From Baoshan to Liuku, the river and gorge is still quite wide. Tall bombax trees line the road and create a pleasant shade. Islets with lush woods, sandbars with fine white sand, and rocks and huge boulders are scattered in the middle of the river. On the western bank and eastern slope of the Gaoligong Mountains are acres of subtropical fruit trees and lush tracts of sugar cane and corns, all flourishing under the blue sky.

It was certainly one of the most beautiful roads I had ever traveled. "It would be flooded if the planned dam was built," said Zhu Linwen, our guide and driver.

Spreading out on both sides of the river and connected by a bridge, Liuku is the major town of Nujiang prefecture and from there, the river becomes narrower, with rapid currents. The slopes of both the Gaoligong Mountains and Biluo Snow Mountains on the eastern bank of the river become steeper and waterfalls hang on sheer cliffs.

Fields and hamlets scattered halfway up the mountains and fragmented forests dotting the mountain tops reveal the fragility of the local environment. The water in the river looked muddy but Zhu was not perturbed. "When the rainy season ends in one or two weeks, it will become mirror-clear," he said.

We arrived at Fugong town that night and set off the next morning.

The road became even narrower and sometimes it was down to a single lane. Fortunately it was flat, with little traffic. Soon we passed Stone Moon, a famous scenic spot. A natural stone arch on the Gaoligong Mountains, it doesn't look as impressive as it sounds but the scenery of the gorge was fantastic, as a thin scarf of morning fog floated slowly from the surface of the water up the slopes and played its magic together with the morning sunshine.