Life is like a trip, you don't have to care about the destination, what you care about is the scenery along the way and the mood when you see it. In this way, Xinjiang and Tibet have become haunting places, the first choice for people to travel, and the holy land of go on road trip. Because there are all the scenery that can only be seen in paintings! Linhai, Gobi, desert, grassland, plateau, flower sea, mountains and rivers ... Xinjiang Tibet includes all the beautiful scenery you can think of on the earth except the sea. It's just too far and too big. It is 1900 km from Hami in the east of Xinjiang to Kashgar in the west; It takes at least 3-5 days to drive from Ali in western Tibet to Lhasa. Even if we are obsessed with the mountains and rivers there, sometimes we have to flinch. Because it's too far, because we are too busy at work. ...
When we traveled all over the mountains and rivers of the motherland, we were fortunate to find a perfect self-driving route comparable to Tibet in Xinjiang. This route contains almost all the beautiful scenery that Xinjiang and Tibet can contain, but it is much closer than there. I want to share it with you here for your reference. I hope every friend can appreciate the great mountains and rivers of the motherland and the beauty of the journey.
No matter where we start from all over the country, the first stop is located in Qixian County, the birthplace of Jin culture or Zouxikou culture. Follow the route of the older generation to the west, kill the tiger's mouth in the north, reach Guisui (Hohhot) and reach Baotou. There are treasures everywhere along the way, all traces left by the westward journey. From Shanxi to Inner Mongolia, the Loess Plateau and vast grasslands are unobstructed. From Baotou to He Lin (Bayannaoer), feel the influence of Hetao area and beyond the Great Wall. Bayannur went to Ejina via Uliji and felt the power of nature in this vast desert. Surround Badain Jaran, then don't go west to Xinjiang, but go south to Jiuquan and Zhangye. Starting from Zhangye, you can enjoy this little-known landscape avenue along National Highway 227. Of course, we can't forget Qinghai Lake in Xining, Qinghai. Go home via Lanzhou and Xi 'an. End the trip. When we first took this road, it was actually a whim. The more you walk, the more you feel full of connotation and unparalleled. While enjoying the scenery, we are influenced by culture, which is really worth remembering. Let's start a new chapter in our journey together.
During the trip, I appreciate the scenery, culture, food and mood. It can be said that both are indispensable, and the strong Shanxi culture must be the highlight. The ancient city of Pingyao, Shanxi is very famous, but I think it is better to come to Qixian County to read the history of Shanxi. Qixian county is located in the main traffic road, with Taigu in the east, Pingyao in the west and Taiyuan in the north. The most famous in Qixian County is the Qiao Family Courtyard. It's 200 kilometers away from Shijiazhuang, and it will arrive soon.
I think we all know a thing or two about the Qiao Family Courtyard from TV plays, which have created impressive characters and displayed the development history of Shanxi merchants. Looking at the Qiao Family Courtyard and entering the 80-meter-long stone tunnel in the courtyard, the building is an eye-opener at first sight. The whole hospital is pavilions, carved beams and painted buildings, piled with Gionee powder. Every detail shows the charm of the courtyard. Among them, brick carvings, wood carvings and plaques are a dime a dozen. The luxurious compound makes people curious. When we carefully read a business story of Shanxi merchants, we seem to understand more business secrets.
The second place to see antiques in the Qiao Family Courtyard is the "Ten Thousand Yuan Ball", which is the most interesting. It is said that when the Qiao family bought it from America, they could scale the humanoid image on the ball in proportion, which is called the earliest monitoring equipment, which is very interesting. Like the rhinoceros moon mirror and the Kowloon Lantern, they are very rare things and are also listed as key cultural relics by the state.
There is an old saying in Qixian County, ten years and nine droughts, men go outside and women dig wild vegetables. It is precisely because of this westward journey that the development of Shanxi merchants has been achieved. If you want to read this period of Shanxi merchant culture, you can't help but know the tragic historical and cultural story of the westward journey. Starting from Qixian County, we can relive the wonderful stories left by Shanxi people during their westward journey.
Shanxi people's journey to the west is just like Shandong people's journey to the west. As a great migration in history, it is bound to leave many touching stories. I think it is very appropriate to set the starting point in Qixian County. In Qixian County, many older people will choose to go to Xikou, and there are also many examples of returning home to build big houses after they get rich. It is precisely because people went to the west, which promoted the economic development outside the mouth and was once very prosperous. It also influenced the development of culture. Today, Inner Mongolia and Datong, Shanxi are deeply influenced by Jin culture, including most languages belonging to Jin language family.
