Standing on the Flower Sea Cliff of the Roof of Guizhou

📍 Route: Pingdi Township → Ten Thousand Mu Rhododendron Forest → Ancient Post Station Ruins → Natural Bridge → Fissure Grassland → Niupeng Liangzi 📝 Hiking Distance: 16 km | Duration: 2 days 1 night | Difficulty: ★★★☆☆

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🌺 Encounter the Most Resilient Wilderness at 2890 Meters Altitude

In April, the alpine rhododendrons burn like pink-purple flames reaching the horizon. I followed Alu, a Yi shepherd, walking on the thousand-year-old post road, his cloak fluttering fiercely in the strong wind. When the sunset cut the fissure grassland into a geometric world of light and shadow, I suddenly understood why the Yi people call this place "the pasture closest to the gods in heaven."

🚶 Plateau Flower Sea Trekking Guide

Day 1: Rhododendron Secret Line (9 km)
💐 Traverse the country's unique alpine rhododendron forest belt, where five century-old King Rhododendrons bloom like giant flower umbrellas. While camping among the ruins of the ancient post station, I found a pack bell left by a Qing Dynasty horse caravan.

Day 2: Fissure Adventure Line (7 km)
🗻 Walk along the grassland fissures formed by crustal movements, the narrowest parts only wide enough to pass sideways. At the Niupeng Liangzi cliff, I encountered a herd of wild sheep, their hooves causing rocks to tumble and echo like thunder in the canyon.

⚠️ Plateau Survival Guidelines

· Snow may still fall in May; tents must be wind and snow resistant
· GPS fails in the fissure area; hiring a local guide is recommended (bookable at Pingdi Township Tourism Center)
· Altitude sickness warning: bring enough acetazolamide and portable oxygen

💡 Nomadic Life Experience

At a Yi shepherd’s home, I learned to twist ropes from sheep wool, and Alu’s daughter taught me to make natural rouge from rhododendron petals. The most breathtaking moment was stargazing by the fissure at midnight, where the Milky Way seemed to pour down from the crack. Remember to bring wild bitter buckwheat cakes on the return trip—the taste, a mix of barley and flower honey, is a gift from the grassland.