Main Tourism Spots Around Diqing

Bi Ta Hai Lake, a fault lake, is Situated about 32 kilometers (about 19.9 miles) away from Zhongdian County, is an intact natural attraction with various species of flora and fauna and, of course, picturesque landscapes. In Tibetan language, Bita means "land as soft as cattle hair felt". With an altitude of 3,539 meters, the lake is the highest in Yunnan Province. Shaped like lively deer, it measures 3,000 meters in length and over 700 meters in the maximum width, covering an area totaled at 166 hectares.

Famed as pearl in the highlands, the lake is surrounded by wooded mountains and resembles a beryl inlaid among them. The surrounding mountains are densely scattered with azaleas, and each year in late spring and early summer, when the flowers are in full bloom, the hillsides seem to be dyed red, echoing harmoniously with the clear waters in the lake. Bitahai Lake's fish are as abundant as its natural beauty. Rowing a boat on the lake, one can see shoals of precious "Bitahai Double-Lip Fish" - an ancient species left over from the Fourth Glacial Age - swimming back and forth about 10 meters beneath the surface. The small streams beside the lake are home to amphibious "Codfish", which produce a valuable medicine.

Each year, when azalea blooms cover the mountains, the wind blows the petals into the lake, causing all of the fish to vie with each other to eat them. They eat so many that they seem drunk and float on the surface - an enchanting sight known as "Fish Drunk by Azalea's Petals. Around Bitahai Lake are vast meadows and deep forests - ideal habitat for rare animals including red-footed pheasant, silver pheasant, wild bull, leopard and lynx. Every April when the snow begins to melt, wildflowers bloom profusely in the meadows. The glorious colors shine like twinkling stars in a sky of fresh green grass. In the primeval forest on the north bank of the lake, many cabins are built there for the convenience of the tourists. Activities like horse riding, trekking and boating are available at the customer's will.

The Meili Snow Mountain, in the east suburb of Deqen County, is known for its main peak, the Kagebo, which is the peak of Yunnan at an elevation of 6,740 metres above sea level. The Kagebo Peak is surrounded by 13 lesser peaks, and at its foot lies a modern monsoon maritime glacier, a geographical rarity, given its low latitude and high altitude. On the southern side of the main peak, a waterfall - known as " a deluge of rain and god-mandated cascade " among the local people tumbles down from a breathtaking height of 1,000 meters. Despite the tact that man has long conquered Mount Qomolangma, the top of the Kagebo Peak, protected by perpendicular cliffs and foul climate, still is unconquered.

The Prince Snow Mountain is seated at the west end of the Baimang Snow Mountain, higher and more elegant compared with the Bamang Snow Mountain. The local Tibetan regards it as a Holy Mountain. Each year in autumn, Tibetan people come from far and near gathering here for Hajj the Prince Snow Mountain. One thing we should warn you is that climbing Meli Mountain could be very dangerous. Several attempts of conquering Meli Mountain since '90 have been made, but all failed.

In 1991, a Sino-Japan joint mountaineering team were very close to the main peak-Kawagebo when it began to snow heavily. The team were forced to abandon the climbing plan, and the whole team died in the way of returning to No.3 Base of 5,100 meters above sea level, including 6 Chinese and 11 Japanese, which marked the greatest sacrifice in the history of mountaineering in China. It's until July,1998 that the frozen corpses of the team were found.

The Guihua Temple (The Songzanlin Lamasery) is named the Gedan Songzanlin Lamasery in Tibetan. It is located at the foot of the Foping Mountains, 5 km north of Zhongdian County and occupies an area of 500 mu. The monastery is the largest Tibetan Buddhist Temple in Yunnan Province, and also one of the famous monasteries in the Tibetan area. Now there are over 700 Buddhist monks living in it. The Guihua Temple was built in 1679 under Emperor Kang Xi's authorization after the fifth Dalai Lama sent a report to him, who named the temple "Gedan Songlin". Emperor Yong Zheng granted it the name "Guihua Temple". The temple was made after the Potala Palace in Lasa, hence it is nicknamed "Small Potala Palace". It has hundreds of small houses serving as dorms for Buddhist monks and living Buddha. Besides the two main temple buildings at the top in the centre of whole monastery compound, there are 8 wing buildings around them. One of two main temples has 108 pillars in its hall, which is available for 1,600 monks sitting and chanting scriptures together at the same time.

