Sichuan Natural Splendors

Dadu river, maybe translates to The Big Step Forward river, 大渡河, near the Jinkou valley, 金口大峡谷. A place to remember since it happened here that the Chinese people had milestone victories over the Japanese invaders in contemporary China history. There's an old saying from The Three Dynasties era which says, 蜀道难, 难于上青天. Driving on the highways of Sichuan, especially across and over the river and valley areas, you can definitely tell that the old saying is no joke. You have to always exercise caution, yet the views along the way were always breath-taking. The local towns, villages, people and their culture make you think that, indeed, 一方水土养育一方人, this is a place one of its kind.

The city of Kangding, 康定. Mostly known for a pop song in the 1940s, The Love Song of Kangding, 康定情歌. Less known for the Kangding nature attractions, including some lakes such as 木格措, or The Yeti Lake in English, located in a mountain area at around 3700m altitude, incredible beautiful!

Qingcheng mountain, 青城山, said to be one of the origins of the Chinese Taoism. Also said to be the No. 1 mountain in the west Sichuan. Stories say that this place is of high spiritual energy, it was the place where 太上老君 once practiced Taoism. And it's the place where 白素贞, a well-known Chinese novel character, after living for a thousand years as a white snake, transformed into a beautiful woman and later married a reincarnated man who once saved her life when she was a little snake many life times ago.

Definitely a good place to visit and practice mindfulness, the mountain and the forest make you feel calm and peaceful.