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SICHUAN FLAVOURS

Sichuan is as large as Spain, but you don’t have to travel across great distances to explore the incredible diversity of the province. Within striking distance from Chengdu, the provincial capital, it’s possible to see a range of different people – Qiang, Tibetans, and Han peasants – in eclectic intersections of culture, nature and geography. These ethnic groups all have their customs, way of dress, beliefs and superstitions, food, architecture, and so on. And the surroundings consist of some of the richest landscapes in the world, a tumbling terrain of high peaks and forbidden mountains. It’s a milieu that is inspiring and evocative, and the relatively short distance covered in this loop tour in central Sichuan belies the diversity we encounter: throughout the tour, the elevation changes from 500 metres to more than 6,000 metres, and the cultural fabric morphs from anachronistic old Communist-Industrial town to the ruggedness of the Tibetan plateau.

We will visit the following places:

New Year Painting village

At the point where the Sichuan basin collides with the mountains, there’s an old village that gave rise to one of China’s top four subgenres of the so-called “New Year Paintings” – they are called as such because traditionally people made the paintings during new year period. It’s a village of charming, old-style houses covered in white stucco, and with the house exteriors forming a canvas for the paintings. The artistic spreads depict folks doing things ranging from rural work (such as harvesting or fishing) to more esoteric gatherings (playing musical instruments or engaged in philosophical discussion) – these paintings symbolise the virtues of rural harmony, something that’s achieved by hard work, natural providence, humbleness and unity, and the pursuit of art and philosophy. 

Jiuding

Full of lakes, grasslands, forests, and panda habitats, Jiuding is a microcosm of the natural diversity of Sichuan. It sits at the southern fringes of the Min Mountains, and it’s a piece of landscape that’s sparsely-populated and seldom visited. We will have the entire area to ourselves, and we will ride horses to get up to high points in the mountains for views of pure wilderness.

Maoxian

The Qiang people, with their unique culture and way of life, sometimes called the People of the Clouds, are an ethnic group that lives in 1000 villages along the Minjiang River valley. They have a history that stretches back thousands of years, and they live in small villages high up in the mountains that consist of low squat buildings and the famous old defensive towers – the high towers offered safe refuge to the Qiang at a time when the area was besieged by bandits that roamed and terrorised the region. Many Qiang still wear their old costume, which consists of black apparel with geometric splashes of colours and a strikingly black turban. Their culture is rich and ancient, and they remain one of the most esoteric ethnicities in Asia.  

Danba

Straddling the point where the mountains reach their final steps before leveling out on the Tibetan plateau, Danba straddles the cultural zone between the Qiang and the Tibetan people. It draws cultural influences from both ends, in terms of culture and also in terms of landscape, and it is legendary for the beauty of its girls.

Siguniang

The second-highest mountain in Sichuan, peaking at 6250 metres, Siguniang is famous for its series of spectacular granite peaks. It’s a massive mountain and a protected wilderness that’s crisscrossed with massive valleys hemmed in by forbidden summits. There is a range of habitats in the mountains, with broadleaf forests in the valleys, pine forests higher up, and a mix of scree and grasslands and lakes beyond the tree line. We will do an overnight trek in Siguniang, spending one night in tents.

Tagong

A pure Tibetan palette awaits us in Tagong, set at the heart of the old Tibetan kingdom of Kham and the hub of the vast Tagong grasslands. The small town has a frontier feel and spirit: its large monastery attracts pilgrims doing Buddhist circumambulations, and the town is a mélange of nomads coming and going on horses, selling yak hides and butter and buying supplies, riding through town with daggers dangling from their hips, cowboy hats, and heavy robes ensconcing their shoulders. A short hike across the grasslands there is a large Tibetan monastery where sky burial is still practised, and the grasslands themselves are peppered with the stooping black tents made of yak-hide of the nomadic herders, who follow a seasonal migratory pattern. We will explore all this in Tagong, and also call in at a herder’s camp for a picnic lunch.

