In the accidental trip to Qinghai fourteen years ago; Kanbla/Tongren/Qinghai Lake/Tea Card/Datong River/Xiamilin Farm/Mutual Northern Mountain. Tongren, the hometown of Tongren, the quiet Longwu River Valley, and the wonderful Thangka art of Wutunxia Temple were particularly impressive, but due to time constraints, I couldn’t calm down to appreciate it. In addition, there was a traditional June event that I didn’t know at that time. The mysterious Gannan described by Steve Locke, the appearance of Jiuzhai Huanglong after the earthquake, the rare window period during the epidemic, all these regrets and unknowns have provided a clear destination and reason for this trip...
Struep Road Map Overall DAY1 Huanglong> Day2 & 3 Jiuzhaigou> Day4 Tuo Meifeng/Zhaka> Day5 Taka Hot Spring/Langmu Temple> Day6 Labrang Temple> Day7 Octagonal City/Wu Tun/Temple> Day8 and Rim Zedong/Zedong Zedong/ Guo Mari/Colleagues> Day9 Longwu Temple/Langjia/Yongjing> Day10 Bingling Temple/Lanzhou Zhongchuan Airport.
Day1-3 Jiuzhai Huanglong hometown revisit
On the first day, as the saying goes, nine yellows and nine yellows, ten flying nine yellows! Due to the changeable climate on the plateau, after experiencing the episode of the early flight back to Chengdu, I finally landed at Jiuhuang Airport at noon, and started the Jiuzhaihuanglong trip again after more than ten years!
Huanglong is still as beautiful as a fairyland in the sky!
But compared to 15 years ago, it has lost a little natural and wild charm.
Huanglong Tips:
A. External transportation - Jiuhuang Airport to Huanglong, besides self-driving, you can have the following 3 options: 1) Chartered car pick-up, pick-up to Huanglong and return to the hotel after the tour. This can be directly contacted with the team of the hotel. The cost of the car is about 500 or so. 2) The airport has a connecting flight bus to Huanglong. Luggage can be placed on the bus, and it will be sent to Jiuzhaigou after 4 hours. Passengers can drop off at passing hotels, and the fee is 120/person. 3) Book a taxi to go to Huanglong. This is also feasible from the service display of Didi Taxi, and the cost is reasonable, but it needs to be certified by the actual operation.
B. Internal traffic in the scenic area - there are two main options: 1) Take the cable car at the back of the mountain and go up the mountain directly. Walking still has a certain amount of physical exertion, especially the 4Km walking trail does not have much scenery to see. 2) Walking up the mountain directly from the gate, the distance to the Wucai Pond on the top of the mountain is similar to that of the cable car, but the water is colorful all the way. According to my personal experience more than 10 years ago, it feels much easier than walking on the cable car. If you charter a car or drive yourself Time, it is recommended to choose this route. Another advantage of this route is that if you enter in the morning, you can walk up the mountain directly and avoid a large number of people taking the cable car. After all, no matter how beautiful the place is, it will be boring if the crowd is noisy!
In addition, another environmentally friendly driveway is being built from the station on the Houshan Cableway to Wucaichi. It is estimated that there will be a better choice in the near future. The problem of walking too far on the cableway will be solved, but the environmental damage caused by the construction of a large driveway is difficult to recover. !
C. Food - There is no relevant catering service in the scenic area. It is recommended to prepare dry food by yourself. The simple food in the beautiful scenery will be very delicious.
D. Stay - You can go directly to Jiuzhaigoukou for accommodation after the tour. There are many hotels of various levels to choose from, and the quality is quite guaranteed. If you still want to experience a better experience in accommodation, it is recommended to choose several local 5-star hotels. The hardware and environment are all above 5-star standards.
On the second and third days, we left the hotel between Huanglong and Jiuzhai early in the morning. The chartered car master took us to the mouth of Jiuzhaigou and went to the hotel where we stayed on the third day to store our extra luggage. Come to see you!
Jiuzhai Tips:
A. External traffic - direct flight to Jiuzhai Huanglong Airport, in fact, there are tourist buses from Chengdu to Jiuzhai every day, but it is a pity that the barrier lake formed by the 1933 Songpan Earthquake (7.5 magnitude) - Diexi Haizi (attached before) is no longer on the way photo). . . Otherwise, a trip along the way is also a good choice.
B. Internal traffic in the scenic spot - mainly eco-cars and walking. Eco-cars have stops at every scenic spot, but not every car goes to some stops, especially the scenic spots inside. Pay attention to ask when you get on the bus.
If the time schedule is not too fast, it is recommended to take the early bus on the first day and go directly to the Fangcaohai (or Swanhai) in the innermost part of Rizegou, and then walk down the mountain along the trail to Nuorilang, which can maximize the Avoid some crowds. Along the way, you can walk slowly at Jianzhu Sea, Panda Sea, Wuhua Sea, Peacock River, Pearl Beach, and Nuorilang Waterfall, and stop to enjoy them. Then, if you still have time to go out of the ditch, you can stop by the eco-car along the driveway to go out of the ditch to watch the Haizi and Shuzheng Waterfalls in Shuzheng Ditch. The next day, take the early bus and go directly to Changhai, the innermost part of Zechawagou. Changhai has built a plank road along the coast. It is recommended to leave the crowded viewing platform and go down to the plank road, and walk in a little along the right hand side. You You will feel the openness and tranquility of Changhai. Next, take the car directly to Wucaichi, and then pass by the car to see the upper/lower season sea, and return to Nuorilang. Next, Shuzheng Valley can choose to walk out of the valley on the trails in Haizizi. There are few people and the scenery is beautiful, especially the reed sea that many people glanced at in the car, which is actually a unique landscape in Jiuzhaigou!