Napa Hai (Napa Lake) is 3270 meters above sea level and covers 660 square kilometers; it is approximately 8 kilometers to northwest of Zhongdian town. It’s a valley surrounded by mountains on three sides which are covered in snow during winter and spring time. The water melts from the surrounding mountains and another over 10 small rivers flow into the lake after zigzagging through grassland. During the rainy season, the lake expands and in the dry season, the lake disappears while vast grassland appears. In Autumn, the prairie changes into a golden color and flocks of yaks, horses, sheep leisurely graze there. September is the season of various waterfowls, wild geese, widgeons, black-necked cranes would migrate from north here to spend winter. Napa Hai is especially famous for black-necked cranes, a rare and endangered specie with a total number of only around 10,000 through whole world, it’s their seasonal home.

This area is one of the best places for horse-back trekking during the dry season. Many locals offer their horse to you for a reasonable fare. Sitting on top of one peak in the northwest is a temple ruin called Gunqin Temple Ruin. The destroyed temple is heavily sheltered by old, tall trees. Dilapidated walls and wooden architecture scatter everywhere around the site. The temple was said to be build in the Ming Dynasty and deserved during the Qing Dynasty. The temple site offers a breath-taking panorama of vast grasslands. There are several Tibetan villages located nearby, which offer you chances to visit their traditional houses.

Nixi Pottery Village is a small Tibetan village nestling along the popular adventure route from Deqin to Zhongdian. It’s a tiny village standing by green grassland on which flocks of yaks, sheep and horses graze, the scene gives a sense of timeless tranquility. More than natural beauty around village, what attracts people is the traditional handicrafts local people have always been engaged. Nixi Village is well known for their century-old art, making pottery, totally around 70% families in the village are engaged in this traditional business, many of them have built own family pottery workshops. It’s amazing to watch the locals processing the pottery items, purely hand work makes their products unique and precious.

The pottery items made here include pots, jars, stoves, basins, teapots and some others. Originally villagers knew only to produce something for daily usage, as tourism developed in this region, their products became ideal souvenirs, to some extent this helps their old technology passed down through generations to go further.

The White-water Terraces is approximate 90 kilometers from the county seat of Zhongdian. It is located in the Baidi Village at the foot of Haba Snow Mountain. The whole terrace landform is 140 meters in length and 160 meters in width, with a semicircular platform pool on the top surrounded by white limestone.

The spring water runs down from the top one terrace after another to the bottom, it is said that those were the teaching aids when fairies taught Naxi people to cultivate rice terraces. Previously, the spring water was carbonic, containing great amount of calcium and carbonate elements, accumulating through long time made it an extraordinary scene.

Opposite from the Baishui Terrace, there is a Shiluo Cave, as a legend told that the Dongba Shiluo, the master priest of Naxi Dongha culture once passed this place and was attracted by the nice view, so settled down to missionize what he just learned from Tibet, cave is right where he practiced meditation and self-cultivation, for this Baishui Terrace is also regarded as the origin of Dongba Culture of Naxi people. On every February 8th of the lunar year, the Naxi people living around Sanba Township would gather here to celebrate the traditional February 8th Festival with presentation of dances and songs, which is a pretty impressive occasion.

