Flower road seeks its place on the map

Search "flower road" on Chinese social media platforms such as Xiaohongshu, also known as RedNote, and Weibo, and words such as "wild", "folk culture" and "poetic" often appear. The descriptions point to a place where village life, local traditions and mountain landscapes unfold at an unhurried pace.

The road itself is not long.

Stretching 137 kilometers through Zhugqu county in Gannan Tibetan autonomous prefecture, Gansu province, the Flower Road can be covered in a day by hurried travelers or savored over two to three days to soak in the scenery and experience local Tibetan life.

The road's name comes from a flower-adornment tradition of the Bod-yul Tibetan community along the route. During the annual Flower-Picking Festival in June, Tibetan women decorate their hair with Dama flowers, a local rhododendron, expressing reverence for nature and hopes for a good life.

Opened in 2025, the road is still finding its place on the map, with fewer visitors than many better-known scenic spots. Running between the popular destinations Zhagana and Jiuzhaigou in neighboring Sichuan province, it offers a quieter route into the mountains and Tibetan culture.

Starting at the 0-km mark in Lijie town, the road climbs from about 1,500 meters to more than 3,500 m above sea level, passing deep valleys, ancient villages, cliffside caves, alpine pastures, flower-filled slopes, and snow-capped peaks.

From May to October, the landscape changes with the seasons. White Dama flowers bloom around June and July, while autumn brings layers of changing vegetation.

A painter surnamed Lu made his first trip to Zhugqu in June this year with fellow artists from the Gansu Institute of Calligraphy and Painting in Lanzhou.

"I especially love the scenery here," Lu said. "It's a great place to paint. I've found a lot of inspiration for my work while traveling through the mountains and valleys."

For first-time visitor Wang Chengsi, the road felt like a moving gallery.

"There are forests, streams, old trees, and wildflowers along the road, and the scenery is beautiful at every turn," Wang said. "But you don't just come to look at the mountains. You can stop for local food, join a gorshey dance, and experience traditional crafts and other local customs. I found the whole journey very relaxing."

At the Botieliang viewing platform, more than 3,000 meters above sea level, clouds gather below the mountains like a sea on clear days, sometimes spilling through the valleys like a waterfall. Flower-filled slopes and distant snow peaks complete the view.

For those behind the wheel, the adventure begins on an unpaved stretch toward the peak, where self-driving enthusiasts take on rougher mountain tracks. During the Dragon Boat Festival in 2025 and this year, Zhugqu organized group drives along the route, with intangible cultural heritage performances along the way.

Local car enthusiast Yang Luse joined the 2026 trip. Born and raised in Zhugqu, he had known the road since childhood, but this was his first time driving the entire route.

"The road conditions were quite poor in my memory," Yang said. "It has changed so much and has become a popular route. Seeing visitors from different places enjoy the beauty of my hometown makes me proud."