C. Food - There are meals available in Nuorilang in the scenic area, but the reputation is not good. It is recommended to prepare some simple dry food and hot water by yourself.
D. Live - There are actually 2 options for this. 1) The hotel at Jiuzhaigoukou, which is the same as Huanglong's choice. 2) Lodging in the ditch (Shuzheng) has already been banned in name, but it can still be arranged. At present, the cleanliness and meals of the B&B in the ditch have been greatly improved compared to before. For in-depth travel Said it was the best choice. At present, the Tibetans also have a strong desire to rebuild, expand and receive tourists, hoping to have a plan and results that benefit both people and nature.
Day4 The forgotten main peak of the Qinling Mountains, Cuomei Peak, and the increasingly commercial paradise Zhagana.
On the fourth day, Master Zhao from Xining arrived at the hotel on time early in the morning, and then began the chartered trip to Gannan and Qinghai.
Geographically speaking, Jiuzhaigou is actually located at the junction of Sichuan and Gansu. From Jiuzhaigou to Diebu-Zhayana in Gannan described by Locke, it is a more reasonable choice in terms of itinerary.
"I have never seen such a beautiful scenery in my life. If the author of "Genesis" saw the beauty of Diebu, he would have placed the birthplace of Adam and Eve here." - "Geographer full of loopholes", "Four Around Wandering botanist", "linguistic genius", famous explorer, father of Naxiology, founder of Locke line, Austrian-American Joseph Locke once said with emotion,
And Yang Xianhui, the author of the Gannan Trilogy, wrote an amazing chapter for Cuomeifeng in "Gannan Chronicles", "but there is a huge white stone mountain protruding from the green and slowly rising hillsides, which is more beautiful than Zhaga. The Animaqin Mountain there is several times larger, and it is more abrupt and upright than the Aniduni. And on this white mountain rock, there are eight or nine sharp pinnacles standing tall and straight. Stunningly poked towards the faint blue sky, like a row of bayonets lifted up, and like a cluster of arrow shafts standing on an arrow stand. I was stunned..."
Cuo Meifeng
Located in the north of Kaba Township, Diebu County, 63 kilometers away from the county seat, it is connected to Zhouqu in the east and Zhuoni in the north. The main peak of Cuomei Peak is 4,920 meters above sea level, spanning 180 square kilometers from north to south, and is the highest peak in Gannan Prefecture - from Baidu entry.
In fact, Cuomei Peak, which is on the side of Diebu Zhaga, is one of the five major Bon religion mountains in the Anduo Tibetan area. According to academic recognition, it is the highest peak of the Qinling Mountains, which is also the main peak in the geographical sense. Due to the weathering of karst landforms Serious, and the mountain is extremely steep, and it is still unclimbed, so it should be worth exploring.
Before the trip, I checked a lot of information and determined the route should be the destination of Niqian Village, Kaba Township, along National Highway 544, Jiuruo Road, Kaba Township, turn right to County Road 036, go on Township Road 593, Township Road 613, and go along Anziku went upstream to the Sanchakou and took the right side of Nishaogou. Actually turning from Jiunuo Road to County Road 036, as the route deepened, the navigation became unreliable. Although I finally found a temporary guide sign after going through twists and turns, the dirt and stone road all the way up again was very narrow and had a considerable slope. The rainy day is also very slippery. In addition, because the rainy sky has not cleared up, we can't see the shape of the surrounding mountains. In the end, we can only retreat to leave some regrets!
Zagana
It is located at the southern foot of Dieshan Mountain, which means "stone box" in Tibetan. The whole village is nestled in a strange stone city. From the inside, the road to the village has to pass through several natural stone gates, which is very strange. Surrounded by strange mountain peaks that are often shrouded in clouds and mist, fields in the city are criss-crossed, and four natural Tibetan villages are built along the mountains, which have been like a paradise since ancient times.
Zagana Tips:
A. External traffic - In fact, it is relatively close from Jiuzhai to Zhaga, only 270 kilometers, which is much closer than the 470 kilometers in Lanzhou in the past. Moreover, the road conditions along National Highway 544 and Jiunuo Road are very good, and traffic is scarce. Depart from Jiuzhai at 6:30 in the morning, stop for a while to enjoy the scenery along the road, and go back and forth to Cuomeifeng. At 14:00, I have finished lunch in Diebu. After arriving at Zhagana, I went directly to the viewing platform and Fairy Beach, and went down. The time to arrive at the homestay is 17:30.
B. Internal traffic in the scenic area - mainly eco-cars and walking. It is recommended to take an eco-car when going up to Fairy Beach, and go on foot when you get down. You can see terraced fields and village temples relatively close along the way. In addition, if you have time, you can stay in Zhagana for a few days and cross to Zhuoni on foot. This route is not the usual outdoor route and sightseeing route, but a nomadic route for the local Tibetan herdsmen to switch between winter and summer for hundreds of years. Every place and every place name has legends and stories that have been passed down for hundreds of years. The guide is familiar with these stories passed down from generation to generation and can tell them to you. Follow the guide to experience local life. Along the way, forests, grasslands, snow-capped mountains, dangerous peaks, golden mountains in sunshine, sunrise mountains, streams, canyons, etc. are really nostalgic. A classic route to go.
C. Food - It is recommended to order hot pot for dining in the city. The main reason is that the quality of cold fresh yak meat is good (this was also the same experience in Langmusi later), and the taste is good, which is comparable to imported raw grain feed. Add some vegetables and add A special cooked Tibetan pork dish is a hygienic, tasty and nutritious meal.
