If there is a place in the world, it is a distant place that I must reach after going through hardships and obstacles.
Even if I stand at the end and look back, I have experienced so many difficulties and obstacles during the short one-week journey, I am still willing to go all over again from the beginning.
That place is Litang.
As the special year of 2020 is coming to an end, Litang, the city in the sky, is coming like a gust of wind, bringing the unique hot sunlight of the plateau, and the unique ethnic culture of Tibetan areas, bringing curiosity and yearning to countless people.
So, at the end of 2020, within a week, I drove a Beijing Hyundai seventh-generation Elantra, and a group of friends, from Yibin, Sichuan, hundreds of meters above sea level, to Litang, the highest county in the world, to catch up The first ray of sunlight in 2021.
Go - to chase the light
I have always been a person who loves a sense of ritual, especially 2020 is a difficult year for me. I don’t want to stand at the end of the year and look back at the ups and downs, but I also want my 2021 to have a brilliant start.
So we chose a seventh-generation Elantra with our friends for this trip to Litang.
I was really surprised by the appearance of this car. The ice-sea blue of the whole car is deep and energetic. It is not only as vast as the starry sky, but also as vast as the sea. It is the kind of color that you will fall in love with at a glance. The avant-garde, sporty sharp design complements the travel temperament, and highlights the youthful atmosphere of this car. The combination of the irregular geometric design of the front air intake grille and the sharp shape of the headlights gives people a fashionable and dynamic experience. .
The rear of the car adopts a slip-back design, combined with the through-type H-shaped taillights, which is full of sporty style and absolutely shocking. Wherever you go, there is a beautiful landscape.
During the one-week travel time, I brought quite a lot of luggage. Fortunately, the Elantra 474L has a large enough trunk volume, which is more than enough to hold 3 suitcases.
Voice recognition function, wireless charging, remote ignition... all kinds of intelligent functions make the journey more convenient.
Even in the middle of the night when taking time-lapse shots of the star trails, at dawn and waiting for the sunrise, the plateau is as cold as the bone marrow, and hiding in Elantra's body, the gentle warm wind brings infinite warmth and a sense of security.
Walk! Go to the world that day!
Born in Sichuan, set off by the colorful western Sichuan and the hot and enthusiastic Chengdu, the small city of Yibin always looks inconspicuous, like the short and inconspicuous little transparent in the class.
But ah, this small town in Sichuan also has its unique charm. The Shunan Bamboo Sea, known as "Cloud Mountain Bamboo Sea, Heaven and Earth", is located here. What's more rare is that this is the largest natural bamboo forest scenic spot in the world.
There are bamboo seas, mountains and rivers, lakes and waterfalls, and ancient temples.
Although the landscape in winter is not as lively and verdant as in summer, ah, in spring, new bamboo shoots are everywhere, full of vitality; In the wind, in the green bamboo forest, there are little red leaves; If there is a snowfall, this bamboo sea will also have a unique style.
It's a pity that during the stay in Yibin, there was no snow scene, but this bamboo sea is full of scenery. Even if you are looking for a small path, surrounded by bamboos, the green in winter is always very precious, and even this small path has an air of winding paths.
On the first day of the journey, I stayed at Xianyaju in the sea of bamboo, and everything here is closely related to bamboo.
In addition to the exquisite and elegant guest rooms, the proprietress of the inn cooks excellent dishes, some of which are also related to bamboo. Nutritious bamboo fungus is most suitable for making soup, and there is also a strange scrambled egg with bamboo flowers. I didn't know that bamboos also bloom.
After a night's rest to soothe the fatigue of the journey, in the morning, I also refueled the seventh-generation Elantra and played "Song of the Road". This journey of chasing light officially started.
"Let's go. Don't ask where the road is. Going forward with the wind is the only way."
Drive all the way to Jin Yong Wuxia
One of the charms of self-driving travel lies in more freedom and imagination.
Stop whenever you want, so you are not afraid to miss any accidental scenery. But the car kept moving forward, and when he woke up in a daze, the outside of the window might have changed to another appearance.
Sitting on the seventh-generation Elantra, the excellent driving vision not only reduces blind spots and improves the safety factor, but also allows you to enjoy more beautiful scenery outside the window without getting out of the car. The addition of the skylight also allows more beautiful scenery to be seen.
