Journey to the Southwest: Hanzhong, Staying at Tianhan Jingyi Hotel

Hanzhong borders Guangyuan and Bazhong in Sichuan to the south, Xi'an and Baoji to the north, and Longnan to the west. It derives its name from the Han River flowing through the region and has been poetically called "Tianhan" (Heavenly Han) since ancient times. During the Xia Dynasty to the Western Zhou period, the Bao State was established here. Later, the Chu State set up Hanzhong Commandery in Ankang along the middle reaches of the Han River. During the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, it was part of Nanzheng, alternately controlled by the Ba-Shu region and the Qin State. In the early Western Han Dynasty, Liu Bang was appointed King of Han in Nanzheng and spent five years conquering Chu to unify China, retaining "Han" as the dynastic name. Key attractions include Liping Scenic Area, Zibai Mountain Scenic Area, Hanzhong Museum, Ancient Han Terrace, and Shimen Plank Road Scenic Area.

Tianhan Jingyi Hotel is situated by the Han River Wetland Park, offering beautiful surroundings and just a ten-minute drive from the Xi'an-Hanzhong Expressway interchange. As Hanzhong's finest five-star resort hotel, this marks my third visit. The first was years ago during a road trip to Gannan and northern Sichuan when many roads were still challenging, before the Xi'an-Hanzhong Expressway opened—truly experiencing the adage "The road to Shu is harder than climbing to heaven."

This 1.5-month southwestern journey began in Xi'an, with dramatically improved transportation and hotels compared to years past—flights and high-speed rails made travel effortless through Chongqing, Kunming, and Tengchong. The latter half was a self-drive tour via Dali, Lijiang, and Shangri-La, returning along the Beijing-Kunming Expressway at a leisurely pace of 200-300km daily through Panzhihua, Xichang, Ya'an, Chengdu, and Qingchuan, ending in Hanzhong. Staying again at the familiar Tianhan Jingyi Hotel—peaceful, with fresh air—I enjoyed easy access to Han River Wetland Park via the back door with my room key. The breakfast buffet was excellent, though I also tried local specialty "Huang Lading" fish outside. After a relaxing day, I drove back to Chang'an across the Qinling Mountains.

Beautiful moments—farewell, Southwest!

Post by Addison Nelson | May 26, 2025