Cizhong Village in Deqin County, Diqing
Attraction Overview
Cizhong, a Tibetan word meaning a big village, is a village co-inhabited by Tibetan, Naxi, and Chinese Han. It is famous for a 100-year-old Cizhong Catholic Church. More than 100 years ago, French missionaries built a Catholic church here.
Attraction Type: Traditional Village
Chinese Name: 茨中村(Pinyin: Cizhongcun)
Best Time to Visit: March to May and June to August
Recommended Visiting Time: 1-2 Hours
Admission Fee: Free
Altitude: 1,800 m
Location: Yanmen Township, Deqin County, Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province
Why is Cizhong Village So Special?
Cizhong, a Tibetan word meaning a big village, is a village co-inhabited by Tibetan, Naxi, and Chinese Han. It is famous for a 100-year-old Cizhong Catholic Church. More than 100 years ago, French missionaries built a Catholic church here. There are seven ethnic groups in Cizhong Village, including Tibetan, Han, Lisu, Naxi, Bai and Nu. Today the relationship between Tibetan Catholics and Tibetan Buddhists is generally cordial. The two communities celebrate traditional festivals together and interfaith marriages are no longer rare.
Where is Cizhong Village – Location
Cizhong Village is an administrative village in Yanmen Township, Deqin County, Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province. Located in a gentle slope on both sides of the Lancang River Gorge, it borders Gongshan County of Nujiang Prefecture in the east, Cikatong Village in Xiaru Township in the west, Badong Village in Yanmen Township in the south, and Chunduole Village of Yanmen Township in the north, with an average altitude of 1,800 meters.
Climate of Cizhong Village
The climate in Cizhong belongs to cold temperate mountain monsoon climate. The climate is greatly affected by altitude. The latitude effect is not obvious. As the altitude rises, the temperature decreases and the precipitation increases. Most of the seasons are unclear. The winter is long and the summer is short. The dry season and wet season are usually obvious. The average annual rainfall is 633.7 mm. The precipitation in the rainy season from May to October accounts for 77.5% of the annual precipitation.
How to Get there
Tourists need to get to Shangrila first and then transfer to Deqin county. Long-distance bus is the main transport means getting to Cizhong Village. Every day, there are many shuttle buses to Cizhong from Deqin County. The last bus from Deqin to Cizhong is 3 p.m.
There are buses running from Deqin to Badong via Cizhong, Deqin to Cizhong Village, and Deqin to Weixi via Yanmen township. It takes less than 2 hours from Deqin to Cizhong. Except the buses from Deqin to Badong, visitors shall take another 20 minutes to get to Cizhong by walking.
Best Time to Go
The best time to visit Cizhong is from March to May and June to August. Of course, every Monday is the best time to visit Cizhong, because visitors can experience Catholic devoutness to Catholicism.
Main Attractions
Cizhong Catholic Church
It is a French Catholic church, first established in the 6th year of Tongzhi in the Qing Dynasty (A.D.1867). The church is constituted with French buildings and Chinese pavilions, special in architecture. It is one of Yunnan’s most important churches.
Accommodate at Cizhong Village
A good rest plays a significant part in a travel, so choosing a favored lodging place in Cizhong Village should be taken into account. Most local families can offer accommodation. Here we recommend Songtsam Cizhong Lodge, Deqin Qianxi Hotel.
Attractions Nearby
Yubeng Village
Yubeng Village is situated at the foot of the Meili Snow Mountain Range. From Upper Yubeng, trekkers have access to the Base Camp, and Ice Lake hikes. From Lower Yubeng, you can find the paths to the Sacred Waterfall, and if you are a hardcore hiker, Holy Lake, which from a higher vantage point, has an unobstructed view of the Kawa Karpo Peak (6,740 meters), and most of the rest of the mountain range.
Meili Snow Mountain
Meili Snow Mountain is one of the most sacred mountains of Tibetan Buddhism. In the 1930s, they were praised by American scholars as the most beautiful mountains in the world. Meili Snow Mountain boasts numerous snow-clad ridges and peaks, thirteen of which are more than 6,000 meters above the sea level. The highest peak Kawagebo, which rises to 6,740 metres, has never been summited.
Feilaisi Monastery, Deqin
Feilai temple, the best place to watch goden peaks of Meili mountain at sunrise. So if u plan to watch sunrise, it’s absolutely a good idea to live at Feilai temple the night before. But actually it is unusual to see the golden peaks. The peaks of the mountains are often surrounded with clouds due to the high altitude they are. And this makes more interesting for Meili.
Useful Travel Tips
►Many villagers have their own wine. Tourists can have a taste if interested.
► Respect local customs and culture.
Tours including Cizhong Village
15 Days Three Parallel Rivers Overland Adventure with Dulongjiang River Valley and Tiger Leaping Gorge Hiking
9 Days Shangri-La Circle Tour and Three Parallel Rivers Adventure (Depart from Lijiang)
13 Days Three Parallel Rivers Circle Adventure with Tiger Leaping Gorge and Yubeng Village Hiking Tour
