Jiangyou & Beichuan

Hometown of the poet Li Bai, with the iron-chain 'flying crossing' at Yunyan Temple on Mount Douchuan, plus the earthquake ruins of old Beichuan and the new Qiang town nearby — where poetry and Qiang culture intertwine.

Jiangyou is a county-level city under Mianyang in Sichuan, on the middle reaches of the Fujiang River at the foot of the Longmen Mountains. It is widely recognized as the hometown of Li Bai, the 'Immortal of Poetry', who spent his youth in Qinglian Town. Mount Douchuan in northern Jiangyou is famed for its three solitary peaks and the 'flying crossing' performances on the iron chains strung between their summits; Yunyan Temple on the mountain preserves a Song-dynasty revolving sutra cabinet. The city has the Li Bai Memorial Hall, and Qinglian Town has the Li Bai Hometown Scenic Area. To the west, Beichuan Qiang Autonomous County is China's only Qiang autonomous county: the old county town, destroyed in the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake, has been preserved in its entirety as an earthquake ruins site, alongside the 5·12 Wenchuan Earthquake Memorial Museum. The rebuilt new county town (Yongchang Town) is the national 5A-rated Beichuan Qiang City tourist area, while Jina Qiang Village in Leigu Town, Jiuhuang Mountain and Yaowang Valley showcase Qiang culture and the gorge scenery of the Longmen Mountains.

The climate is mild and humid; Mar–May and Sep–Nov are the best times to visit. In summer the mountain areas (Jiuhuang Mountain, Xiaozhaizi Gully) offer an escape from the heat, and in winter Jiuhuang Mountain has a small ski area. Around the Qiang New Year (1st day of the 10th lunar month), Beichuan hosts major folk festivities.

Getting there: the Xi'an–Chengdu High-Speed Railway and the Baoji–Chengdu Railway both stop in Jiangyou; it's about 1 hour from Chengdu by high-speed train (about 40 minutes to Mianyang). Jiangyou to the new Beichuan county town is about 1 hour by car, and the old Beichuan county town lies in a valley between the two. Allow 2–3 days: one for the Li Bai Memorial Hall, Li Bai's hometown and Mount Douchuan; one for the old Beichuan earthquake ruins, the earthquake memorial museum and Jina Qiang Village; and one for Beichuan Qiang City or Jiuhuang Mountain and Yaowang Valley.

Tips: the earthquake ruins are the final resting place of the victims, so please be respectful — no laughing, joking or posing for photos; the Longmen Mountains are prone to landslides and mudslides in the rainy season (Jul–Aug), so check road conditions before setting out.

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