The center console of the seventh-generation Elantra is biased towards the driving position, with two-color matching, which has a sporty style of a sports car. The left handle of the co-pilot's seat is cleverly designed to divide the space, increasing a certain degree of comfort and safety.
What I like the most is the dual-screen design of the full LCD instrument panel and the central control multimedia touch screen. It is simple but not simple. Each functional area is clear at a glance and easy to operate. The matching four-spoke sports-style D-shaped steering wheel is full of sense of technology, with flexible operation and comfortable grip.
Along the way, you can always reap many unexpected joys of the journey.
For example, a mountain range encountered on the road to Litang. In the distance are continuous green hills, a road winds along the green hills, and on the other side is a Tibetan village with white-roofed carved wooden windows, and flocks of goshawks fly overhead, roaring.
This scene is very similar to the scene in the martial arts world of Mr. Jin Yong.
Although the houses are sparse and not enough to gather together, this is the first time I have seen the appearance of the Tibetan village at close range. Later I learned that there is a nice name here, Danba Tibetan Village.
The Shanzhai in Danba was also called Diaolou Zhaifang in the old days. Watchtowers and Zhaifang were originally two types of buildings with different styles. In the passage of time, the two have been organically combined. Yellow, white and black are the main colors of Tibetan villages.
In the 2005 "China's Most Beautiful Places" selection activity hosted by "Chinese National Geographic", Danba Tibetan Village was rated as the first among the six most beautiful ancient towns and villages in China.
Looking into the distance, you can see hundreds of residential buildings blending into the nature in an orderly manner. Even though it is winter, the flowers are still blooming and the valley is still full of vitality.
Parked under the high mountain, because of this unique Tibetan village, the sunlight and air are different from before.
If there is something missing, I always feel that there should be a waterfall hanging under the ten thousand feet on the opposite side. It doesn't have to rumble through the valley, even if there is only a trickle, it will add a touch of agility to this world.
Strayed into a foreign planet?
When I was studying, I read that Cao Mengde "Looks at Jieshi in the east to see the sea. The water is so light, and the mountains and islands stand tall." I always think of it.
When I was a teenager, I was not as good as I am now. I have been to some distant places and seen some scenery, and I can slightly match the scenery in my memory with this poem. However, it was not until this trip that I saw the appearance of Moshi Park that I felt similar to Cao Cao.
Overlooking the Moshi Park, you can see the sea in the mountains, and the waves are vast; near the Moshi Park, you can look up at the mountains and stones, changing and magnificent; entering the Moshi Park, you can retreat from the world like a foreign land, but the starry sky remains the same.
Here, it looks like a foreign planet! Walking around in the park, reading countless films, I am still vaguely looking forward to whether an E.T alien will appear in front of me?
Moshi Park is the first birthplace of King Gesar, and now this scenic spot is also a national 4A-level tourist attraction.
It has the only plateau stone forest landscape in China, which can be visited, experienced, scientific research, and popular science. It is known as "the eighth most beautiful landscape avenue in China".
Regardless of its position in the core area of Highway 318, which is sacred in the minds of self-drivers and cyclists, the exotic landscape here alone is enough to make people stop and sigh and linger.
If you must have a scientific reason to explain the scenery in front of you, it is naturally due to the active crustal movement.
The stone forest landscape here can be traced back to the Triassic period. The fracture activity of the earth's crust, the erosion of flowing water, the shoveling of wind and snow, and the collapse of gravity have formed a stone forest. This kind of rock is weak and calcareous, and under the erosion of wind, rain and water, it is sculpted into the majestic and majestic earth and stone forest landscape we see today.
Speaking of geological scenery, we always talk about karst landforms and Danxia landforms. But in my eyes, the stone forest scenery of Moshi Park is comparable to them.
If you have plenty of time, it is recommended to stay for a longer period of time, and you will be able to enjoy the magnificent grassland, graceful wetland, fantasy ink stone, characteristic dwellings, plateau flower sea, golden autumn, Baita holy temple, sunrise and sunset that are proud of here. spectacle.
Driving a yak, watching the stars in the grassland
At the end of 2020, there is one thing that must be recorded in a small notebook: I finally saw a star in the grassland!
