10 Days Lijiang to Lugu Lake Bike Ride: In Kublai Khan’s Footsteps

 

Day 4: Daju(大具) to Mingyin (鸣音)-Baoshan Stone Village(宝山石头城)

Sightseeing and Activities: Visit Mingyin,

Accommodation:

Meal:

Two daily buses connect Daju and Lijiang, and I caught the morning one as far as the ridgeline of the mountain range. I didn’t feel too guilty about this because my ride would still have plenty of climbing. The weather had taken a turn for the better. The sky was now a deep blue, the temperature warmed to a balmy 24° in the midday sun, and an extraordinary panoramic view of the snowy peaks of Jade Dragon mountain unfolded behind my eyes.

Two 5000+ meter beauties: Jade Dragon Mountain on the left, and Haba Mountain on the right

In fact, it had been there all along but my last time in Mingyin I hadn’t noticed because it had been obscured by clouds. Previously I’d seen this mountain from the north and south, and from inside Tiger Leaping Gorge, but this was my first time seeing it from the east, and it’s by far the best angle at which to view it in its full glory.

Closeup Panorama of Jade Dragon Mountain

Mingyin, which had seemed so glum two days before, today was a picture of charm. Just past the muddy main street lined with truck mechanics and agricultural machinery shops lay the original village of log cabins and wheat fields set against a backdrop of lush pine forest. Meanwhile, Stuart was on a marathon cavalcade of transport modes en route from Thailand to Mingyin. After his flight from Chiang Mai to Kunming was delayed, he had made it to the train station to catch the night train to Lijiang with five minutes to spare. Today, we was doing the same exact ride I’d done three days earlier.

In the mountainous areas of Yunnan, finding hiking trails in the woods is never difficult. You don’t need a map or any prior knowledge of the area. The woods surrounding every village inevitably are filled with a network of paths which villagers use for gathering firewood and wild forest products. This is how I spent the afternoon, wandering through the fragrant pine forests, wildflowers, and mountain brooks. A major economic activity taking place in these woods was the tapping of pine sap, a similar process to tapping maple syrup or rubber. The pine sap is later processed into industrial products like turpentine.

For the first leg there were two choices of route. The most direct, and scenic, crosses a pass just a stone’s throw fr

Ride from Daju Town to Mingyin, you will have a panoramic view of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain from the north.
Ride to Mingyin Town;
The steep part finished, the final push uphill was more gradual, meandering through pine forests and clumps of pink alpine flowers. Worn out, I roll into Mingyin (鸣音镇), which being the only administrative and service town for miles around is full of lodgings, restaurants, and mechanic shops. Despite its alpine setting at 2900 meters (9,500 feet) high up in the mountains, under this grey sky and with trucks blasting through every minute it’s a pretty grim place.
Ride down to Baoshan Town from Mingyin;
Ride to Baoshan Stone Village with a nice view of rice terraces and Yangtze River.
The day began with a short climb up to 3200 meters (10,500 feet) through cold fog and drizzle. Then a junction where a right turn drops you all the way down to the Yangtze River at just 1500 meters (4,900 feet). Along the way, the village of Changsongping (长松坪) is out of a dream, golden fields of wheat popping out of the green and gray background.

Lower down, the valley broadens and unfolds with terraces cascading down the mountain. These terraces are nearly as impressive as the famous ones in Yuanyang (元阳) but the crops are different. Yuanyang’s well-irrigated terraces grow rice, but here, in the semi-rain shadow wheat is the crop of choice, as well as the local staple grain.

I’ve been spoiled by new asphalt roads up until now, so the final 30 km on sharp cobblestones make for a rude shock and a bone-rattling final descent to Baoshan “Stone City” (宝山石头城). Baoshan’s more village than city; the name derives from the slab of rock jutting out over the Yangtze on which it was built. The road ends above the village; the steep, winding stone stairways of the village traversed by foot. Baoshan’s set in an incredible location. The valley is an oasis of green in the bottom of a canyon, sheer stone mountains rising up all around, their jagged profile a shifting palette as the sun makes its trip across the sky.

The terraces here contain garden vegetables, walnut trees, as well as a purple-flowered crop I’ve never seen before. Locals tell me it’s used in expensive skin creams, and stills are built in the fields for processing it. At the bottom is the Yangtze, a brilliant turquoise at this time of year, before the summer rains fill it with sediments and turn it a dull brown. Signs are still in place warning villagers to beware of rising water levels behind the new dam 15 km downstream. The reservoir has already reached its maximum height, and standing at the river’s edge I can see through its translucent waters submerged terraces. Compared with some of China’s other dams, the human impact here has been minimal. Only a few hundred residents were displaced, a far cry from the two million displaced by the Three Gorges Dam. The now placid waters of the reservoir make it possible for ferry boats to ply this previously unnavigable section, connecting once-isolated villages up and down and across the valley, villages which unlike Baoshan have no motorable road access.

