Bamianshan in western Hunan: aerial grassland and ancient city on the cliff road

🌳🎫Free tickets! The most beautiful aerial grassland in China, the last secret place in Xiangxi, where you can walk on the cliff road and see the Milky Way and sea of clouds, is a great place to drive to escape the summer heat!

✨Bamian Mountain is located in Longshan County, Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Hunan Province. It has an average altitude of about 1,200 meters and the highest peak is 1,416 meters. This is one of the largest table mountains in China. It has high and flat terrain, lush pastures with abundant grass and water, and herds of cattle and horses. It is called "a pearl in the southern grasslands of China" by the People's Daily.

🚗Driving to Bamianshan, you can not only experience the thrill and excitement of the cliff road, but also watch the sunrise over the sea of clouds and the starry sky and the Milky Way on the top of the mountain, allowing your body and mind to completely return to nature. It is a very rare experience.

🌟When you come to Bamianshan, you must visit the ruins of the ancient city of Liye and the Qin Bamboo Slips Museum at the foot of the mountain.

🏯Liye Ancient City Ruins
The site is located on the west bank of the Youshui River and is the only ancient city site from the Qin Dynasty discovered in southern China so far.
The ancient city was first built in the Chu State during the Warring States Period. It was once an important strategic point in the contention between Qin and Chu. It was later conquered by the Qin State and became the seat of Dongting County after the establishment of the Qin Dynasty.
In 2002, the Liye ancient city ruins became world-famous for the unearthed 37,400 Qin bamboo slips. These Qin bamboo slips provide a large amount of valuable information for the study of the Qin Dynasty, the first unified dynasty in Chinese history, including multiplication formulas that are still in use today.

🏛️Qin Bamboo Slips Museum
A national second-level museum, an archaeological site museum, with more than 8,000 collections.
The Qin bamboo slips in the museum vividly revive the history of the Qin Dynasty. Its historical value is comparable to that of the Yinxu oracle bones and Dunhuang documents, and it is extremely precious.
Almost everyone who sees the Qin bamboo slips will have a feeling of traveling back thousands of years to the Qin Dynasty. It is worth a visit.

📋Things to note when visiting Bamianshan
🚗Transportation:
① Self-driving is the best choice to go to Bamianshan. Starting from Longshan County, driving along the winding mountain road, you can reach the top of Bamianshan in about 2 hours. Be sure to drive safely;
②Longshan County has opened a special tourist line from the "Liye Ancient City Ruins" to the "Bamianshan Tourist Center". There are three buses per day, with departure times around 6:30, 10:30 and 17:30. The whole journey takes about 40 minutes and the ticket price is 5 yuan.

🎫Tickets: The Bamishan Scenic Area is currently free of charge, and the recreational activities in the scenic area are charged separately.

🏠Accommodation: There are homestays and tent bases in the scenic area. You can choose according to your budget. It is recommended to book in advance during the peak season, which can be found online. You can also bring your own tent and spend the night in your own tent, and just pay a site fee of 50 yuan.

🍔Food: The scenic area has simple meals and roasted whole lamb, or you can prepare your own meals.

📅Best season to visit: June to September is the best time to visit Bamishan. The grassland is lush and green during this period, making for great photo opportunities.
If you want to watch the sunrise over the sea of clouds, it is recommended to go up the mountain on a sunny day after the rain. Check the weather forecast before traveling and bring a long-sleeved jacket as it will be a bit cool on the top of the mountain at night.

🗺️Itinerary suggestions:
Day 1: Visit the ruins of Liye Ancient City and the museum in the morning, have lunch in the ancient town at noon, then drive up the mountain to watch the sunset and the starry sky and Milky Way at night;
Day 2: Get up early to watch the sunrise over the sea of clouds, then spend 2-3 hours sightseeing and taking photos in the scenic area. You can also ride horses, hang gliding, and explore the Swallow Cave, and then go down the mountain at noon.