Totaling 3,200 kilometers, the grand tourist ring route in west Yunnan connects 13 prefectures and cities in the province.

Here, scenic beauties involve highlands, canyons, snow peaks，meadows, rivers, lakes, hot springs, old towns, ethnic cultures, and border customs. Anyone can find his favorite on the tourist ring route.

Starting on May 14, an 11-day media journey to west Yunnan province just came to an end. The event is managed by Yunnan Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism and organized by Yunnan Tourism Planning Research Institute.

The journey took reporters to Lijiang, Diqing, Nujiang and others. The areas boast top destinations in west Yunnan.

Lijiang, a good place for leisure

Participants of the media tour along the Yunnan grand ring route gathered in Lijiang on May 14.

For the city dwellers in Yunnan, leisure means a transcendent lifestyle that is far away from the madding crowds.

With snow peaks in sight, you can enjoy a local flavor and the Dongba music in a little restaurant. Lijiang presents tourists a best pastime.

Weixi, hill-side inns for visitors

The journey took the reporters to Weixi County in Diqing on May 15, when hill-side inns along the route were discussed by the participants.

With good views, the hill-side inns gain popularity across Yunnan now. The inns can be built near a tea garden, a terraced field, a rain forest, a flower market, a hot spring, a canyon, a snow peak, or a grass land.

In Weixi, the inns feature local Guozhuang dance, fresh air and organic meals outdoors. It’s fantastic to be in the county.

Cizhong, a beauty hidden deep

On May 16, the reporters reached the Cizhong village in Deqin County, Diqing.

Cizhong is like a natural beauty hidden deep among the peaks, lakes and meadows that complement one another. There’s a lot to see.

As an inclusive place, Cizhong features multi-religious families that live together in harmony.

In Tongle, a Lisu settlement at the heart of the three parallel rivers, the media tourists were greeted by an Achimugua/goat dance, looking into other ethnic details.

Getting away from bustling cities, the reporters were amazed by the grace from nature. They named the tourist ring route in varied ways.

Deqin-Gongshan highway of snowscape

The media team was on the Deqin-Gongshan highway on May 17, heading for Bingzhongluo Town.

The highway is dubbed as the top route for drive tours in northwest Yunnan. Snow peaks, blossoms, meadows, woods, streams, and rare species are here and there. 

While folks in Xishuangbanna, the southernmost part of the grand tourist ring route, are in T-shirts and shorts, the highway is covered by snow as deep as 3 meters. Some reporters had a snowball fight merrily.

Bingzhongluo, poverty no more

On May 18, the reporters reached Bingzhongluo in Nujiang prefecture, and they were impressed by the pristine beauty.

Here, rural tourism drew in global tourists, and villagers are running inns and home lodges, offering organic meals and others.

"I run six guest rooms, with 1,000 check-ins last year,” said Chen Jianhai, owner of the Fireplace and Mill inn. “They brought me around 100,000 yuan."

Dulongjiang, a township of culture

The media team stopped in Dulongjiang on May 19. It is the secret land of southwest China and the only Dulong ethnic settlement in the country. The Dulong ethnic group is well-known for the facial tattoos of its women, a unique tradition in deed.

That day, Li Wenshi, a 75-year-old lady with facial tattoos, improvised a Dulong tune for the media guests. The lyric says, to the effect, that great changes have taken place in Dulongjiang. Thank the Party for the happy life, and our meet today is something written in the stars.

Music, dances, ethnic crafts, and landscapes ... The grand ring route offered a lot, and in the coming days news and reports from west Yunnan will reach an audience of millions.

Only by a visit in person, can you fully appreciate the areas along the ring route. So why not plan a tour to west Yunnan?

Tips: A grand tourist ring route was incepted in west Yunnan in 2019. Totaling 1,600 kilometers initially, it involved the places of Deqin, Shangri-La, Lijiang, Dali, Baoshan, Ruili, Tengchong, Lushui and Gongshan. Later, the route was doubled to include Kunming, Yuxi, Honghe, Pu 'er, Xishuangbanna, Lincang and Chuxiong. It finally formed an 8-shaped ring route.

By Gateway reporters