A short way upstream from here is the point where Kublai Khan (or Hu Bi Lie [忽必烈] as he’s known in Chinese) and his Mongol army crossed the river during their invasion of Yunnan. This would be one of the most important military events in Yunnan’s history, as it was Kublai Khan who defeated the independent Nanzhao Kingdom (南诏国) and officially incorporated what’s now known as Yunnan province into the Chinese empire for the first time.

Baoshan is not completely off the tourist map. A steady stream of tourists trickle in every day, foreign and Chinese, but at a scale many times smaller than nearby Lijiang. The village has three guesthouses, all located inside Naxi (纳西族) homes, a refreshing change from the tourist market in Lijiang which is dominated by outsiders. Unsurprisingly, there are plans to “develop” the area for larger scale tourism in the future, including plans to start charging an entrance fee, so now’s a good time to go before the coming rush.

Day 5: DajuMingyin (鸣音) to Baoshan (宝山)

Sightseeing and Activities:

Accommodation:

Meal:

The day began with a short climb up to 3200 meters (10,500 feet) through cold fog and drizzle. Then a junction where a right turn drops you all the way down to the Yangtze River at just 1500 meters (4,900 feet). Along the way, the village of Changsongping (长松坪) is out of a dream, golden fields of wheat popping out of the green and gray background.

Lower down, the valley broadens and unfolds with terraces cascading down the mountain. These terraces are nearly as impressive as the famous ones in Yuanyang (元阳) but the crops are different. Yuanyang’s well-irrigated terraces grow rice, but here, in the semi-rain shadow wheat is the crop of choice, as well as the local staple grain.

I’ve been spoiled by new asphalt roads up until now, so the final 30 km on sharp cobblestones make for a rude shock and a bone-rattling final descent to Baoshan “Stone City” (宝山石头城). Baoshan’s more village than city; the name derives from the slab of rock jutting out over the Yangtze on which it was built. The road ends above the village; the steep, winding stone stairways of the village traversed by foot. Baoshan’s set in an incredible location. The valley is an oasis of green in the bottom of a canyon, sheer stone mountains rising up all around, their jagged profile a shifting palette as the sun makes its trip across the sky.

The terraces here contain garden vegetables, walnut trees, as well as a purple-flowered crop I’ve never seen before. Locals tell me it’s used in expensive skin creams, and stills are built in the fields for processing it. At the bottom is the Yangtze, a brilliant turquoise at this time of year, before the summer rains fill it with sediments and turn it a dull brown. Signs are still in place warning villagers to beware of rising water levels behind the new dam 15 km downstream. The reservoir has already reached its maximum height, and standing at the river’s edge I can see through its translucent waters submerged terraces. Compared with some of China’s other dams, the human impact here has been minimal. Only a few hundred residents were displaced, a far cry from the two million displaced by the Three Gorges Dam. The now placid waters of the reservoir make it possible for ferry boats to ply this previously unnavigable section, connecting once-isolated villages up and down and across the valley, villages which unlike Baoshan have no motorable road access.

A short way upstream from here is the point where Kublai Khan (or Hu Bi Lie [忽必烈] as he’s known in Chinese) and his Mongol army crossed the river during their invasion of Yunnan. This would be one of the most important military events in Yunnan’s history, as it was Kublai Khan who defeated the independent Nanzhao Kingdom (南诏国) and officially incorporated what’s now known as Yunnan province into the Chinese empire for the first time.

Baoshan is not completely off the tourist map. A steady stream of tourists trickle in every day, foreign and Chinese, but at a scale many times smaller than nearby Lijiang. The village has three guesthouses, all located inside Naxi (纳西族) homes, a refreshing change from the tourist market in Lijiang which is dominated by outsiders. Unsurprisingly, there are plans to “develop” the area for larger scale tourism in the future, including plans to start charging an entrance fee, so now’s a good time to go before the coming rush.

Day 6: Baoshan Stone Village-Jinsha River Cruise-Labo-Zhuangzi Village-Zhuangzi Pass-Yongning-Lugu Lake

Sightseeing and Activities:

Accommodation:

Meal:

Enjoy the tranquil village of Baoshan, walk down to Yangtze River and take the speed boat cruise to Labo Village(1 hour).
We will drive to Zhuangzi Village for Pumi ethnic flavor lunch at Gushu Hostel.
Ride down to Yongning Town from Zhuangzi Pass;
Ride to Lugu Lake;

The road was mostly of the same good quality we’d had so far, but in several places (usually the steepest, most difficult ones) it would inconveniently and suddenly give way to loose dirt and gravel. Reaching what looked like the pass, where Stu was waiting for me and chatting with some young guys on a motorcycle trip from Sichuan, I warned him that based on my map it may be a false summit with more climbing yet to come. But the road I was seeing on the map was the old dirt road, and we were one a new unmapped paved road, which follows an easier alignment nearly flat along the ridgeline to the final summit, allowing me to switch into high gear for the first time all day.

