A One-Day Travel Guide to Ya’an

Ya’an is a city full of vitality and historical deposits. It became the epicenter of the 2008 earthquake, with extensive city damage, but it has been rebuilt since. Below, we share a one-day travel guide to Ya’an.

Upon arriving in the urban area of Ya’an, Sichuan Province, I was struck by the terrain. The buildings in the whole urban area are built against the mountain. The north, west, and south of the urban area are all towering mountains. I had already heard that Ya’an is the “Rain City,” and the warm and humid air from the south gathers over Ya’an year-round, giving the city a rainy climate. Even my first visit was no exception. It rained softly in the evening. When I went out in the morning, I felt that the green trees around the streets of Ya’an were particularly fresh, and the air seemed much wetter than the day before in Chengdu.

Ya’an was the capital of Xikang Province. After Xikang Province was abolished and merged into Sichuan Province in 1955, Ya’an Prefecture was established. In December 2000, Ya’an Prefecture was abolished and Ya’an City was established as a prefecture-level city. Because it is located on the western edge of the Sichuan Basin, Ya’an City is known as the “Throat of Western Sichuan,” the “Gateway to Tibet,” and the “Ethnic Corridor.”

Ya’an City is located in southwestern Sichuan and borders Tibet via Mount Erlang. It produces the famous Mont-Top tea, which is hailed as the origin of Chinese tea culture. The famous Tea and Horse Ancient Road of Southwest China is also located here. Located at the junction of Han and Tibetan cultures, Ya’an City has a rich historical heritage, beautiful mountains and rivers, and a good ecological environment. It is a natural oxygen bar.

The unique geographical location and climate conditions have created Ya’an’s three characteristic landscapes: “Ya Rain,” “Ya Fish,” and “Ya Women,” collectively known as the “Three Ya” of Ya’an.

According to the Records of the Three Kingdoms, “Ya Prefecture has Zhougong Mountain. It is said that Zhuge Liang dreamed of Duke Zhou there, so he built a temple there called Wenxian Temple, and called it Zhougong Mountain.” Because Ya’an is located in the midst of mountains, it is shrouded in clouds and mist all year round, and it is difficult to see the bright sunshine. There are 300 days of rain a year, so it is called the “Rain City.”

There is a legend in Ya’an that when Nüwa, the goddess of creation, was mending the sky with five-colored stones, she used a seven-star needle to sew a cloud garment. Just as the work of mending the sky was about to be completed, she suddenly heard that a huge hole had appeared in the western sky of Ya’an.

She couldn’t afford to rest, so she rode a divine eagle to Ya’an, continuing to work tirelessly to mend the sky. Just as she was about to finish mending the “sky hole” above Ya’an, another place was calling for help. In a hurry, Nüwa took the stones and rushed to Taiwan Island and Hainan Island, leaving Ya’an as the “leaking sky.”

According to data, Ya’an City has a subtropical monsoon climate with an average annual temperature of 14.1℃ to 17.9℃. The whole city is humid with little sunshine, and the average annual rainfall is about 1,800 mm, making it the area with the most rainfall in Sichuan.

The Tang dynasty poet Du Fu’s poem, “It steals into the night as gently as the wind, moisturizing things silently,” describes the situation of Ya’an’s night rain. A local poet said that Ya’an’s night rain nourishes the growth of all things in spring, making people feel the beginning of spring, grass sprouting, and swallows flying. In summer, it eliminates the summer heat and brings cool air to people. In autumn, it washes away the dust and shows the clear sky, the colorful leaves, giving people a sense of “elegance.” It is therefore called “Ya Rain” by the locals. “Ya Rain” is the first of the three wonders, and it is possible to experience the drizzling “Ya Rain” at any time of the year. “Ya Rain” is also very considerate, and it usually chooses to fall at night, fine and not soaking, rich in a deep poetic feeling. Ya’an’s rain is not only good rain, but it is also gentle and elegant, not angry or violent, not rough or impetuous, gently and softly, swaying and swaying, falling on the trees, the trees are lush and dense; falling on the crops, the crops bow their heads as if drinking milk; falling on the young man’s arms and chest, the young man is full of spirit and ambition; falling on the girl’s face, the girl is charming after the rain like a crabapple. Only the rain here is truly “elegant.” It is like clouds and mist, like a light veil, seemingly there but not there, with moist air mixed with a large amount of negative oxygen ions. Walking and admiring the rain in such rain, or listening attentively to the sound of the rain falling on the foot of Mount Zhougong, falling on the branches, falling on the water of the Zhougong River, no matter how anxious your mind, it will become gentle.