D. Living - I want to focus on this. At present, Zhagana has obviously been infected by commercialization. In addition to collecting tickets/tickets, there are many large and small homestays, but some management is very irregular. We booked a relatively large X family The hotel released our pigeons because there was a better price that day. Therefore, it is recommended to book through an agent such as Ctrip, so that there should be certain constraints and guarantees, or if you just want to take a quick look at the flowers, you can simply live in Diebu, which is only 26 kilometers away, but the choice and quality of meals/accommodation should be Much better.
Day5 The real paradise Jiangzha Hot Spring and the magnificent Langmusi
The destination on the fifth day was Langmusi, which is located at the junction of Gansu and Sichuan. I never thought that the plateau hot spring not far from Jiangzha Township on the road became a big surprise for this trip.
Jiangzha Township (Hot Spring) When we went there, although there was a road card fee (10 yuan) at the entrance and exit of the hot spring, it was still in a rather original ecological state on the whole. The two large hot spring pools along the road were built with simple In the room, tourists can come and go to soak at will like local Tibetans, and men and women have mixed baths. There are also open divine springs and small soup pools on the side of the road for drinking and soaking in soup for treatment. What is even more impressive is the plateau meadow not far from the drive. The rhythmic rolling hills and grasslands set off the steep peaks and wild flowers at the entrance, the summer tents and 🐏 groups in the valley, the villagers in the distance and us The joking shouting is more like a paradise than Zhagana, which is full of tourists!
Reluctantly leaving Jiangzha Township, I had lunch at a Sichuan restaurant in Hongxing Township, and soon came to Langmusi Temple (+Gerdi Temple), a temple that spans two provinces.
Early the next morning we came to Geerdi Temple, which is across the river from Langmusi Temple.
Jiangzha Hot Spring, Langmusi Tips:
A. External traffic - Zhayana goes directly to Langmusi for less than 100 kilometers, and there is a sign to Jiangzha Hot Spring on the side of the road about 2/3 of the journey, and you can reach it by turning right and not far away.
B. Internal traffic in the scenic spot - Jiangzha Hot Springs can be walked around. If you want to experience in depth, the hot spring pool is open. You can prepare your swimsuit and soak in it, but the pool water may be a bit cloudy due to natural reasons. You must be mentally prepared for this . In addition to the hot springs, the view of the plateau hills and meadows that the car drives in is also very beautiful. It is recommended to get off the car and take a walk. At that time, there were Tibetans who were going to play on the opposite mountain and we were shouting and joking. The local Tibetans were happy in the beautiful scenery of the plateau. The self-satisfied life scenes also added a lot of fun to the itinerary.
Langmusi Temple and Gerdi Temple are not very convenient to park at the scenic spots. It is recommended to browse on foot. In fact, they are all in a small town. Langmusi Temple can be visited early in the morning or in the evening. There are relatively few tourists, and its main hall is built on the mountain. Its level and rhythm are better than those of Labrang Temple and Longwu Temple. The painting of the whole temple The colors are also very bright. If there are few people, you can make some commercial blockbusters.
The Geerdi Monastery in Sichuan is relatively simple. Generally, tourists will go directly to the square at the entrance of Namo Canyon to see the corresponding hall and then walk down the canyon. It is recommended to go back along the way to see the monk’s house on the road. The Dajing Hall on the hillside behind, Wensi College and other original temples will definitely have unexpected gains and experiences.
C. Food - Lunch can be solved by finding a clean Sichuan restaurant in a passing town after going to Jiangzha Hot Spring. There are many Sichuan restaurants in Qinghai/Gansu. Whether it is authentic or not, the general taste is not outrageous. Anyway, I have eaten it Tomato scrambled eggs are still good. For dinner, there are various Chinese restaurants in Langmusi Town. It is recommended that it is similar to Zhayana. You can order hot pot, mainly because the quality of local cold fresh yak meat is good.
D. Staying - this should also be emphasized. We booked a regular quasi-star hotel in Langmusi (Ctrip 4 diamonds), but the overall situation is not good. post. . . It is recommended to consider a homestay with a certain level of word-of-mouth, which is also the comparison experience in Labrang Monastery later.
Day6 Labrang Monastery, one of the six major monasteries of the Gelug Sect of Tibetan Buddhism
On the sixth day, we set off for Labrang Monastery early in the morning. The undulating plateau meadows on the roadside are extremely beautiful against the blue sky and white clouds.
Tips:
A. External transportation - Langmusi Temple is less than 200 kilometers away from Labrang Monastery. You can go there after visiting Geerdi Temple and Namo Grand Canyon in the morning. Basically, there are plateau meadows (original) along the way. If you don’t ride a horse, you can go to the free viewing platform or Jingmei on the way. Tibetans stop at the forest card and walk around. If you participate, Tibetans will warmly invite you to taste their roast The delicious food, playing the game Tiaoguozhuang together, the scenery and experience are the best experience, personally feel that it is not necessary to go to the so-called grassland attractions such as Sangke.
B. Internal traffic in the scenic spot - Labrang Monastery is almost the entire Xiahe Town. From the perspective of the temple, it is huge, but from the perspective of the town, it is not big, and it is enough to walk. If you have a certain amount of physical strength, it is suggested that you can complete the scripture circle like the local Tibetans, that is, continue to circle the entire temple along the outer wall of the temple for a week, about 6-7 kilometers, and you can go from the back mountain on the way. It is also a different experience to visit the temple area again through the passageway.