Next, a rewarding 1000 meter descent, passing Yi (彝族) ethnic villages and clear mountain streams to Yongning. Lying at 2700 meters, the fertile Yongning (永宁乡) valley is the administrative center of northern Ninglang County (宁蒗县). Today a mere township, it was during the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties the capital of a prefecture of the same name which occupied more than half of present-day Lijiang Prefecture. It’s also home to the largest population of Mosuo people (摩梭人), the ethnic subgroup who are famous mainly for their practice of matriarchal lineage. Most tourists encounter the Mosuo around the shores of Lugu Lake, where tourism development has already taken hold with full force, but here in Yongning their culture is better preserved and less on display for tourists.

Separated from Lugu Lake by Goddess Mountain (女神山), Yongning valley is an image of pastoral spendidness, growing a bounty of crops, including the highest elevation rice paddies I’ve ever seen. Yongning’s Lama Monastery is in the Tibetan style, and the finishing touches were being carried out on renovations following a 2012 earthquake, including wood carvings from Jianchuan’s (剑川) masters of the art. The last 17 km to Lugu Lake were a breeze. Technically there’s a climb up a valley and over a pass, but it’s so gradual you barely notice it. Crest the “pass” and the sapphire pearl that is Lugu suddenly unfolds before your eyes. Before long we’re rubbing shoulders with tourists and SUVs on the cobblestone lanes of Lige (里格村), with its overpriced restaurants, whole suckling barbecue pigs, and picturesque peninsula.

Day 7: Around Lugu Lake

Sightseeing and Activities:

Accommodation:

Meal:

 

We relocate to Daluoshui (大洛水村) 7 km away, check into the youth hostel, then set out, minus panniers, for a leisurely 50 km bike ride around the lake. We’re not the only ones doing this; all the guesthouses rent out bicycles, and we whoosh by Chinese couples on gear-less bikes. The southern arm of the lake is flat as a pancake and we breeze along, past fields of potatoes and corn and charming villages of log cabins. Guesthouse construction is everywhere, and there doesn’t appear to be anywhere near the demand to fill all the rooms. That will surely change once Lugu Lake’s long-delayed airport finally opens next year, and Chinese package tour groups descent on the place.

The eastern arm of the lake drains into a large area of wetlands, which we (and lots of tourists) cross on the wooden “walking marriage bridge”. Once upon a time Mosuo lovers would meet here, so the tale goes, before commencing their “walking marriages”, which is the term given to the practice in which men visit their lovers for the night, then return to their own mothers’ homes in the morning. This is one of the most misunderstood aspects of Mosuo culture, one which has been misrepresented in tourism literature (and even local government-sanctioned literature) as something of a promiscuous custom in which Mosuo women casually take different lovers every night. Some Mosuo friends I met explained to me that while it’s true Mosuo women often take different lovers over the course of their lives, and that women remain in their mothers’ households, they are not as promiscuous as the hype would have you believe. In reality, Mosuo people prefer long-term monogomous relationships, just like the rest of us. My friends say the hype has its pros and cons; more tourists come here and spend money because of the titillation factor, but they also have to fend off unwanted advances as a result.

The road follows the lake shore closely for most of its circuit, except where a steep wooded peninsula juts into the lake on the Sichuan side. Here the road makes a large detour, but Stu and I discovered a small dirt track over the ridge, both a time-saving shortcut and an exciting bit of off-road riding. The northern edge of the lake is steeper and the road climbs over several small promontories. Most of the tourists on rented bikes were pushing their bikes up these, but after the previous day’s climb, it was a piece of cake for us.

Day 8: Lugu Lake (泸沽湖) to Ninglang (宁蒗)

The home stretch was just a half day ride, first up a 500 meter climb out of the lake basin, then following a mostly downhill stretch to the county seat of Ninglang. The initial climb is faster and easier than before, as it’s on a new second-class road with a tunnel under the summit. Most of the way to Ninglang this new road followed a totally new alignment different from the one on the map. This apparently causes much confusion to drivers relying on their GPS. At one point, a Chinese couple brought their car to a stop in front of us to ask for directions. Chinese people asking foreigners for directions in their own country! Well, they came to the right person. I was tempted to take the turn off to the airport and see how far along the construction was, but the airport is built on a mesa at 3200 meters high and would have meant a 700 meter climb. Thanks, but no thanks!