believe that Wulong's sinkholes and fissures are the "most in the world".
The Wulong Rift, also known as the Longshui Gorge Rift, has a travel distance of over 2000 meters. We are the first group of tourists to enter the underground seam scenic area today. Fortunately, as soon as we entered the scenic area, the rain miraculously rested. Perhaps there is more rain now, and the roar of waterfalls echoes in the canyon.
A huge inverted triangle shaped rock was inserted into a narrow crevice, and I made the appearance of exerting a thousand pounds. Unfortunately, the tour guide was almost lying on the ground and couldn't capture the image of my 'strongman'.

In the afternoon, go to Changshou Lake, which is the central park of Chongqing. More than 60 years ago, in order to build a hydropower station, the largest artificial lake in southwestern China was formed, covering nearly 66 square kilometers. This is also the place where the novel 'Red Rock' was created.
In 2005, during an aerial survey, it was discovered that some islands in Changshou Lake formed a huge "longevity" character, which was magical.
There is a legend that caught my attention: during an ancient official's private visit, he encountered heavy rain and rested in a roadside hotel. I saw lanterns and colorful decorations in the house across from me, and an elderly man in his 90s came to congratulate my grandfather on his birthday. Then, a person in their forties and a child also came to congratulate their grandfather on his birthday. The official was surprised and came to visit. The host noticed that the visitor spoke exceptionally well, so he took out the Four Treasures of the Study and asked the guest to write an inscription as a souvenir. The official wrote: Flower eyed occasional writing. The owner is puzzled. Officials use these four words as the opening words of each line of poetry: Flower armor with two and a half wheels, observing the seven generations of descendants; Encountering wind and rain obstacles, Wen Xing wishes for longevity. Signature: Son of Heaven, Son of Heaven. Originally, this official was the teacher of the emperor and the prime minister of the court at that time. Later, the emperor issued an edict to call this place Changshou County.
We are here to bask in the immortal aura of longevity. The Changshou Lake Villa where I stayed has outdated facilities, but the environment is excellent. Perhaps there were no tour groups coming to check in, and during breakfast, the waiter refused to let the tour guide have breakfast, causing a storm.

Entering the Magpie Bridge, full of vitality.

Hand in hand, sailing together through thick and thin.

Growing old together, without regrets or grievances.

The fish paste at dinner is delicious.

Today, we visited Bai Gongguan and Zhazidong. The unwavering faith and fearless heroism of our revolutionary predecessors deeply moved us. Many martyrs sacrificed themselves in the midst of the roaring sound of our People's Liberation Army's artillery, which is truly inspiring!
Ciqikou Ancient Town has a history of more than 1000 years. It used to be a place where thousands of people bowed their hands during the day and ten thousand lights shone brightly at night. Now it is a Ba Yu ethnic cultural tourist attraction. We didn't have a long way to go. We bought many Dim sum such as Fried Dough Twists, and some were sent home directly.
The designer of the Li Zidong subway station certainly did not expect that the subway would become an internet celebrity here, and would force city managers to expand the Jialing River waterfront platform to meet the needs of the vast number of fans who come here to take photos. We also specifically took this subway located on the 6th floor to experience the subway's passage through high-rise buildings.
We originally planned to go to the spicy 30% hotpot restaurant opened by Shayi in the evening, but unfortunately, we had to wait in line before 5 pm and have to wait until 8 pm to cook. Later, I went to Senior Brother Zhou and spent 68 yuan to enter the private room. Brother Zhou's hotpot restaurant has three halls, two rows of private rooms, over 90 tables, all fully booked, and many people waiting outside. It is said that Brother Zhou has 18 branches in Chongqing and receives about 100000 diners per month. Chongqing people enjoy eating hotpot, which is not inferior to Chengdu people.
The front desk of Heyi Hotel is on the 3rd floor, with the road outside the door. The first floor of this building is the front desk of other hotels, and there is also a road outside the door. The hotel facilities are very new and the conditions are good.

In the past, there were two cableways across the Yangtze River in Chongqing, one was the Jialing River cableway built in 1982, and the other was the Yangtze River cableway built in 1987. At that time, both cable cars were means of transportation for ordinary people crossing the river, known as "Airbus". Nowadays, people in Chongqing no longer take such cable cars. They have many bridges across the river. And the "Airbus" was crowded with outsiders like us, using it as a platform to appreciate the beautiful scenery of Chongqing (see photo 1). However, crossing the river once only takes 4 and a half minutes.
Originally, I was going to the high loquat mountain, which is an observation deck for enjoying the scenery of Chongqing. Helpless, there are no parking spaces, so we have to give up.
The mountain city trail is like a alleyway in Shanghai, but it's a ramp and by the river. As the former capital, there were buildings such as embassies and villas for generals. Now, of course, there are many small shops. The total length is only over 1700 meters, with a taste of old Chongqing. Although it is still under renovation, it is still worth a walk. There is a commentary that goes: Let us remember the history of the city and continue its cultural heritage during the time when "old objects" have settled.
The Lifeng Hotel at night, located near Chongqing Railway Station, is almost newly renovated. The room is not large and the facilities are user-friendly.