There is also a July puja in the local area - 17 days from June 29th to July 15th of the lunar calendar (hosting place: each main temple), but unfortunately the time is not right this time. Buddhist philosophy debates are held in the monastery every day. The day before, the debaters have to present flowers in front of the Buddha in various sutra halls and Buddhist halls, and scatter flowers to the monks in the sutra hall. The petals are like rain, which is quite a spectacle. On the eighth day of July (8/15), the "Milarepa Persuasion Conference" was held. At noon on the same day, the religious dance "Milarepa Persuasion Conference" was performed in the Great Sutra Hall. The performance was performed by monks wearing masks. It tells religious stories, Milarepa persuades hunters to convert to Buddhism and other allusions. On this day, Master Jamyang of Labrang Monastery and all the living Buddhas will come to watch. Tens of thousands of people and monks will come to watch. The atmosphere is warm Joy, this day is also the Xiahe County Folk Materials Exchange Meeting, and Xiahe County is full of festive celebrations.
C. Food - Lunch, you can eat it in the small town passing by Labrang Monastery, order green pepper beef fried rice with beef soup, or beef dumplings, it is a good light meal. For dinner, there are many restaurants in the town near the Labrang Monastery. You can find a good restaurant with good overall taste.
D. Live - It is recommended to live in a B&B with a certain standard. The software and hardware are close to the coastal level, which is much better than the regular quasi-star hotels in Langmusi. In the evening, I chatted with the front desk (the proprietress?) and learned that the Tibetan-style woodcarving decorations in the lobby were painted by my colleague Regong painter. Apart from appreciating them, it paved the way for my next trip.
Day7 Bajiao Ancient City and Tongrenwutun Shang/Xiazhuang Temple, the hometown of Regong art
Day 7: Leave Xiahe early in the morning and drive to the highlight of the trip, Regong Art Town, Tongren. The Ganga Valley and Bajiao City on the way are also very distinctive.
"Regong is the Tibetan name for Tongren County and Zeku County in the Huangnan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Qinghai Province; in the minds of ordinary people, Regong is just the name for the Longwu River Basin where Tongren County is located. Tongren County is located in the southeastern part of Qinghai Province , the first bay of the Jiuqu Yellow River, is located at 101°38'-102°27' east longitude and 35°01'-35°47' north latitude. It is adjacent to Xiahe County in Gansu Province in the east, Zeku County in the south, and Zeku County in the west. It is Guide County, bordering Jianzha County and Xunhua Salar Autonomous County in the north... Regong is considered a city of wisdom, and the Tibetan people call it the place of eight successes, which is the so-called one temple in one place, one temple in one village, One headman, one temple, one family, one Buddha hall. About the origin of Regong art... This golden valley full of hope, for a long time, various arts related to Tibetan Buddhism and secular life were born and grown here , Mature and influence at home and abroad. With the stability and development of Tibetan Buddhism in Regong area, a large number of folk artists who take painting, sculpture and architecture as their lifelong careers have emerged. For hundreds of years, artists in Regong area Born in large numbers and passed down from generation to generation, Regong art has also spread far and wide because of its exquisite skills, unique techniques and the spread of Tibetan Buddhism." - Excerpted from [Regong Art]
Not far from Wutun Xiazhuang Temple is Wutun Shangzhuang Temple, whose overall scale is much smaller than Xiazhuang Temple.
Leaving Wutun Shang/Xia Temple, because the Regong Art Museum was closed for some reason, the driver took us to the studio of a local Living Buddha, where the Regong art works are dazzling and exquisite!
Bajiao City, colleagues Tips:
A. External transportation - Labrang Monastery (Xiahe County) is about 130 kilometers away from Tongren, and you can go to Ganga Valley and Bajiao City to see it. Most of the journey is still dominated by plateau meadow (original) scenery. Among them, the pass at the junction with Qinghai overlooks a large rolling meadow. On the note, the view is spectacular! After entering Guashize in Qinghai, the grasslands along the way will gradually fade away, and a completely different Danxia landform will appear. . .
B. Internal traffic in the scenic area - driving and walking. Bajiao Ancient City is located about 35 kilometers north of Xiahe County, on the platform where the Yangqu and Yangla Rivers meet, and is the hub of Gansu-Qinghai traffic. , meaning "like a 'swastika'-shaped city". You can climb to the viewing platform on the hillside behind the city, overlooking the ancient city and the Baishiya and the Grand Canyon landform behind you. You can also walk around the ancient city. There are natural villages inside, which is different from many ancient city ruins in the northwest.
On my side, the first thing I saw when I came from Gansu was the magnificent temple building of Wutun Xiazhuang Temple and the huge Buddha statue on the square. The whole temple can take some time to follow the guide monk of the temple to appreciate the quality of the murals and sculptures in each hall. They are all very tall, especially the Thousand-handed Avalokitesvara in the Avalokitesvara Hall, which has a huge body and a peaceful and solemn demeanor. Looking up at it, awe and peace arise spontaneously in my heart! There are not many tourists in the whole temple at present, sitting quietly, under the blue sky and white clouds, in the solemn Buddhist hall, it seems that everything has become a solidified eternity. . . In addition, you can also visit the big pagoda on the square outside the temple. The intricate sculptures and paintings on the pagoda are breathtaking!
C. Food - Lunch can be eaten in a passing town in Qinghai. The pasta and beef soup taste pretty good. There are many choices for dinner colleagues. The driver master invited us to taste the local hand-caught mutton and the special pasta "dog pouring urine", which is delicious and authentic.
