There is a national highway called West View Line, which runs from Xining, Qinghai to Jinghong City, Xishuangbanna Prefecture. It is very beautiful.

There is a national highway called Xijing, which runs from Xining, Qinghai Province, through Tibet, into Yunnan, and finally reaches Jinghong City, Xishuangbanna Prefecture. The entire highway, like its name, is the scenery of the west of my country, and it is very beautiful.

The 3,240-kilometer journey passes through plateaus, lakes, snow-capped mountains, rivers, canyons, ancient cities, tea gardens, virgin forests and other natural landscapes; it brings together Tibetan, Hui, Naxi, Bai, Lahu and Blang ethnic groups. , Wa, Dai and other ethnic minority customs and delicacies.

Starting from Xining, first go to Riyue Mountain. There are two roads to choose from.

Going west, you will pass through Huangyuan County. Dangar Ancient City and Zamplinka are the two major attractions in the county. Heading south, pass Kumbum Monastery and Laji Mountain. At the Riyue Mountain Pass, the highways in both directions merge, and the West Scenic Line really begins.

Riyue Mountain is the dividing line between the Loess Plateau and the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Princess ** looked at Chang'an City in the distance and shed tears. After overlooking Riyue Mountain from the Riyue Mountain Pass, continue driving west on the road.

Driving along the West View Line, at the Daotanghe Toll Station, there will be a fork in the road, and you can reach Qinghai Lake 30 kilometers northwest. Continue driving and first arrive at Hainan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, the capital of Hainan and He County. This section of the road is almost parallel to the highway. Ten kilometers away from the southwest corner of ***he County is one of the largest water conservancy projects on the Yellow River, the Longyangxia Reservoir.

Continue on the road along the West View Line, and then reach the last section of Yushu. The ***-Yu Expressway is almost the same as the secondary road. You can choose to take the ***-Yu Expressway. Passing through Maduo County, next to the highway is Sanjiangyuan Maduo National Park, with multiple lakes and rivers scattered throughout dozens of miles. 30 kilometers to the west are Eling Lake and Zhaling Lake, and the right side of the highway is the Sea of ??Stars.

Continue driving along the river valley. The highway is parallel to the Chaqu River. 15 kilometers away from Yushu County, you will cross the Tongtian River, which is also the source of the Sanjiang River, the first national park in my country. Located on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, it is the birthplace of the Yellow River, Yangtze River, and Lancang River. It is rich in snow-capped mountains, wetlands, grasslands, and forest resources.

After passing the Tongtianhe Tunnel, you will arrive at Yushu, where you can simply rest and replenish supplies. The Dangka Temple, Gajie Ancient Temple, and Shijing City around Yushu are all Tibetan Buddhist buildings of various colors, and the cultural scene is very rich. The road to Qamdo will also pass by many similar cultural relics.

Continue on the road and pass by Yushu Batang Airport, along Zhaqu, and pass through Nangqian County. On the other side of the river is the Xiangdatta ruins. In the next section of the journey, the road has many curves, spiraling up and down between mountains. When the highway reaches Jiqu, it has entered Tibet from Qinghai. Leiwuqi County is the first county town entering Tibet.

To continue heading east to Qamdo, you need to cross the Zhujiao La Mountain at an altitude of 4,600. A section of winding mountain road like chicken intestines was a natural hazard on the Sichuan-Tibet line in the past. With the opening of the Zhujiao La Mountain Tunnel, The road conditions are much safer.

Walking out of the Zhujiao Lashan Tunnel is the Zhugu Temple. This place is worth a stop. The vast snow-capped mountains in the distance and the alpine meadows, forest pastures, temples and historic sites nearby are a rare collection of beautiful scenery. After passing Zhugu Temple, you can reach Qamdo City not far away. Qamdo City in the river valley has a relatively low altitude and is suitable for stopping and resting. All kinds of supplies needed for driving can also be purchased.

Leave Qamdo and drive along the Lancang River. Not far away is the Karuo ruins. The road after that drives along the Lancang River Valley and along the Lancang River. Passing Qamdo Bangda Airport, there is a fork in Bangda Town, heading towards Drive right and cross the Yelashan Dashan to reach the famous Nujiang 72 Turn. The West View Line runs left along the Yuqu River to Zuogong County. If you are interested, you can drive to the right for a while to have a look.

