As we climbed we couldn’t help but imagine how hard it had been to build the cable rail. I took my camera out and was busy taking pictures when I was distracted by a shout nearby: “Look, how beautiful it is!” I looked around and was struck by the sight of a towering summit looming out of the clouds and framed against a blue sky. A moment ago we had been blinkered by banks of fog, but here on the mountain top the air was crisp and clear. We were amazed to see such a dramatic change in such a short period of time.
When we got out of the cable car, we were at an altitude of 4,506 meters. The clouds constantly moved and shifted forms and seemed as if they were following us. It turned out that luck had been on our side; by 10 o’clock the whole mountain had been swallowed up by clouds and we could only see 10 meters in front of us. Things change quickly here. By 11 o’clock we were back down the mountain and in the coach, on our way to the Blue Moon Valley and the Baishui River.
As our coach ran along the road up the mountain, I caught a flash of blue out of the corner of my eye. I wasn’t the only one to have noticed it, and we all strained to see what it had been. It was a blue lake, in the shape of a crescent moon and as clear as a precious gemstone.
Grabbing our cameras to take our first snaps of the Blue Moon Valley, our attention was soon drawn to the rest of this serene river valley. Melt water from the snows up on the mountain fell in a transparent curtain infused with a shining blue light. We were told that this water was headed for the Baishui River, running by meadows known as Ganhaizi.
Ganhaizi is flat and spacious. Standing on this natural pastureland, we were rewarded with a panoramic view of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain’s 13 peaks. Around us were swarms of tourists also drawn here to witness to this awe-inspiring sight. Since the schedule was tight, we hurried back to the Old Town to rest for a while and get ready for the following day’s trip to the Lashihai Wetland.
Ancient Tea-horse Trail
When I first heard about “Lashihai,” I thought I must have heard the wrong name. Surely it was actually “Lahai Shi” – Lahai City? But when my friend spread a map out in front of me, I realized that it was not a city but a wetland.
Millions of migrant birds come to this wetland park to spend their winter every year. It was a pity that we didn’t come in December, the best time to view the birds.
A 15 minutes’ ride from the Old Town of Lijiang, Lashihai is located along an ancient route taken by merchants. This tea-horse trail, still well preserved, was important for trade between the interior and the frontier, connecting China and southern Asia. Tea was transported along this path from inland China to Tibet, trading for horses, and then on to Bhutan, Nepal, India and other places. Like the Old Silk Road, this trade brought about vibrant mixing of Chinese culture with those of southern and western Asia.
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