D. Stay - This is a newly opened quasi-high-star hotel recommended by colleagues. The room hardware/bedding is quasi-five-star, and the breakfast is also quite satisfactory. According to the homework done in advance, this hotel should be much better than other hotels. Although the price is higher, the actual satisfaction of staying here is good!
Day8 Heri Temple, Gazedong June Meeting, Guo Mari Temple.
The main destination on the eighth day is Heri Temple in Zeku County, Huangnan Prefecture. It is less than 200 kilometers away from Tongren, passing through Maixiu Forest Farm along the way and entering the plateau meadow again. The scenery changes greatly and has a strong visual impact .
Heri Temple is a temple of the Nyingma sect. There are four large stone scripture walls on the mountain behind the temple, commonly known as the Heri Stone Scripture, which is the largest stone scripture found in my country so far. The largest stone scripture wall stands on the right side of the scripture hall, 3 meters high, 2.5 meters thick, and 200 meters long. In addition to the other three stone scriptures, the total length is nearly 300 meters, all of which are built with large and small stone slabs engraved with scriptures. The content of the scriptures is the famous Tibetan Buddhist works "Danjuer", "The Great Prajna Sutra", etc., and there are more than a thousand stone carvings of Buddhist stories. There are more than 200 million texts in the scriptures, and the huge stone carving project fully demonstrates the hard-working spirit and wisdom of the Tibetan people. It is a rare cultural landscape at home and abroad, and is known as the "Wonder of Stone Books" in the world. At the east end of the sutra wall, there is a sutra pier 9 meters long, 9 meters wide and 10 meters high. The engraved scriptures are the world-famous Buddhist classic "Danzhuer" Tripitaka. There is also a stone scripture wall to the east of Jingdun, and the engraved scriptures are "Tado", which has been engraved 108 times. On the west side of the largest stone scripture wall is another stone scripture wall with a length of 15 meters, a width of 1.3 to 1.5 meters, and a height of 1.2 meters. There are 17 kinds of scriptures carved on it.
After visiting the Heri Stone Classic, I had a simple lunch in the town and planned to return to Tiecheng Mountain (Diaochao City) next to my colleagues. I didn’t want to bump into one of the main purposes of this trip in Gazedong Village on the side of Bao’an Road. June meeting.
Tongren, the Blood Sacrifice in June (Huangnan Regong Cultural Festival) is held every year from the 17th (July 26, 2021) to the 25th (August 3, 2021) of the lunar calendar. It is the most solemn festival in Huangnan Prefecture. The celebration activities include offering sacrifices to gods, performing rituals, dancing, climbing dragon poles, beating dragon drums, and finally "opening the mountain" by mages. During the festival, you can watch military dances in Guomari Village and Gashari Village in Nianduhu Township, and in Siheji Village, Jiachama Village, Herijia Village and Tiewu Village in Longwu Town (Longwu Old Town) , Suhuri Village and Xiazhuang Village, Gatui Village, Shihalong Village, Halabatu Village, Nianduhu Village in Baoan Town, and Nianduhu Village in Baoan Town to watch the divine dance, and watch the dragon dance in Langjia Village in Baoan Town. During the June Festival, the villagers are very particular about their costumes, and the dancers must be dressed in costumes. Men wear white or red tall felt hats and Tibetan knives, while women wear colorful Tibetan robes decorated with natural gemstones. The Regong June Festival contains rich cultural content such as religious history and folk customs, and is full of magic and joy. Among the many activities, Shangbeizhuo and Kaishan are the most concerned ones. Shangbeizhuo is to pierce 10 to 20 steel needles on the back. The dancer is bare-chested, holds a drum in his right hand, and beats the drum with his left hand, dancing while beating. The unique rhythm of the dragon drum sets off the rough and graceful dancing postures, the colorful and expensive costumes, and the mysterious and devout prayers, bringing joy and romance to the festive and bumper harvest Regong Tibetan village. To open the mountain, the mage cut the top of his head with a knife and sprinkled blood in all directions. This is a simple and unique way of offering sacrifices to heaven, which fully demonstrates the industrious, simple, wise and brave character of the Tibetan people.
After Ga Zedong’s June Gathering Divine Dance ended, it was still early and we drove to Guo Mari Village not far away, where there is an ancient castle with local characteristics and Guo Mari, one of the representatives of Regong art temple.
"On both sides of the Longwu River to the north of Longwu Town in Tongren County, there are five natural villages mainly composed of Tu people, namely Nianduhu Village, Guomari Village, Gashari Village, Wutun Village and Tuotun Village. Jia Village, the surrounding Tibetan people call it "Jiaceziyu" (meaning the four villages of the Han Dynasty), and they themselves call it "dalda". These fortresses are surrounded by walls and gates on all sides. It is built of earth, tall and thick, and is called "earth city". The earth city is a building in a specific historical period at that time. From the perspective of its architectural shape, it generally has obvious defensive functions... along the west bank of the Longwu River along the river And down, there are Guomari and Gashari villages where Shang and Xiali Tun are located. Guomari (meaning "Red Gate") ancient village was built in today's Guomari village. The whole ancient village is well preserved. It is also built with rammed earth, rectangular in shape, about 220 meters long from east to west, with three gates in the east, west and south. The uniqueness is the same as that of Nianduhu Ancient Village. There is no more space in Guomari Ancient Village except for the deep lanes that connect with each other. The courtyards of each household occupy a very small area, only about half of the land. , the space in the ancient village has been fully utilized." - Excerpted from [Regong Art]
Not far from the river outside the village is the Guomari Temple. Due to the late weather and the summer retreat, the gate of the temple has been closed. Although I communicated with the master I met at the gate and talked about his pleasant experience in Shanghai, I had no choice but to decline to visit inside. request, but the gate used to be the largest pagoda in Amdo Tibetan area, which is still very beautiful and spectacular.