The starry sky has always had a deep meaning to me. My favorite writer Vincent Van Gogh painted the world-famous "Starry Night", the swirls and colors fascinate me. When traveling to Dongji Island, I encountered a shooting star for the first time in my life, and it was so fast that I had no time to make a wish.
And a prairie starry sky has long been recorded in my "life to do list" notebook.
Browse Zheduo Mountain and cross Xindu Bridge for 37.3 kilometers to arrive at a famous temple - Tagong Temple.
We set off for Tagong Temple early in the morning. I thought it was still early, but it was already surrounded by Tibetans who came from afar. It is no exaggeration to say that they have come from a long distance. There are a few members of the family and a few friends. They have walked all night or walked more than 100 kilometers just for this pilgrimage.
On this cold winter night, even if I drive by, I feel tired and hard. It is hard to imagine what kind of faith and firmness it is that allows them to go all the way without asking the reason.
Tagong Temple, whose full name is "Ruyi Jietuo Temple at First Sight", is one of the famous temples of the Sakya Sect of Tibetan Buddhism. Many devout Buddhists have traveled thousands of miles.
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, imitating taking a statue of Sakyamuni to Lhasa to build a statue for worship in the temple, so Tagong Temple is also known as "Little Jokhang Temple". Every year in the middle and late June of the Tibetan calendar, the temple holds grand Buddhist activities.
Surrounded by rivers, grasslands, forests, and Tibetan houses around the Tagong Temple, this large area constitutes the Tagong Grassland, as if there is no boundary, no beginning and no end.
At the entrance of the Snow Mountain Love Hotel where we live, there are big lumps of cow dung all over the place, but no one is surprised, as if they are used to it. On the pasture next to the hotel, there are a few cattle, sheep and horses. Looking far away, it is the sacred Yala Snow Mountain, rising from the grassland, majestic and majestic, covered in silver and shrouded in clouds and mist. And the grassland under the snow-capped mountains is even more beautiful.
Cities, grasslands, temples... There seems to be no boundaries at all. Here, the ordinary streets are unique, full of rich Tibetan style.
In the evening, the car drove to the grassland, trying to choose a suitable location for the evening stargazing trip. It's already 6 or 7 o'clock in the evening, and the sky in the eastern coast of my hometown is already dark, and the whole city is about to fall into a deep sleep. On this grassland, the golden sun is still hanging in the air, casting a golden light, and the steering wheel is warm up.
Not long after, the sun was getting lower and I turned my head to be surprised. Not far away came a herd of yaks. The car drove past and rubbed shoulders with the herd. pace.
Then the sunset glow burned on the other side of the sky, which was the direction where the yaks were going away.
From the sun to the sunset, if I were a painter, the brush in my hand would have already drawn the most beautiful picture.
When night fell, I drove to the place where I had already stepped on after 10 o'clock in the evening. The stars in the sky were so bright and bright. This is the beauty of silence away from the hustle and bustle of the city.
After setting up the tripod, he quickly retracted into Elantra's arms. The person who was exhausted by the heater was sleepy, so he cheered up. After all, the star of the prairie is not always a chance to see.
After a night of starry sky travel, I am still full of energy. The trajectories of the stars this night form a star orbit map that is of great significance to me.
There is me, the stars, and Elantra, the most reliable little partner in this journey.
The best times are always on the road
Before writing about the destination of my trip, Ditang, there are some things I have to mention.
Even if it is only a short stay, even if it is only a transit point of the journey, they are also of great significance to this trip.
After passing through Rilong Town, even if it was just a night's rest after leaving early and returning late, I still felt the unique temperament of this small town.
Because of the excellence of Siguniang Mountain, Rilong Town has now been renamed Siguniang Mountain Town. Here is located the famous national 4A scenic spot - Siguniang Mountain Scenic Area. thousand. Many tourists are willing to stay for several days in order to take pictures of the wonderful scenery on the mountain.
What I said is true, I ran into a cafe with a Cantonese owner. The reason why I stayed here to run a homestay and coffee was also my deep love for Mount Siguniang. I traveled there 11 times in 10 years, and finally settled down. Daily life, but never bored.
A cup of latte, a cat, after a leisurely morning, we embarked on a journey again.
Yajiang, which is also a transfer station, is a more magical place. In the south of Ganzi Prefecture, the altitude is generally as high as 3,000 or even 4,000 meters. Only this county built in a low-lying place has an altitude of more than 2,000 meters.