Test results from relevant departments show that “Ya Rain” contains abundant negative oxygen ions, and bathing in “Ya Rain” can make one’s tired body and mind refreshed. Local people are often bathed in “Ya Rain,” and they are all healthy and long-lived. According to historical records, there were long-lived families with nine generations living together during the Tang dynasty and the Qing dynasty. During the Kangxi period of the Qing dynasty, Emperor Kangxi bestowed a golden plaque inscribed with “The First Family in China” to the Chen family of “Nine Generations Living Together” in the Longshou Mountain of Bifeng Gorge.

To my surprise, while walking along the shore of the Qingyi River, I saw a local resident selling “Ya Fish.” Truly wild “Ya Fish” are rare. Most of the “Ya Fish” on sale today are artificially raised. As one of the “Three Ya” of Ya’an, “Ya Fish” has long been famous. As early as more than 1,700 years ago, there were written records about it. Zuo Si, a writer of the Western Jin dynasty, said in his “Shudu Fu” that “the fine fish comes from the Bing Cave.” Ya’an was once under the jurisdiction of Hanjia County, so Zuo Si called it “Jia Fish,” and it was often renamed “Bing Cave Fish” after the Tang dynasty. Du Fu, the poet sage, praised it in his poem, “The fish knows Bing Cave is especially delicious.”

Legend has it that “Ya Fish” were transformed from the magical sword that fell from Nüwa when she was mending the sky. Therefore, the bones of “Ya Fish” are shaped like swords. It is also said that the skull of “Ya Fish” contains a hidden “magic sword.” After Su Qin, a figure during the Warring States period, was dismembered after he instigated the states against each other, his sword fell into the river and was collected by the “Ya Fish.” This became the “anti-counterfeiting mark” for “Ya Fish” in the future. If there is a sword, it is real; if there is no sword, it is fake. Because “Ya Fish” live in fast-flowing water and eat fresh aquatic life, their meat is tender and delicious. Pure “Ya Fish” have a beautiful and slender body, delicate and bright scales and fins, tight and tender flesh, smooth texture, rich nutrition, and are not greasy even after eating for a long time.

Sichuan produces beautiful women, and Ya’an is no exception. But the beauty of Ya’an women has its unique charm. One water and soil raise one people, and Ya’an is a mixed area of Tibetan and Han people. Ya’an women are a fusion of Tibetan and Han features. Their appearance is softer than Tibetan women and has a little more three-dimensionality than Han women. They have a more slender and enchanting, healthy and sunny figure than Tibetan women.

“Ya Women” have the elegance of “Ya Rain” and the peace of “Ya Tea,” giving people a charming feeling. “Ya Women” are beautiful and elegant because of the nourishment of “Ya Rain” and the nutrition of “Ya Fish.” They are like lotuses emerging from the water, or roses with dew. They are not only beautiful and pure, but also gentle and kind. The young girls here have skin as white as snow, gentle personalities, and their words to people are like a gentle “Ya Rain.” The songs they sing are mostly lyrical and elegant, like the chirping of a lark. Flower-season girls are water-spirit, rain-season beauties are graceful and dignified, a smile is like closing the moon and shaming the flowers, a low head and a sip are like a sinking fish and falling geese. Most of Ya’an beauties have a graceful figure and a pretty face, and they are famous far and wide. Legend has it that they are the descendants of Nüwa. Ya’an is prosperous because of “Ya Fish,” charming because of “Ya Rain,” and even more charming because of “Ya Women.” They combine to form the unique cultural characteristic of “elegance” in Ya’an.

Before coming to Ya’an, I had seen documentaries about Ya’an on CCTV programs. I knew that Ya’an not only has the famous “Three Ya,” but it is also the birthplace of China’s national treasure, the giant panda. In 1869, the first giant panda in China was discovered in Ya’an, which shocked the world. Giant pandas are also known as “living fossils” internationally. From then on, Ya’an began to step onto the world stage, gradually becoming familiar and known to the world.

Giant pandas have become Ya’an’s golden signboard. It is understood that, especially since the liberation, Ya’an has sent out 136 living giant pandas since 1955. The first living giant panda to go abroad and the first living giant panda to go abroad as a “national gift” both came from Ya’an. Today, Ya’an has the largest number of living giant pandas in the country.