Peasant villages

Several peasants’ villages are clustered in rich subtropical mountain valleys in south-central Sichuan, where the landscape is subtropical. The people here are Han peasants who rake a living from the cultivation of major crops (mostly maize) and live in old-style wooden houses that seem to jump out of Chinese history books, decorated with folk prints and old Chinese recitations as well as figures of deities that ward evil and bring good luck. The farmhouses nestle in groves of bamboo stirring in the wind like huge fans of feathers – bamboo is planted around the houses partly for its value in making furniture and other household implements, and also for its totemic value (the peasants in the south of Sichuan believe that bamboo has talismanic powers). We will explore the atmospheric alleyways and wooden houses of some villages, the old arched stone bridges, the roadside deity shrines, and the exotic markets where hole-in-the-wall eateries make corn bread and cured meats and other local foods. Farmers peddle vegetables; others settle in the shade sipping tea or playing mahjong or just whiling away the time in chit-chat.

Steam locomotive

The last steam train that runs commercially in China – and perhaps in the world – twists and hisses and heaves through subtropical mountains, passing peasant hamlets and an old Communist-era town. The steam train is a sight from another era, and so is the entire area: old Communist murals still survive on facades of public buildings, the old administrative buildings are built in Soviet neoclassical style, the industrial tenements are dense and forbidden, the market has dentists and herbalists and barbers, and old people while away the time playing mahjong in the public teahouse or dancing in twirls in the square. Blacksmiths continue to make spare parts for the train the old way, and everything is manually operated. There are no roads and no cars. It’s an area that feels like a time-warp, and it’s like stepping forty years back in time, seeing once again what it was like during China’s communist revolutionary years – but this is not some sort of re-enactment, or something set up or preserved for the sake tourism: it’s a real living culture that has survived in a limbo. 

Hanwang earthquake memorial

Hanwang is a former industrial town that was severely damaged during the earthquake of May 2008. The town has now been abandoned – a new town is being built a few kilometres from the destroyed town – and it will be left as it is as a memorial to the earthquake and, in a few years time, it will also emerge as a tourist site that will also have a centre that trains emergency services personnel in disaster response and management. The town is now haunting in its state of ruination and desolation; it looks like a place hit by a nuclear bomb.

Start & Finish: Chengdu

Duration: 15 days

Trekking: 2 days trekking; 2 days horse-trekking

Difficulty Level: Treks are relatively easy. During treks we will have porters and local guides and cooks, and travellers only need to carry personal belongings such as camera. No special fitness is required of travellers. 

Price: Highest-end prices start at RMB20,000 (€2,000 or US$2,900) total per person for two travellers; RMB17,000 each for three travellers, RMB15,000 for four participants, and then continues to fall commensurably thereafter depending on the size of the group – maximum size of group is 10 travellers. The price is all-inclusive; we even provide snacks and water for free, and the only things that aren’t covered are incidental personal expenses such as shopping.

Logistics: Groups of up to 4 travellers will travel in a seven-seat aircon and spacious vehicle; larger groups will have more than one vehicle; and groups of 10 will have a seventeen-seat aircon mini-bus. The vehicle is driven by a professional driver, and the tour is directed by a tour leader and guide; additionally, local guides are appointed during treks, as are porters and cook.

Accommodation: Three or four-star hotels in towns and some other areas, guesthouses in small villages, camping on two nights. 

Dynamic Prices & Flexible Arrangements: For all our tours, there is leeway in travel arrangements to suit the participants’ budget and preferences. If you’re travelling in your own group, you can choose the arrangement yourself and alter the itinerary. This also depends on your interests: for example, you can opt out of overnight treks (hence no camping), and do only easy day-hikes. There are various choices you can make; read more about the possibilities at Dynamic Pricing. 

Detailed Info: For any questions or more details about this tour, please write to us.

Terms & Conditions: For the general terms and conditions that govern our tours and operation, and Frequently Asked Questions, please go to Nitty Gritty (FAQs).