Bike China Adventures, Inc. - China Bicycle Travelogues

Cycling in

Rural

China

Part 3

Cycling in Rural China: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5

Tigers Leap

In the morning, we continued along the gorge to Tigers Leap, the narrowest part of the gorge.. We turned the corner to find a chaos of coaches, cars and tourists. The steep steps down to the river were crowded with tourists (mainly Chinese), sedan chairs for the lazier tourists, stalls selling souvenirs and young women in traditional dress (you could pay to photograph them) added to the bustle and confusion.

By Tigers Leap. Earlier I had misjudged the strength of the sun at the high altitude. I am wearing a cover over my sunburnt nose!

The Yangtze entering the gorge

Path to the river

The road continued out of the gorge to the river bank. We followed the river for some way, stopping for lunch. We then crossed the river and started a 3,300 foot (1000 m) climb to the top of the next pass.

The top of the pass

En route to Lijiang

A long, fast, descent took us to the old city of Lijiang. As we approached the city, we encountered a continuous stream of lorries and buses. At one point, I overtook three lorries and a bus! The vehicles are old and the traffic moves slowly.

Lijiang

Lijiang Old Town

Lijiang Old Town is a World Heritage Site. Part of the town was destroyed by an earthquake in 1996 but it was reconstructed in the original style. It is now overrun with tourists. A majority of the old houses are now shops, restaurants or guest houses. The town is criss-crossed by canals which are fed by the Black Dragon Pool. The water in different canals is used for different purposes, drinking, washing fruit and vegetables and washing clothes.

There are some more excellent pictures of old Lijiang here.

The Naxi society is matriarchal. The tradition has weakened in the towns but, we were told, is still dominant in the villages, particularly by the Mosuo sub-group.

Black Dragon Lake Park

In the morning we explored Black Dragon Lake Park. The main feature is a lake fed by fresh water springs.

Views across the Black Dragon Pool with the Snow Jade Dragon Mountain in the background

Lijiang and Baisha

There are several temples and museums in the park. One describes the section of the Long March through this area and another is devoted to the Naxi culture and the Dongba religion.

The Guardian of the Mountain, outside a temple in Black Dragon Park

We were also served brick tea - black tea compressed into a brick. Small portions are broken off and crumbled to make the tea. It matures with age. We compared 7 to 15 year old tea and could taste the difference.

Baisha

Our next visit was to Baisha village, one of several ancient villages in the area. It is a Naxi cultural centre. The temple contains frescoes dating from the 14th century.

Tie-dyed table cloth

Making tie-dyed tablecloths and bed covers, using indigo dye, is a cottage industry here. I bought a square cloth that fitted a small table in my living room.

also drank herbal tea with Dr. Ho, a renowned herbalist, who showed us Michael Palin's signature in his visitors book.

Some good pictures of Baisha are shown here.

Life in Baisha

There was a water channel running under the street. The women lifted one of the paving stones to give access to it. They washed clothing and dirty crockery in the running water.

While our lunch was being cooked, I photographed the activity in this corner of the street.

Next: Part 4

Cycling in Rural China: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5

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