Heri Temple, colleagues Tips:
A. External transportation-Tongren·Going to Heri Temple is less than 400 kilometers back and forth, the distance is not very close, but along the way, it passes from the Longwu (Tongren) River Valley through the tree-lined Maixiu Forest Farm, and then goes to the endless plateau meadow, The scenery along the way varies greatly, and there are many places where you can stop and watch. The road conditions are still good. If you set off early in the morning, you can rush back to your colleagues to take a look around if it is normal in the afternoon.
B. Internal traffic in the scenic area - driving and walking. Except for the Heri Temple which is far away, and the stone scripture behind the temple requires a little climbing, the other destinations are not far from Tongren. You can drive for about half an hour and walk on the flat ground. In addition, Heri Temple, especially the hill where the stone scripture is located, is already building a tourist trail, and the main stone scripture wall has been fenced off. It is estimated that it is not far from commercial operations. If you are interested, it is recommended to go as soon as possible.
C. Food - Lunch can be eaten in the town a little later after visiting Heri Temple Stone Classics. The taste of fried noodles is not bad. We ate dinner at the hotel where we stayed. It was a little surprise. It is the main Cantonese cuisine, and the taste is not bad, especially when we ate a lot of hot pot, Sichuan cuisine and noodles along the way.
D. Stay - I continue to recommend this newly opened quasi-high-star hotel to my colleagues. The room hardware/bedding is of quasi-5-star level, and the software management is also passable.
The climax of Day9 draws to a close, Langjia Village, the representative of Longwuda Temple and the Tongren June Association.
According to the confirmation of the villagers who took our hitchhikers when they came from Gansu, the time for the Langjia meeting in June this year is around 1:00 p.m. on July 31. According to the time, we drove to Tongren City in the morning. Wuda Temple.
At the bottom of the mountain in the southwest corner of Longwu Town (Tongren), the Buddhist garden complex consisting of dozens of scripture halls, Buddhist halls and thousands of monk houses is the famous Tibetan Buddhist temple in Tibetan areas—Longwu Temple. Longwu Temple is 186 kilometers away from Xining. It is one of the oldest Tibetan Buddhist temples in Qinghai and the largest Gelugpa temple in southern Qinghai. "Longwu" is a Tibetan word, meaning agricultural area. The full name of Longwu Temple is "Longwu Dale Falunzhou", which is a national key cultural relic protection unit. In the Anduo area, the scale, status and influence of Longwu Temple are second only to Labrang Monastery in Gansu Province and Kumbum Monastery in Qinghai Province. Longwu Temple has a long history. According to records, it was first built around the fifth year of Dade in the Yuan Dynasty (1301). At that time, it was a monastery of the Sakya Sect of Tibetan Buddhism. The ceremony of chanting scriptures and repenting before the Buddha.
Longwu Temple is surrounded by mountains and rivers, with a beautiful environment. The Han-Tibetan-style building, with flying eaves and brackets, is well-proportioned. It is an important religious and cultural institution in the Amdo area. It has three colleges: Wensi, Xubu and Kalachakra. The whole temple is magnificent. The roof of the Buddhist hall is covered with green tiles, and the central ridge is towering and covered with gold vases. Especially the Great Sutra Hall in the center of the temple is more solemn and majestic, with gorgeous decoration. There are 18 inner vertical columns and 146 short columns, covering an area of more than 1700 square meters. There are dozens of giant statues of Sakyamuni and others enshrined in the scripture hall, which are famous for their exquisite shape and solemnity. In particular, the statue of Master Tsongkhapa is 11 meters high and 26 meters in circumference. The lotus seat is inlaid with gold and jade treasures, and the whole body of the Buddha statue is dyed with gold powder.
Leaving Longwu Temple, we drove to the old street near the Longwu River. Tongren is one of the 99 famous historical and cultural cities. The short street looks like it has been renovated recently, and there are few pedestrians. Compared with Longwu Temple, it is not heavy enough.
After seeing the old street, the next destination is the focus of Tongren’s trip. The June meeting in Langjia Village left the urban area and was on the roadside not far from the security guard. Note, get out of the car and go in to find out that it is here that Herijia Village is holding the June meeting.
After hurriedly watching part of the June meeting with Rijia, we had a light meal in Baoan Town, and after a short drive we arrived at Langjia Village, which is famous for its dragon dance (Leshize).
Langjia Village is located in the east of Tongren Longwu River Valley. Its dragon dance (Leshize) is large-scale and rich in rituals. It is one of the representatives of the local June Festival. Sending rain, praying for good weather, interspersed with reproductive worship witch dance rituals, contains rich content, its "June Xiongji" is a religious sacrificial song and dance celebration for the purpose of offering sacrifices to gods, and the people and animals are flourishing. And strong, each group dances to the established rhythm, which is determined by the mage's divination. The ultimate goal is to use a series of cheerful dances to please the gods, so as to bless the safety of people and animals, and the harvest of grains.
When I came to the June Meeting Square in Langjia Village, I obviously felt that it was much bigger than the two villages I had seen before, and I felt a sense of expectation in my heart. . .
The mage in yellow clothes entered the venue and started the sacrifice and dance ceremony. The attendants beside him carried buckets of wine and porridge in their hands, and splashed soup around during the sacrifice and dance to show the matter of reproduction. In the past, the wooden statue of Amala Mao (Dragon Girl) and wooden male roots in the temple on the mountain should also be soaked in this barrel and related reproductive worship rituals were held, but this time I did not see it.