35 km away in the northeast from Zhongdian, Shudu Lake is a calm lake surrounded by pastures and forest flowers. Its elevation is 3705 meters, surface of lake measures 15 square kms, annual average temperature fluctuates around 35 degrees and yearly rainfall hits 1800 millimeters, rainy season falls in period from June to October. Shudu Lake is one of the biggest tableland lake of Zhongdian, abundant fish swim in limpid water, verdant mountains offer animals an ideal habitat, around the lake, lush aquatic plants grow, it’s a paradise of assorted waterfowls.

Near Shudu Lake is a famous pasture of Zhongdian, where grassland is vast, grass is luxuriant and herd sheds are scattered. In spring and summer of every year, flocks of cattle are grazing around, with background of blue sky and green mountains, accompanied with eclogue, everything appears so idyllic.

Dongzhulin Temple is located in Shusong Village, Benzilan District, Deqin County, and 105km from the seat of Zhongdian County. The Yunnan-Tibet Road passes behind the temple and cars can get straight to the temple. The Dongzhulin Monastery was built in 1667, the sixth year of the Kang Xi Period. Its original name was “Chongchongcuogang temple", meaning “the temple by the crane lake”. It was renamed "Gedandongzhulin Temple" after a combination of seven small temples, meaning “benefit others and oneself". It is also one of the "thirteen most well-known Lamaism monasteries in Tibetan region", and can hold 2,000 monks sitting and chanting scriptures together. The present temple was rebuilt in 1985 when the prefecture and the county offered fund. The main building is a four storied structure. In the first floor is the place where the Lamas chant scriptures. In the front stand the statues of the Three Saints. On the second floor stands a statue of Qiangba Buddha, 6·8 meters in height. The statue of Sakyamuni in the Sakyamuni Hall is 10·5 meters tall, whose Buddhist crown and the pearls and gems inlaid on the front are gifts from the Sela Temple in Lhasa . This temple has a precious painted scroll, which is 8·5meters in length and 5·2 meters in width, is a Guardian God woven with colorful silk threads. It will be worshiped only once every year when the grand ceremony is held. Now there are many figures of Buddha and treasures for tourists to appreciate. Every year a grand Buddhist celebration ceremony is held in the monastery and it has became a Buddhist Holy Land where people go on a pilgrimage.

The Tiger Leaping Gorge has another name as "Jinshapiliu”. It stands in the south-east of Zhongdian County and the north of Lijiang County, just on the section of the Jinsha River between the Haba Snow Mountains and the Jade Dragon Snow Mountains, 105 km away from Zhongdian County, and 100km away from Lijiang County.

The Tiger Leaping Gorge is famous in the world for its majesty and grotesquery. The Tiger Leaping Gorge is a ravine of 20 meters long which is formed by the corroding of the Jinsha River here. It has resulted from the fracture of the stratum while the Himalayan Mountains were being thrust upwards. The whole gorge is divided into the Upper Gorge, the Middle Gorge, and the Lower Gorge. The altitude at the valley bottom is 1,800 meters, while the Jade Dragon Snow Mountains and the Haba Snow Mountains are 5,596 meters and 5,396 meters above sea level, with the largest difference in altitude being more than 3,700m, and the depth of the valley is in the front rank in the world. On both sides of the valley there are mountains rising straight up, whose tops are covered with perpetual snow, and whose feet are precipitous. If you stand on the cliffs, you can see precipices above your head and a slight opening of the sky when you look up, and you can see a river is running just like a dragon, bubbling furiously and grasping your heart.

The Tiger Leaping Gorge is not only deep but also narrow. The narrowest point at the Upper Gorge is only a bit over 20 meters. Right in the middle of the rive there is a tiger-leaping stone; hence the name. At this part of the river, the rapids are split by the huge stone, and the roar of the angry waves echoes up and down the valley.

The drop from the Upper Gorge to the Lower Gorge is more than 210 meters. The river runs so fast that the speed reaches 6-8 meters a second. The Tiger-Leaping Gorge not only brings up the rare and wonderful sights but also holds in store many resources. Some experts have pointed out that two super-hydropower stations with an installed capacity of 600 kw can be set up there.