Three Sacred Mountains [Ganzi]

"One of Top Ten Most Beautiful Mountains in China"
Ranked by China National Geoegraphy Magazin

Three Sacred Mountains in Daocheng County, Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Sichuan Province: Landmark of ''Shangri-la''

Daocheng is located at the southwestern edge of Sichuan Province. Its ancient name is ''Daoba'', a Tiberan word meaning a wide stretch of open land at the mouth of a mountain gully. The Daocheng Plateau consists of the Gongga Ridge and the Haizi Mountain; both are part of the Hengduan Mountains. The two ranges stand opposite to each other north and south, accounting for almost a third of the area of Daocheng. From these meandering ranges, emerge the three sacred mountains of Daocheng: Xiannari, Yangmaiyong and Xianuoduoji. Since the ancient times, the three sacred mountains have been a sacred place for Tibetan Buddhism.

Xiannairi, the main peak of the three sacred mountains with an altitude of 6032m, is first among Daocheng's high peaks. According to legend, it is the incarnation of the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy Guanyin or Avalokitesvara. Its slopes are vast; its gradient gentle, the mountain looks like Great Buddha sitting in peace, graceful and poised.

Yangmaiyong, the south peak with an altitude of 5958m, means the Bodhisattva Manjusri. It is dignified and stately, gentle, quiet, noble and impeccable. It has a pyramid-as peak is the world's most beautiful snow mountain.

Xianuoduoji, the east peak with an altitude of 5958m, means the Buddha with warriors' hands, resembling a young man of strong character, tall and handsome. It is the third of the three sacred mountains. In Buddhism, it is the god of elimination brutality. He is brave and gallant and always in high spirits. He wears a brightly colored tiger skin around the hips, and a huge, fierce python circles his waist.

Within a thousand square kilometer range of the three mountains, rise dozens of peaks, like a myriad of stars surrounding the moon. To Tibetan thinking, they represent Buddhist gods performing their role of protecting the three sacred mountains. At their foot lie wide pasturelands, crisscrossed by brooks and streams flowing gently into lakes. There are woods and bushes too, and waterfalls formed by melting ice and snow creating captivating scenes.

The famous sacred lake Wusehai, or ''Five-color Lake'', lies between Xianari and Yangmaiyong, 4,800 meters above sea level. The lake is oval shaped, and covers an area of 0.7 hectares. The snow mountains are reflected in the water and under refracted light; the lake surface produces five different fantastic colors.
Many years later, the name of ''Shangri-La''----the imaginary utopia described in James Hilton's novel Lost Horizon----- was given to this place, a paradise sought by many people troubled by worldly life, and stirred up an abating tide of ''Returning to Nature.''

Best time to go
From April to June and from September November
In winter from December to March next year, the average temperature is lower than 23F and even -16.6F. Rich rainfalls and fog is in July and August especially afternoon.

Ticket
Admission to Daocheng and Yading: RMB158/person

Around Landscape
Mountain Gongga, Hailuogou Glaciers, Moxi Town, Er’daoqiao Hot spring, Jinggang Temple, Nanwu Temple, Ganzi Temple, Cuopu Scenic Area, Yading Scenic Area, etc.

Local Snacks and Specialties
Zanba, The wine of highland barley wild oat, Ghee and Ghee Tea, Tricholoma Matsutake, Caladium, Chinese caterpillar fungus, Rhodiola root, etc.

Travel Tips
Bring warm clothes with you because weather is change to cold at night in mountain.
Wearing sunglasses protect you from the ice and snow.
No littering in the park. Wastes should be taken back to the tourist center.
Please take sunbonnet, sunglass, and suntan oil in summer.
Avoid getting AMS. Be sure to respect local customs and traditions.