"Traditionally, the dancers of the "Leshize" (Dragon Dance) are all men, and their clothes are basically the same as those of the "Maheze", but they wear specially made cloth shoes, and the leggings are tied with patterned belts, symbolizing dragons and snakes. There are as many as a hundred people performing dances in Langjia. The dance team is mighty and mighty. The team is shaped like a dragon winding up and down. Wooden head-shaped mask of gods and monsters, with two pointed ears protruding from the top of the head, holding the mask in the left hand, and a small wooden ax in the right hand, which is said to be used to subdue Disha. In addition, there are two wooden masks called "Zanzi" One resembles a toad's head and the other resembles a snake's head. It is said that both are vicious water monsters. "Leshize" has 13 dancing methods, including dance with a mask in hand, dance with wings of an eagle, dance with a snake, dance with a dragon girl and so on. The jumping method of the snake dance is roughly like this: all dancers first bend their bodies slightly to the right, then turn around and dance three steps outward, then three steps inward, and so on. The dance team is like a snake swaying from side to side, so it is called snake dance. The "Dragon Girl Xixuan Dance" raises both hands high in front of the head, and sucks in front of the legs alternately. It is a bit like a dragon girl playing and laughing, hence the name.
Primitive people believed that the god of rain is usually the dragon, because the dragon is the totem protector of Fuxi, and it has been regarded as capable of raising clouds and causing rain since ancient times, so they usually pray for rain by offering sacrifices to the dragon god. The dragon dance will be performed until noon to greet the old mage at the edge of the village. The etiquette is quite solemn. Hearing the sound of drums outside the village, he hurriedly led the dance team to beat the drums to greet him; Cat waist, while jumping, shorten the distance between the two from time to time, until the drumming action is more violent at two or three steps. Then the old mages were welcomed into the arena, and all the dancers danced even more crazily under the leadership of the two mages, and the whole dance team soared into the air like a giant dragon. "- Excerpted from [Regong Art]
It finally came to the end of the June Festival of Langjia. Looking at the children in the village who walked to the outside at the end, they suddenly understood the reason for the tenacious vitality of this unique local culture.
The trip of colleagues has come to the time when I have to say goodbye again. I hope that if I have the opportunity to return in the future, everything here is still as it is in memory.
Longwu Temple, colleagues will meet in June Tips:
A. External traffic - Longwu Temple is actually the old town of Tongren, and Langjia Village is not far from the east of Tongren through Baoan Town. These two destinations are very convenient to drive there.
B. Internal traffic in the scenic area - The internal traffic is mainly Longwu Temple. The entire temple area is as large as Labrang Monastery. Walking and watching is the best way to visit. At present, the temple has begun to require foreign tourists to buy tickets (60 yuan) at the gate, but the entire temple area is relatively original and completely open. Except for the temple at the entrance, the rest of the main hall, the Sutra Hall and the Living Buddha Palace You can come in and out freely, and there are few tourists, and the experience of regional customs is much better than the two famous temples in Gannan. If you are interested in the humanities of local temples, it is recommended to do more homework in advance and spend more time to explore and experience.
In addition, as far as the sacrifice activities of the June Festival are concerned, it is suggested that the itinerary can be arranged according to the sacrifice dates of the representative villages of the year. It should be noted that although the schedule of the June Festival of each village can be found online, most of the specific starting dates The time is not listed, so you can ask the local villagers in advance, arrange the itinerary reasonably, and observe the whole process in time (attach the list of activities related to the June 2021 meeting).
C. Food - For lunch on the day, you can find a clean halal noodle restaurant in Tongren or Baoan Town to have a simple pasta meal, which is delicious and fast. For dinner, I drove to Yongjing City by the Yellow River as planned in the afternoon, and found that there was a foreign brand fast food chain on the street that I had never seen along the way. A foreign land has created an alternative gourmet memory, especially vegetable soup.
D. Stay - I stayed at a 4-star hotel on the bank of the Yellow River in Yongjing City on this day. The overall software and hardware level is acceptable. The window of the river view room is the rolling Yellow River.
Day10 The final pilgrimage of the journey, Bingling Temple Special Grotto
The tenth day is the last day of this trip, and the destination is Bingling Temple, which has a profound influence on the ancient Silk Road, Buddhism and grotto art. In order to have enough time to browse, we drove to Yongjing, a small town by the Yellow River, after watching Tongren Langjia’s sacrifice in June the day before.
In the early morning of the tenth day, we first came to the viewing pavilion at the confluence of the Yellow River and the Tao River not far from the Liujiaxia Reservoir.
Bingling Temple was built 1,600 years ago during the period of the Five Hu and Sixteen Kingdoms. It was built by the Western Qin regime established by the Xianbei people. Linxia, not far from Bingling Temple, was once the capital of the Western Qin State. Bingling Temple It was once considered the royal monastery of the Western Qin Kingdom, and like the Yungang Grottoes in Datong and the Longmen Grottoes in Luoyang, it reflects that religious beliefs and cultures are jointly established and accumulated by the entire Chinese nation in the long history.
Bingling Temple was first called "Tang Shu Cave" (Li Daoyuan's "Shui Jing Zhu"), which means "ghost cave" in the Qiang language. One can imagine how desolate the place is! Later, it was renamed Longxing Temple and Lingyan Temple. It was not until the Ming Dynasty that the transliteration of the Tibetan word "one hundred thousand Buddhas" was taken, and it was called Bingling Temple. On the other hand, the change of name also shows the change of local regime and the fusion of nationalities.