52% of the core area of the Sichuan Giant Panda Habitat is located in Ya’an. After the 5.12 Wenchuan earthquake, the Ya’an Bifeng Gorge Base for Giant Panda Conservation became the world’s largest giant panda conservation, research, and breeding base.

The Qingyi River meanders through the urban area of Ya’an from west to east. Bridges have naturally become an essential link for residents on both sides of the Qingyi River in Ya’an. Coupled with Ya’an’s rainy weather, it has created a unique corridor bridge culture in Ya’an. Along the banks of the Qingyi River, various uniquely shaped and stylistically diverse bridges span the river, connecting the northern and southern urban areas into one. Trees line the banks of the Qingyi River, dotted with elegant and beautiful urban leisure parks, highlighting the historical and cultural heritage, natural landscape, and folk customs of this historical and cultural city. All the corridor bridges on both sides of the Qingyi River can be used by cars. Among them is the world’s largest corridor bridge, the Yazhou Corridor Bridge.

Photography/Text: Zhang Qingjun

Under the guidance of the locals, I walked east along the north bank of the Qingyi River to find the world’s largest corridor bridge. I left the hotel and walked for about 20 minutes, and the magnificent Yazhou Corridor Bridge came into view. Although I had seen many corridor bridges in Guangxi, I was still surprised when I approached the Yazhou Corridor Bridge. This bridge, known as the world’s leading corridor bridge, is 22 meters wide and 240 meters long. The entire bridge is a two-story, and partially three-story, ancient-style building. The bottom floor of the bridge not only meets the transportation needs of the two banks of the Qingyi River, but also has a large commercial area. The shops on the bridge are full of all kinds of goods, in addition to daily necessities, there are also many Tibetan and Qiang ethnic specialties and clothing. The second and third floors of the bridge have been developed into restaurants, tea houses, exhibition halls, display areas, and open-air viewing platforms, with a variety of functional business spaces. From the exhibition hall, I learned that the Yazhou Corridor Bridge has a total usable area of 9,028 square meters. The commercial pedestrian street on the first floor alone has a commercial usable area of 2,100 square meters, the second floor has a commercial usable area of 3,934.92 square meters, and the third floor has a commercial usable area of 1,231.5 square meters. Among them, the multi-functional hall has an area of 1,051.2 square meters. The Yazhou Corridor Bridge seamlessly integrates urban construction exhibition halls, water and electricity exhibition halls, historical and cultural exhibition halls, tourist exhibition halls, and commercial operating spaces, comprehensively showcasing the local folk customs and culture of Ya’an.

It is understood that construction of this world’s largest corridor bridge began in November 2004 and was completed and opened to traffic in August 2005. The Yazhou Corridor Bridge, Ya’an Beer Street, Red Wall Inn, Ximen Tea Lounge, Qingyi River, and other urban attractions are integrated, jointly creating Ya’an’s romantic scenery, attracting countless tourists. The corridor bridge, nestled in the embrace of green mountains and waters, gives tourists a visual impact and cannot help but evoke the poetic and picturesque sentiment of “The long bridge lies on the waves, but without clear skies, how can there be a rainbow.” Walking slowly on the Yazhou Corridor Bridge, a sense of nostalgia arises spontaneously.

On the downstream side of the corridor bridge, there is a railing and a pedestrian walkway. The railing is decorated with “China Red” granite relief, a local Ya’an stone. On the upstream side, there is a 50 cm wide flower bed outside the anti-collision railing. The railing is also decorated with “China Red” granite relief. The relief depicts historical and cultural patterns such as “Panda Homeland,” “Ya’an Han Dynasty Style,” and “Ya’an Local Flavor.”

After walking through the Yazhou Corridor Bridge, I looked back at the bridge several times. I was not only amazed by the ingenuity of the designers of the Yazhou Corridor Bridge, but I was also amazed by the construction workers who built such a magnificent and dazzling building in such a short period of time. I lingered around the Yazhou Corridor Bridge for a long time. If I hadn’t had a meeting with a client, I would have stayed for the whole morning.

Because time was running out, I quickly took a series of photos of the bridge with my phone and left. I have been on business trips to Ya’an twice since then. Every time I pass by the Qingyi River, I find myself drawn to the largest corridor bridge in Ya’an. I am not only enjoying the scenery on both sides of the bridge, but I am also feeling the peaceful life of the harmonious coexistence of the Tibetan and Han people.