Things not to be missed in Liangshan
Editor's note: Liangshan, the host prefecture of the ongoing 2016 International Cultural Tourism Festival, has the largest Yi ethnic community in China. It also has the most ethnic groups and the most ethnic minority population in Sichuan. With over 160 scenic areas, distinct culture and physical location, Liangshan is a central area in the Greater Shangri-La International Ecotour Zone. Its diverse and unique tourism resources, both natural and cultural, have made it a major tourism destination in Sichuan and are going to fuel Sichuan’s tourism industry in the future.
During the 12th Five-Year Plan period, the tourism revenue of Liangshan reached 75.36 billion yuan. In 2015 alone, tourism revenue was 25.17 billion yuan, an increase of 33.16 percent year on year; the number of domestic tourists it received was 37.29 million, a year-on-year increase of 17.82 percent. Ten more scenic areas received A ratings to bring the total number of 4A-rated scenic areas in Liangshan to five and A-rated scenic areas to 16. The Qionghai Wetland has become a national tourism and vacation resort and the Lugu Lake a provincial tourism and vacation resort. Xichang, Mianning, Dechang and Ningnan were designated as provincial demonstrative counties for rural tourism.
Following are some of the things tourists do not want to miss when travelling around Liangshan. (click picture for more and larger images)
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Qionghai Lake
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Lugu Lake
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Qionghai Lake, covering 31 square kilometers in Xichang City, capital of Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, is the second biggest freshwater lake in Sichuan. The nearby Mount Lushan and Mount Luoji are reflected in the crystal-clear water of the lake, creating pictureque sceneries. In May 2002, the Qionghai-Mount Luoji Scenic Area was designated by the State Council as a state-level scenic area. Tourists can rent bicycles to move about.
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The Lugu Lake, located on the border of Sichuan and Yunnan, is jointly administered by the two provinces. The lake has five islands, four peninsulas, fourteen bays and seventeen beaches. Its shores are inhabited by many ethnic minorities including Mosuo, Yi, and Tibetan, among whom the Mosuo community is the largest. Mosuo is known to the outside world as the "the last quaint Realm of Matriarchy." Its unique custom, the “walking marriage,” has aroused the interest of anyone who has ever had about the practice. |
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Huili Ancient City
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Torch Festival
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Huili Ancient City, located in Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan, is at the heart of the Pangzhihua-Xichang Demonstration Zone for Innovative Development of Strategic Resources. On November 8, 2011, the ancient city was approved by the State Council as a famous historical and cultural city, the first of its kind in Liangshan. The city is a 4A-rated scenic area. |
The Torch Festival is to the Yi people what the Spring Festival is to the Han people. The festival usually falls between June 24 and 26 on the lunar calendar and consists of a wide arrange of activities, including bull fight, goat fight, chicken fight, horse race, wrestling contest, singing and dancing performance and beauty pageant. During the festival, torches are erected in front of every household and when night falls, people of all ages ignite the torches amid the cheerful sound of gongs and horns. |
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Mount Xiaoxiangling
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Mount Luoji
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Mount Xiaoxiangling Scenic Area features criss-crossing ravines, lush forests, large areas of meadows and various kinds of flowers. Glacial movement belonging to the Quaternary period has given the mountain a very peculiar landform. There are twelve glacial-eroded lakes in the area. The lakes have different colors because their bed rocks and surrounding vegetations have different colors. There are also large areas of alpine azaleas and virgin firs. |
Mount Luoji got its name because it resembles a spiral-shaped coil in a woman's hairdo. It is known as a natural museum of ancient glaciers belonging to the Quaternary period. Ruins of such glaciers, rarely seen elsewhere in China, are well preserved here and worthy of visiting, exploring and making scientific investigations. The most spectacular of the ruins are the glacial-eroded lakes and the moraine lakes, which all have an elevation of 3650 meters and above. |
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Mahu Lake
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Mount Lingshan
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Covering 100 square kilometers, the Mahu Lake Scenic Area consists of the Mahu Lake, the Jinsha River Valley and virgin forests. As an alpine deep-water lake, Mahu Lake is surrounded by lofty mountains on three sides and the natural stone dam on one side. The shores of the lake are occupied by tea plantations and lush forests. Villages of the Yi ethnic style added colors to the scenic area. |
Located in Mianning County, Sichuan, Mount Lingshan is a forest park under provincial-level protection. The main attraction of the mountain is the Lingshan Temple. The top of the mountain, with the main peak measuring 4140 meters in elevation, affords a panorama of the Mount Xiaoxiangling, the Anning River, and the Yi villages nearby. |
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Yihai Scenic Area
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Xichang Satellite Launch Center
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Yihai Scenic Area is located 47 kilometers north of the county seat of Mianning on Mount Yangping. With an elevation of 2280 meters, the alpine lake abounds in Brachymystax lenoks. |
Built in 1970, Xichang Satellite Launch Center became operational in 1984. As an affiliate with the PLA General Armament Department, the launch center is responsible for launching communications, broadcast and weather satellites. By 2013 the number of domestic and international launches conducted here had reached 84. |
