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The western Sichuan grassland stretches across the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and is mainly distributed in Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture and Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. The grassland has an altitude between 3,000 and 4,500 meters. The mountainous plains and hilly plateau landforms are fully developed, flat and wide, and the landforms are magnificent.
Compared to the famous Hulunbuir Grassland, the western Sichuan grassland is more low-key. It is hidden among the mountains and deep in the hinterland of the southwest, but it can bring you countless surprises.
Here, many mountains compete for supremacy: Yala Snow Mountain, Gongga Sacred Mountain, Genyen Sacred Mountain... The holy snow-capped mountains unfold on the grassland like a magnificent painting;
Here, rivers flow, including the source and major tributaries of the Yellow River and the Yangtze River, giving birth to an ancient and brilliant civilization. Witness China's most magnificent grassland sunset at the first bend of the Yellow River.
Here is the sixth Chinese national park that is about to be established. It is known as the "oasis of life" on the plateau: goshawks, red-crowned cranes, otters, antelopes, yellow ducks, marmots... rare wild animals breed and live here, as if walking into the "Animal World" and experiencing the wildness and beauty of life.
Here is the legendary city in the sky. Step into "Ding Zhen's World" and encounter plateaus, snow-capped mountains, white horses, and young men in the beautiful snow-covered holy land. Here is the most beautiful grassland flower sea. Every summer, the green velvet grassland is covered with colorful flowers. Every shot you take will be a magazine cover.
This place boasts a uniquely charming culture and is known as the "lost Shangri-La," the "dreamland above the clouds" that Tsangyang Gyatso longed for. Every summer, visitors can experience the Grassland Horse Racing Festival, the Wusang Festival, and the Wangguo Festival, following the remains of the Ancient Tea Horse Road and experiencing the brilliant and mysterious cultural beliefs of the Kham Tibetan people.
Why are the grasslands of western Sichuan said to "cure Tibet's ills and wean Xinjiang off its addiction"? What are the must-see highlights of a summer trip to the grasslands of western Sichuan? This guide will give you the answers.
This is the filming location of the movie "Return to the Wolf Pack". It has the most beautiful wetlands praised by National Geographic, with endless sea of flowers, magnificent grassland sunset, the first bend of the Yellow River, rare wild animals, and brilliant stars... July and August every year are the most beautiful time of the year. This place is the Ruoergai Grassland.
The Ruoergai Grassland is located in the northwest of Sichuan, in the Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture. It has a total area of more than 50,000 square kilometers, equivalent to half of Jiangsu Province. It is the second largest grassland in China after the Hulunbuir Grassland.
At the same time, the average altitude of 3,500 meters makes it the largest high-altitude grassland in the world. Although the altitude is high, it is not dry. The upper reaches of the Yellow River and the Yangtze River both flow through this area, conserving a large amount of water and forming the Ruoergai Wetland, one of the three major wetlands in my country, which is like a dazzling emerald on the northwestern Sichuan plateau.
The Zoige Wetland is a vital reservoir in my country, providing approximately 30% of the water supply to the upper Yellow River. Known as the "Pasture of the Gods," it boasts lush vegetation and is home to rare wildlife. To better protect the Zoige Wetland, in May 2022, the National Park Administration responded to the People's Governments of Sichuan and Gansu Provinces, agreeing in principle that the two provinces would jointly develop the Zoige National Park. Sichuan will now have another national park.
The Ruoergai Grassland has "four beauties" that cannot be missed!
"The setting sun and the lone wild goose fly together, the autumn water and the sky are the same color"
If you ask me where to see the most magnificent sunset, it must be at the First Bend of the Nine Bends of the Yellow River. The Yellow River rushes here from afar, with majestic spirit and calm demeanor, leaving a winding "S" shape in the heart of Ruoergai. This is the majestic First Bend of the Nine Bends of the Yellow River.
Standing on the hillside and looking down, you can see the vast grassland connected to the mountains. In the afterglow of the setting sun, the grassland has winding rivers, sparkling waves, numerous islands, and water birds circling. The scenery is breathtakingly beautiful and has been praised by Chinese and foreign scientists as "a majestic fantasy in the universe."
"The stars are shining, as if they came from the sky"
Go chase the Milky Way on the grasslands! July and August are the best times to view the Milky Way. As night falls, the dazzling stars cover the dome of the Ruoergai grassland like a fairytale, and the Milky Way arch can be seen with the naked eye.