From the first year of Jianhong in the Western Qin Dynasty (AD 420) to the Song Dynasty, the grottoes had a great influence on Chinese Buddhism, Pure Land Sect, Huayan Sect and Zen Buddhism. In the Sui Dynasty, this was the only way for the ancient Silk Road to go south to Tubo. At the end of the Yuan Dynasty and the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, the Yellow School of Tibetan Buddhism was introduced, and the name of Bingling Temple has been used since then.
Bingling Temple is divided into three parts: Upper Temple, Lower Temple and Donggou. Most of them are distributed on the red sandstone on the northwest side of Dasigou. At present, Bingling Temple has more than 200 caves, more than 700 statues, and 1,500 square meters of murals. Most of the statues in the grottoes are stone sculptures, and there are also clay sculptures. Long-term wind and sun and wars have made most of the sculptures incomplete. The largest one is located in Cave No. 171. It was built in the Tang Dynasty. The upper body is stone sculpture and the lower body is clay sculpture. , as high as 72 meters (with the base?), is the ninth largest Buddha in the world.
The big karst cave above the head of the Buddha looks like a huge question mark, which is Cave 169, which is nearly 40 meters above the ground. This is currently known as the pioneering work of Bingling Temple, and it is a rare Xiqin Grottoes in China. Due to the Buddhist pavilions and plank roads built in the Tang Dynasty and later generations, this irregular natural cave has been damaged, and no one has visited it for hundreds of years (the inscription found in the cave was at Jiajing in the Ming Dynasty at the latest), and the statues and murals are fortunately relatively complete. reservation. In May 1963, the expedition team found a line of characters in the grottoes, "Jianhong Yuan was built on March 24th in Xuanyuan". AD 420! This great discovery proves that the earliest grottoes in Gansu are at least decades or even half a century earlier than Yungang and Longmen. This inscription in ink script of "the first year of Jianhong" makes the Bingling Temple Grottoes the cave with the earliest inscription on statues with a clear date in existence in my country, and it is an important chronological ruler for studying early Chinese Buddhist grottoes.
Caves 169 and 172 of Bingling Temple are built in natural caves to create Buddha statues. These two caves are at the highest point of the entire cave area. Now a very high wooden plank road has been built to climb up. The two caves were excavated in the Tang Dynasty. In addition to the inscriptions of the Western Qin Dynasty in Cave 171, it is worth noting that there are some remnants of wooden eaves preserved in Cave 169, which may be relics from the Tang Dynasty. If the inference that the Buddhist Pavilion of the Tang Dynasty was built around the 19th year of Kaiyuan (731) of the Tang Dynasty holds true, then it is more than 50 years earlier than the main hall of the Nanchan Temple in Wutai, Shanxi, which was built in the third year of Jianzhong (782), the earliest existing wooden structure in my country. , should be the oldest known wooden structure in China!
In 1967, the Liujiaxia Reservoir of the Yellow River flooded some of the grottoes. Among them, an 8.6-meter-long clay reclining Buddha in Cave 16 was removed and preserved in nine pieces; until 1999, the Temple of the Reclining Buddha was built on the opposite side of the grotto. Only when all the limbs are merged into one, reappear in front of the world.
Looking back into the ditch before leaving, there is a pedestrian walking towards the depths without tourists. There is the Xinbingling Temple that we cannot further explore. Just like this journey, whether it is the magnificent mountains and rivers of Jiuzhaigou and Huanglong, the extraordinary mountains of Zhayana and Cuomeifeng, or the unique scenery of Langmusi, Labrang Monastery, Heri Temple, Longwu Temple and Tongren June Meeting Architecture and art and humanities are all to explore the unknown world, why not the journey of life...
Yongjing, Bingling Temple Tips:
A. External traffic - Bingling Temple is about 160 kilometers away from Lanzhou, and the straight-line distance of my colleagues in the past should not be too far away at about 200 kilometers. This time I chose to transfer to Yongjing first. From the itinerary and the map, I feel that the direction of the Linxia transfer is smoother, but Gaode can’t find a corresponding route. It may be because the road construction is not complete at present across the Yellow River. . In addition, the road in Yongjing has been refurbished, and now you can drive directly to the parking lot not far from the temple gate. The 60-kilometer journey takes less than an hour. Compared with the previous boat ride, it saves a lot of time and money , but you can enjoy the scenery along the Yellow River Reservoir by boat, and it should be a good choice if you have plenty of time.
B. Internal traffic in the scenic area - Bingling Temple The entire scenic area is not large, just walk slowly and look at it. But the main essence of Cave 169 is as a special cave and is not included in the big ticket. If you want to see it now, you need to charge an additional special cave fee of 300 yuan per person. Compared with the same level of Dunhuang special caves, it is hard to find a ticket (basically not open) My personal suggestion is to go and see it. The story, history and artistic value of Bingling Temple Grottoes are basically in Cave 169, and the full-time explanations are also very professional. It should be possible to come to Bingling Temple in vain without saying 169! It is very likely that such an ancient and valuable cultural relic will be completely restricted from visiting for the purpose of protection in the future. Also note that the wooden plank road built in Cave 169 is relatively narrow and steep. When buying tickets, the service staff will ask if you are afraid of heights. In fact, climb slowly and pay attention to your feet. Anyway, the same sentence, the infinite scenery is on the dangerous peak!
C. Food - Lunch can be eaten later in the small town along the way from Bingling Temple to Lanzhou. We went to a noodle restaurant in Sanyuan Town, and the beef slaughtered in it tasted unexpectedly good taste! When I arrived at Lanzhou Airport in the afternoon, I would definitely not be surprised if I tasted Lanzhou Beef Noodles.
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