Although the city is small, it is said that this is the place where King Gesar passed by when he was fighting.
We only stayed for one night, and we didn't have time to feel the scenic spots here, but it was the first time we had close contact with the daily life of a Tibetan city.
Get up early to buy soybean milk and fried dough sticks at the roadside breakfast shop, pass by a clothing store that customizes Tibetan robes, go to a small fruit stand to buy some oranges, and the bustling morning market by the meandering river...all are full of freshness.
Standing on a high place, you can see how the houses are built around the river. You can have a panoramic view of the outline of this small town, its high places and low-lying areas. At that moment, it seemed that I was not a tourist, but a returnee.
After the Yajiang River is Litang, and the boundary mountain in the middle is the famous Kazila Mountain. The altitude of 4,718 meters is frightening. Among our travel companions, those who claim to never be rebellious are also defeated in front of it, calling it disrespectful and disrespectful.
This is also a must for many tourists who drive in western Sichuan. Looking at the mountains here, there are many mountains and mountains. Standing on the mountain pass is like walking on the road to heaven.
It was already sunset when I arrived here, and the most violent wind I have ever encountered in my life. Not in bursts, but here, such violence is daily. Violent enough to hold onto something to keep from being blown away.
But when I left, I saw a full moon standing on the top of the mountain. With such a spectacle in front of us, each of us hurriedly got out of the car to take pictures, but even with superb photography skills, it is difficult to capture its beauty.
Look, that beam of light!
If you look back at this journey in the future, you will see the first ray of sunshine in 2021, the twists and turns of driving the Elantra through the eighteen bends of the Tianlu, and the devout belief of Tibetans. But ah, the most painful memory must be the vigorous altitude sickness I experienced when I first arrived in Litang.
It is not the first time for people who have entered the plateau. I always feel that eating saffron rhodiola in advance does not apply to me. No, I still overestimated myself. As soon as I arrived at the boundary of Litang, I felt dizzy and headache. After all, this is the county with the highest altitude in the world, a veritable "City in the Sky", with a maximum altitude of more than 4,300 meters and an average of over 4,000.
When I entered Litang West Gate, I was excited and apprehensive.
Finally, we crossed the mountains and arrived at the destination of the journey, where the sunrise on January 1, 2021 is about to be ushered in, and the chain reaction of the high reaction also caused my body to fall apart.
The road that runs through the city gate is 318, which is known to everyone in the self-driving Tibetan area, and it is also the road that self-driving people must take in this life. Today, we are driving the Elantra, and finally fulfilled a self-driving dream.
The power performance of the seventh-generation Elantra is still very good. The power response is positive when you lightly step on the accelerator. The start and acceleration are very brisk. comfortable.
Our car has a 1.4T configuration, and the average fuel consumption of the entire journey is about seven liters, which is also one of the happiest things about self-driving travel.
Thinking about walking all the way, over the snow-capped mountains, through the eighteen bends of the winding road, through the potholes and ponds, and through the dirt road that has not yet been built, the seventh-generation Elantra has carried us steadily. With its powerful new-generation power system, it will safely send us to the travel destination.
Now before the sun sets, the seventh-generation Elantra passes through the gate of Litang again, bringing us into this city in the sky.
Evening is my favorite time in Tibet. The cities and mountains in the distance are still shrouded in sunlight, while the road around me has gradually darkened. Then the city also disappeared into darkness, and the sunlight drew a line on the ridge, creating a separation between light and dark.
This is a city that lives with faith.
Every new friend we meet always says "Tashi Dele", and we can always meet monks coming and going at the door of the hotel we stay in. The Litang Temple not far from the hotel is also the oldest and largest Tibetan Buddhist Yellow Sect temple in Kham.
The hillside outside Litang Temple is an excellent place to watch the sunrise.
It’s not necessary to get up early, I ate breakfast slowly after 7 o’clock, drove through the potholed slopes, and parked on the hillside. Ha, this is the benefit of the west. The sunrise is always unbelievably late, after 8 o’clock The sun climbed lazily into the sky.
First, there is a large dark area, and even the houses in front of you can only be vaguely distinguished. Then the cooking smoke curled up, and the smoke made the morning warm. But when the sun first hit the distant mountains, it seemed to be covered with a layer of golden tulle, and finally the sun climbed up from behind the mountains, shining brilliantly, and everything in front of us had color and light.
