Flower road seeks its place on the map

Qiu Yibo, founder and chief product experience officer of Xuelang Zijia, a self-driving travel company, drove an 11-meter-long towable RV along the Flower Road. Starting from Chongqing, Southwest China, he followed the route into Gannan before heading north toward Inner Mongolia.

"I saw grasslands, forests and all kinds of landscapes along the way. It is incredibly diverse," Qiu said.

Rather than crowded tourist attractions, Qiu said he prefers traveling through rural areas.

"Popular scenic spots are often crowded, and that's not much fun," he said. "I would recommend routes like this, where you can see beautiful mountains and rivers, experience local customs, and meet warm, down-to-earth people. The roads are beautiful, the villages are charming, and things are affordable."

During the trip, Qiu and his companions parked their RV at a station along the Flower Road, where they cooked noodles and camped.

But the Flower Road is not only about the mountains. As it winds deeper into the Bod-yul Tibetan villages, the journey opens to local customs, food and everyday life.

The road follows part of the ancient Tea Horse Road, once an important route connecting Tibetan areas with the outside world. Some caves along the way are said to retain traces of horse hoof marks, while others are linked to Jiang Wei, a military commander from the Three Kingdoms period (220-280). Carved into the cliffs into room-like spaces, they are said to have stored grain and housed soldiers and weapons. A glass walkway under construction will connect the caves, with Three Kingdoms-themed homestays planned nearby.

At some stops, mountain scenery gives way to local craftsmanship. Five intangible cultural heritage workshops are planned along the route, where visitors can watch artisans make lanterns for the Dongshan Lantern Festival or try embroidery for Bod-yul Flower-Picking Festival clothing.

Newly built homestays combine modern comforts with local Tibetan characteristics. At Qin Wenxing's 10-room homestay, opened in early August in his family home, guests are welcomed with khatas and can sample Tibetan barley wine and cured pork from locally raised black pigs. Restaurants along the road also serve honey wine, cured meat and cold-water fish.

The road eventually leads to Zanhua Square, where mountain serenity gives way to gorshey dances and a sunset bonfire. Visitors can join the dancing before wandering through the night market for local foods and specialties.

"At the night market, I tried the local food and picked up a better sense of how people here live," said visitor Xue Yanli. "It was a lively, memorable way to experience Zhugqu's Tibetan culture."

The newly developed Flower Road remains relatively little known, but its northern gateway, Zhagana, is already one of Gansu's best-known mountain destinations, drawing visitors from across China and abroad.

Tashi Tsering, owner of the Zhagana Yunjing Yeshe Tent Hotel, said his business has received around 500 overseas visitors this year, including those from Russia, the United States, Mexico, Malaysia, and Canada. While many domestic tourists stay for one night, overseas visitors tend to stay three or four days and show greater interest in the local culture.

For these travelers, the Flower Road provides a natural extension beyond Zhagana, leading into a less familiar part of Gannan. Because the route is free to access, it can also be easily added to a longer trip through the region.

The road is designed not only to bring visitors deeper into the mountains, but also to improve access to communities that were once relatively isolated.

Yang Hao, deputy director of the Zhugqu county culture, sports, radio, television, and tourism bureau, said the development level of five townships behind the mountains lagged behind that of townships in front of the mountains.

"By developing this road, we encourage more people to visit the areas behind the mountains, while enabling more local products to reach markets beyond the province and across the country," Yang said.

The change is visible in businesses along the route. Qin opened his homestay after the Flower Road was developed, seeing an opportunity to serve travelers coming into his village. About 10 days after opening, it had welcomed more than 20 guests, most traveling along the Flower Road.

The opportunities extend to local food, too. With its altitude, clean water and favorable temperatures, the area suits cold-water fish such as rainbow trout and golden trout. At Zanhua Fish Restaurant, owner Sang Xiaoping serves the fish in more than a dozen ways, giving travelers another taste of the mountains.

The Flower Road passes through 21 villages inhabited by Tibetan, Han and Qiang ethnic communities. For travelers, it is a road you can take at different speeds — stop for local food, stay in a Tibetan-style homestay, join a gorshey dance, or simply keep driving until the next valley opens up.

Wu Yuexuan contributed to this story.