On the morning of July 5th, I took a high-speed train from Chongqing to Lichuan, Hubei, and in the afternoon, I visited Tenglong Cave.
The Qingjiang River forms a large waterfall with a drop of about 30 meters at the entrance of Tenglong Cave. The rushing river water and the roar of the waterfall intertwine, reminiscent of the mouth of the Yellow River.
The entrance of the cave is over 70 meters high, and the hall is over 200 meters high. There are 5 peaks and 10 halls inside the cave. The grand cave has a variety of strange scenery, which has shocked us who have seen too many scenic caves. The reflection in the water (see photo 5), I was almost stunned when I took the photo, 'It's worth it, it's worth it', it's so beautiful.
The tour guide said that it only took 8 days for the People's Liberation Army to liberate Enshi, while it took 5 days to capture Tenglong Cave, which shows the complexity of the terrain in Tenglong Cave.
Tenglong Cave is nearly 60 kilometers away, but now we are only visiting a little over 5 kilometers. Tenglong Cave, recognized as one of the world's top tier caves, was rated as a 5A level scenic spot at the end of last year.

▲ Overturned color palette

The scenery outside the Daughter Village Resort Hotel where we stayed.

▲ A dish for dinner: the unique stone crevice fish here, tender; Add matsutake mushrooms to the soup, fresh.

7.7 Suobuya Stone Forest, a typical karst landform, is 460 million years old. Unlike other stone forests, 80% of its stone forests have vegetation, making it the first stone forest in the country and known as the "Crowned Stone Forest".
We visited Lianhua Village. Introduction: Here, the stone lotus is used as the flower, and the green tree is used as the spring. Like white lotus flowers growing in the blue spring, the lotus flowers sway and emit a fragrant fragrance for thousands of miles. Due to the rain, the color of the stone has darkened, but its expression remains unchanged. When we reached the place where the frogs were howling in the sky (see photo 4), thunderstorms were raging. Everyone took shelter from the rain at a convenience store here. Half an hour later, the place where we stood became a pool, and the rainwater rushing down the mountain road was already massive. Our team leader shouted loudly: Run out! So everyone braved the pouring rain, stepped on the rising water flow, took photos with laughter, and quickly left.
At this point, there is not much left for everyone to do, and it is no longer possible to continue playing. There is only one way: eat and return to the hotel.

▲ Divine Tiger Containing Jade

▲ One Line Sky

On the morning of July 8th, I went to Enshi Tusi City, which was rebuilt in 1998 and is a landmark building of China's toast culture. Toast is the local earth emperor, and the architecture of Jiujin Hall is a small Forbidden City. The traditional Chinese civilization is deeply rooted throughout the city. The gatehouse is 4 stories high, which means all four seasons of the year; 12 pillars, symbolizing 12 months of the year; 24 beams, that's 24 solar terms. There is a guardian deity outside the gate. On the plaque reading 'Benevolent people love things' are two dragons playing with pearls. A pair of couplets reads: Learn to integrate the talents of the past and present, and contemplate the beauty of wind and rain. Underneath the parents' residence is a granary, which means' food and clothing for parents'; Underneath the mistress's residence is a treasury, which means' a golden house hides beauty '. Toast not only focuses on educating children, but also has its own study. The couplet at the entrance of the study (see photo 9) reads: 'Read the scriptures carefully and strive to cultivate oneself through diligent thinking.'.
Today is the 16th day of our family and friends' trip, and we are all on the train to Shanghai. In the past 16 days, there have been some things worth recording——
One is the major obstacle of this trip: Huanglong Scenic Area. On the plateau at around 3500 meters for three consecutive days, some people, including myself, have been eating "Rhodiola rosea" for three weeks and have not experienced significant altitude sickness. There are also some people who are not prepared and have altitude sickness, which puts pressure on their hearts. The tour guide gave a very objective description: In Huanglong, people leave their ID cards here every year! In such an atmosphere, you still have to sign a disclaimer with the travel company. Fortunately, our family and friends in the group are all veteran tourists with strong psychological regulation abilities. With reason and perseverance, we successfully passed the level and were able to feast our eyes in Huanglong.
Another is funny: there is only one stop from Chengdu East to Dazu Rock Carvings. As there was a ticket in another carriage, we asked a relatively young and mentally active friend to take a seat. When everyone got off the car and didn't see this friend, the tour guide rushed to the carriage and shouted his name. The car started, but I still couldn't see his shadow. At this moment, the gold medal tour guide and college student Xiong Yi demonstrated her professional ethics: she demanded that her friend immediately go to the train conductor, explain the situation, and ask for help. And constantly track his progress. As a result, the friend not only received the train conductor's approval, but also followed the conductor to the side of the free return train. In less than 4 hours, this friend returned safely to the team, with no danger.
Traveling will not be smooth sailing. What is needed is calmness and adaptability, relying on a good travel company and experienced tour guides.