Panxi

Panxi includes Panzhihua and Liangshan Prefecture, with warm, sunny winters, Qionghai Lake wetlands, the Mosuo culture of Lugu Lake, Huili Ancient Town, and the Yi Torch Festival.

Panxi is defined here by the Panxi Economic Zone in Sichuan's official "Five-Zone Co-prosperity" economic planning, covering Panzhihua City and Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture. Under this plan, Lugu Lake, on the Yanyuan County side in Liangshan, is placed in Panxi; the other side of the lake belongs to Ninglang in Lijiang, Yunnan, and travelers often visit both provinces on one trip. Highlights: Xichang is known as the "Moon City" and "Little Spring City." The Qionghai Lake wetlands and Lushan Mountain are good for cycling and walking around the lake, and the Xichang Satellite Launch Center earns the city the nickname "Space City." The Yi Torch Festival, held around the sixth lunar month each year, is a major folk celebration. Lugu Lake is famed for its plateau lake scenery and the Mosuo "walking marriage" culture; you can tour the lake's Grass Sea and the Walking Marriage Bridge. Panzhihua enjoys plentiful winter sunshine and is known as the "Sunshine Flower City" and for wellness tourism; it produces plenty of mangoes, and the Third Front Construction Museum records the city's industrial history. Huili Ancient Town preserves Ming and Qing dynasty streets and buildings, and Mount Luoji has glacial remains and hot springs. Classic itineraries: Xichang–Lugu Lake, 3–4 days; a winter sunshine and wellness route of Panzhihua–Huili–Xichang, 4–5 days; or enter and leave Lugu Lake from Lijiang and combine it with northwest Yunnan. Getting around: Xichang Qingshan Airport and Panzhihua Bao'anying Airport have commercial flights, and Lugu Lake Airport on the Yunnan side can also be used; the double-tracked Chengdu–Kunming railway is complete, greatly shortening the trip from Chengdu to Xichang and Panzhihua; between Lugu Lake and Xichang, travel is mainly by road. Practical notes: UV is strong in Panxi, so protect yourself from the sun; Lugu Lake sits at a fairly high altitude with large temperature swings between morning and evening; during the Torch Festival, accommodation in Xichang is tight, so book early.

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