"All creatures compete for freedom in the frosty sky"
Huahu Scenic Area, nestled in the heart of the Zoige Grassland, is one of the largest lakes in the region. Every July and August, a sea of flowers blooms, forming a boundless sea of blossoms that stretches along the grasslands to the horizon. August is breeding season for Huahu's waterfowl, and many rare species breed and inhabit the area. Black-necked cranes, whooper swans, mandarin ducks, ruddy shelducks, terns, and other colorful birds circling and playing in the lake.
"Three thousand prosperous times, just a blink of an eye."
The Ruoergai Grassland is part of the Tibetan area, so you don't need to go to Tibet to experience the long-standing Buddhist culture here. (The Wachi Pagoda Forest is a place where people chanted sutras and prayed in memory of the 10th Panchen Lama. The pagoda forest is surrounded by a continuous stream of prayer flags, which is quite spectacular.)
The Buddhist temple is magnificent under the sunlight, the sound of chanting is endless in the magnificent temple, prayer flags all over the mountain are fluttering in the wind, climbing up the mountainside along the prayer wheels. Outside the temple, tents are dotted on the boundless grassland, herds of cattle and sheep, and smoke curls up, merging with the Yellow River to form a magnificent picture.
Tagong Grassland, located in Tagong Town, Kangding City, the capital of Ganzi Prefecture, is a sacred and secret place on National Highway 318 and the closest pure pastoral grassland to Kangding City. Unlike the rugged grasslands of Inner Mongolia, this grassland not only features snow-capped mountains, forests, rivers, Buddhist temples, and white pagodas, creating a rich and three-dimensional Tibetan grassland landscape.
"Tagong" means "a place favored by Bodhisattva" in Tibetan. On the vast Tagong grassland, the sacred Yala Mountain rises from the ground, the Tagong Temple stands majestically, and the Muya Golden Pagoda shines brightly in the sun.
Maoya Grassland, located west of Litang County, Ganzi Prefecture, is one of the largest natural pastures in the Kham region. As early as 2005, it was named "one of the six most beautiful grasslands in China" by National Geographic China magazine.
Maoya Grassland has a unique and beautiful landscape. The entire grassland is surrounded by high mountains. It is a basin surrounded by mountains with a vertical height difference of more than 1,000 meters. Looking south, you can see the Yimugongjia Snow Mountain with an altitude of 5,838 meters. The snow on the top of the mountain never melts all year round.
In summer, wild flowers bloom on the Maoya grassland. The mountains, white clouds, grasslands, sea of flowers and snow-capped peaks are rated by hikers as "the most beautiful scenery on the Sichuan-Tibet Highway."
Litang County, where the Maoya Grassland belongs, is Ding Zhen’s hometown. Its altitude of more than 4,000 meters makes it a veritable "Sky City". Compared with the increasingly commercialized Siguniang Mountain and Daocheng Yading, Litang is closer to the legendary "Shambhala Holy Land".
Located in Hongyuan County, Sichuan Province, the Emutang Flower Sea is a hidden gem of a flower wonderland hidden deep within Provincial Highway 209. Every July, the Emutang Flower Sea reaches its peak bloom, with the clear blue sky, towering snow-capped mountains, and vast grasslands complementing the vast sea of flowers.
Emutang is an ideal place for portraits. Any photo you take there will be a blockbuster that will go viral on your social media.
The scenic area has three major flower sea open areas. You can be immersed in the vast flower sea and get close to the grassland flower sea. There is a mature camping base here. You can experience camping in the flower sea, fall asleep in the flower sea, and look at the flowers when you wake up. Looking up, you can see the beautiful starry sky of the plateau and the majestic snow-capped mountains in the distance. It can be said to be "the ultimate romance".
The Wolong Meadows, located in the Wolong area of Wenchuan County in western Sichuan, are just over three hours' drive from Chengdu, offering a hidden gem of alpine pastures that can be easily reached in a day. Ganhaizi, Panda Ping, and Yunzhong Ranch... these are the most popular hiking routes around Chengdu in recent years.
Unlike the vast expanse of the prairie, the Wolong meadows are more exquisite, with blue sky and white clouds, green meadows, alpine lakes, and herds of cattle and horses... In spring and summer, there are blooming mountain flowers, and in autumn and winter, there are maple leaves covered with rime. The landscape is diverse and the driving distance is short, so the scenery is beautiful all year round. It has a nice name - "Wolong Little Xinjiang".
Why do I urge you to visit the grasslands of Sichuan? Because here you can experience the openness and freedom of life. Go galloping on the grasslands, chase the sunset and the Milky Way, and then you will find that the three thousand troubles of the world are nothing but the troubles of the mediocre, and can be laughed off!