The journey from Zuogong to Mangkang requires climbing over many mountains, with the altitude climbing to 4,000 meters. Most of the road sections are winding mountain roads. Be careful to drive slowly and check the condition of the vehicle in advance. At the Dongda Mountain Pass, Jueba Mountain, and Lawu Mountain, the altitude is marked on the side of the highway, and there are also many slogans such as "You must drive 318 in this life."

From every pass, you can overlook the surrounding snow-capped mountains covered with snow all year round.

Arriving in Mangkang County, you can see the Delta Snow Mountain in the distance. The focus of Mangkang is not the snow mountains but the salt fields. Continue driving for 90 kilometers, when the highway meets the Lancang River again. On the bank of the Lancang River is the Mangkang Salt Field. Although it is located in Tibet, Mangkang Yantian has been inhabited by the Naxi people for generations. In the old days, men went out to work as caravans on the Tea Horse Road to make a living, while women stayed in the villages to make salt. For generations, women have been making salt in the salt fields.

Continuing to drive along the Lancang River, the mountains on both sides are getting higher and higher, and the valleys are getting deeper and deeper. After passing the Lancang River Grand Canyon, we enter Yunnan. When entering Yunnan, the first thing you see is the backside of Meili Snow Mountain. Drive along the road to Feilai Temple. You can stay here overnight and wait for the sunrise tomorrow to see if you can see the Rizhao Jinshan of Meili Snow Mountain as you wish.

Continue heading south, and many snow-capped mountains in Yunnan will appear in your field of vision. The first is Baima Snow Mountain, which is the secret hiding place of Yunnan golden monkeys. You can go directly through the tunnel under the snow mountain. In summer, you can walk on the old winding road to enjoy the spectacular scenery of Baima Snow Mountain.

When the road meets the Jinsha River, the Jinsha River Big Bend Observation Deck is worth a stop. Overlooking the Jinsha River flowing in the U-shaped valley.

Drive along the Jinsha River for a while and enter Shangri-La from the Napa Sea. This is a place that needs to be focused on staying. On the one hand, it is for replenishment and rest. On the other hand, there are too many scenic spots worth checking out. Songzanlin Temple, Dukezong, Shika Snow Mountain, Blue Moon Valley, Pudacuo, you name it, all of them are popular attractions.

The road from Shangri-La to Lijiang is also full of scenic spots. Baishuitai, Haba Snow Mountain, Tiger Leaping Gorge, the back of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, and the first bay of the Yangtze River are all on this more than 100 kilometers of west scenic line.

Starting from Lijiang, follow the West Scenic Line, passing through Jianchuan and Eryuan to Dali. On the way, we passed Jianhu Lake, Eryuan Cibi Lake, and Dali West Lake, all of which are plateau protected wetlands. If you have enough time, you can also go to Shaxi Ancient Town.

Passing through this section of Dali, the West View Line is on the west coast of Erhai Lake. At the foot of Cangshan Mountain, Xizhou, Zhoucheng, Three Pagodas and Dali Ancient City will all pass by, with Cangshan Mountain on one side and Erhai Lake on the other. Stop and rest, listen to folk songs in Dali bars at night, drink a bottle of Fenghuaxueyue, and continue on the road the next day.

Depart from Xiaguan and pass through Midu County, Nanjian County and Yun County to Lincang City. Continuing to the south, there is a county with a very long name, Shuangjiang Lahu, Wa, Bulang and Dai Autonomous County. If you want to eat Wa food, you need to do it in Lincang. The subsequent road sections will rarely pass through the Wa inhabited area.

Continuing south, we entered Pu'er City and Lancang Lahu Autonomous County. This is a county town where the Lahu people live together. There are sculptures of Sanxian and Gourd Sheng in the city, and the sounds of these instruments can also be heard. "Happy Lahu" has been sung for many years, and "Mupa Mipa" has been circulated.

Continue on the road and pass through Jingmai Mountain to reach Menghai County in Xishuangbanna. Jingmai Mountain is home to many ethnic minority villages such as the Lahu, Bulang, and Dai people, and they have made a living by picking and making tea for generations. If you want to find thousand-year-old tea trees and unique tea-making methods, go to Jingmai Mountain.

Menghai County is only 40 kilometers away from Daluo Port. If you continue driving for one hour, you will reach the end of this line, Jinghong City, the core of Xishuangbanna. Tropical rainforest, Dai customs, and Lancang River nightlife are all attractive.

Friends who have the time, ability, and good physical fitness can drive the entire journey by themselves; those with limited time can choose a partial self-driving section of two to three hundred kilometers based on their own vehicle conditions.