I saw that under the hillside where I was standing, there were layers of houses with red tiles and white walls. Going forward, I could have a panoramic view of the city of Litang.
Just because of the existence of this beam of sunlight, it warmed up, brightened up, and my heart became happy.
Overcoming the difficulties of 2020, the past is the prologue. At the beginning of 2021, I was lucky enough to come to the destination of my dreams, accompanied by friends, and traveled by my favorite self-driving car, and chose the most suitable seventh-generation Elantra. Although there are accidents and illnesses, but seeing this beam of light, the journey will be perfect.
On the other side of the hillside, Litang Temple also came to life.
Litang Temple, also known as Changchunqing Keer Temple, is the largest Gelug Sect (Yellow Sect) temple in Kham District, and is known as "Kangnan Buddhist Holy Land".
It is backed by Bengre Sacred Mountain and Duowenzheng Sacred Mountain. The snow-capped mountains, temples, and dead trees in winter form a wonderful scenery.
The main hall Buddhist house is located in the center and high place of the temple. There are various types of gold-plated bronze statues of Sakyamuni, Buddhist classics, saddles used by the third Dalai Lama, murals in Ming and Qing Dynasties and other precious cultural relics in the temple. "A must in Kham".
Walking in Litang Temple does not have the seriousness and distance of Gaotang Temple, but is more approachable. I met Tibetans having dinner in the temple by chance, greeted and chatted enthusiastically, and shared the food in my hand, for fear that I would starve myself without breakfast.
The children were not afraid of strangers at all, and they were not shy at all when they saw the camera approaching curiously and asked if they wanted to take a group photo.
The monks gathered at the gate of the temple and tried riding an electric bicycle together. It must be a new gadget bought by some monk, and the sound of laughter flowed in the air.
The Baita Park in the county seat is the only park in the Kangnan area. Its theme is the supreme White Pagoda in the hearts of Tibetan compatriots, which is unique in the world.
The main tower is 33 meters high, surrounded by 119 small towers with a height of 2.5 meters to form a unique Tallinn, which is magnificent and sacred. There are many Tibetans who come to worship every day. They come on foot, kowtow to protect the light in their hearts, and pray for a healthy and smooth life.
In front of Baita Park is the busiest market in Litang County, full of small shops and stalls. Clothes, vegetables and fruits, snacks and toys... All kinds of goods and lively shouting make this Baita Park full of fireworks and popularity.
Thanks to 23 ADAS intelligent safety configurations such as the seventh-generation Elantra front and blind spot anti-collision assist system, passing through this lively market, surrounded by crowds, also has a sufficient safety factor.
When traveling in Litang, there is another place that must not be missed, and that is the ancient town of Letong. It is the only characteristic cultural town in the country that relies on Cangyang Gyatso and builds Cangyang Gyatso's life-long scenic spots. It is a Tibetan area composed of more than 4,000 Tibetan houses in 13 Tibetan villages, and has become the largest Tibetan village group with a thousand households.
On the most eye-catching turning path in the ancient town, there are devout Tibetans and tourists who come from thousands of miles away.
There is also particularity in turning the scriptures. The prayer wheel must turn clockwise, and the believers who turn the scriptures also need to walk in a clockwise direction. Together with the Tibetans, I walked the long prayer passage, and silently recited the six-character mantra "Om Mani Padme Hum". Pray for a smooth life and the well-being of loved ones.
Life goes on, those unforgettable journeys
Driving to Litang by myself, from the end of 2020 to the beginning of 2021, I have seen too many scenery. The bamboo forest at an altitude of more than 2,000, the starry sky at an altitude of more than 3,000, and the sunrise at an altitude of more than 4,000. Grasslands, stone forests, mountains and rivers... It took only 7 days to count along the way, which seemed like 7 long months.
But it is so short, so short that I want to spend a longer time together and cherish every beautiful place.
This road is difficult, traveling more than 1,400 kilometers. Except for the scenery, I spent too much time with the seventh-generation Elantra. Its immersive cockpit design and oversized body design widen the space and make our journey more comfortable. .
At the beginning of 2021, I am chasing the sunshine on January 1, and I will start a new journey after another in the future.
May the next time be bright.