Starting from Qixian, passing through Taiyuan, Xinzhou, Daixian and Shuozhou, it is 450 kilometers to Shahukou, Youyu County. It used to take people a month to walk to the west exit, and bones that froze to death and starved to death were everywhere along the way. Now they are all relatively prosperous big cities with convenient transportation. We can't see the traces of those years at all, but we can still learn many historical stories from books and documents, remember them and commemorate them. The most unforgettable thing on the trip is Yanmenguan in Daixian County. The northern Shanxi Plateau has a sudden change of scenery, which is obviously different from Fenhe area. The sky seems to be higher. With the beautiful scenery of the Loess Plateau, I came to Yanmen, a frontier fortress town since ancient times, and boarded Yanmenguan. Recalling a few frontier poems, I have a lot of thoughts.
Killing Hukou is a fortress of the Great Wall in Ming Dynasty, formerly known as "Killing Hukou". As the name implies, there must have been fierce battles with frontier nationalities here. Later, after the national integration, it was changed into a tiger killing field. This is the mouth of that year, and now Inner Mongolia. Not only that, it is not only an important channel for doing business in Inner Mongolia and Mongolia, but also an important channel for doing business with Russia as far away as Chaktu and Ulan-Ude. I think that year must be very prosperous. Surrounded by historical sites, there are dozens of temples and Taoist temples. Therefore, the rise and fall history of killing the tiger's mouth is the rise and fall history of the development of Shanxi merchants, and it is also the blood and tears on the way to the west.
After killing the tiger's mouth, it is a vast grassland. When you drove here, your heart was pounding. How can you appreciate a piece of culture without enjoying a beautiful place? It's not far from the head of Hohhot, 100 kilometers will soon reach Hohhot. Hohhot, the capital city of Inner Mongolia, is a combination of metropolis and grassland culture, and also an important post station on the road to Xikou, which has experienced thousands of years of history. You must like Hohhot's unique Mongolian culture.
In Hohhot, you should choose a place close to Dazhao and Xiao Zhao to stay. Take advantage of the night to walk around the old street. The old street next to Jokhang Temple is very prosperous, and the items on display are dazzling, and more are Mongolian specialties, such as koumiss, leather products, Wan Wen, antiques, etc ... just like recreating the prosperous trade at that time. Bright lights, traffic, feel a period of enthusiasm from the Mongols. Gerile Ama Tea Shop is a must. Online celebrity restaurants that have participated in numerous variety shows have a strong Mongolian style in interior decoration and the dishes are original. However, when you first come here, you may not be used to it. Koumiss, milk tea and milk tofu must be tasted, with endless aftertaste.
Hohhot is about 200 kilometers from Baotou, and the traffic is very convenient. The scenery on both sides of the road is grassland accompanied by trees, and there will be different scenery in four seasons. In spring, the wild flowers on the grassland are in full bloom. If you look closely, the colors are also beautiful, dotted with the colors belonging to spring; In summer, the water plants are abundant, and a large area of green oil is refreshing; In autumn, horses fatten up in autumn, grass turns yellow, and deciduous trees are a unique landscape; In winter, after a heavy snow, it is quiet and peaceful, and a new life is born under the snow.
It would be lucky if we could catch up with the local Nadam convention. You can feast your eyes on all kinds of horse racing, wrestling and archery competitions held on the grassland. You can eat mutton and drink koumiss by the campfire. At this moment, you are fully integrated into Mongolian culture and feel the unrestrained enthusiasm of the grassland people. The grassland will definitely leave a deep impression on us, and it will also make us unforgettable for a long time.
It is about 250km from Baotou to Bayannaoer along G6 Beijing-Tibet Expressway. Bayannaoer, when you hear this name, it has strong Mongolian characteristics, but coming here may subvert your inner thoughts. Bayannaoer faces the Yellow River to the south, and the whole place doesn't look like the feeling beyond the Great Wall. It is also its unique geographical location that has created the natural landscape of grasslands, lakes and forests. The Hetao area of the Yellow River has been prosperous since ancient times, which is precisely the perfect integration of Hetao area and grassland beyond the Great Wall.
The next stop from Bayannaoer is Ejina. After leaving the rich Hetao area, the landscape suddenly transited from grassland forest to desert Gobi, the most remote highway G7 Jingxin Expressway, with much less traffic. Gobi, grassland and desert, the landscape changes from time to time. I won't tell you that this is in Inner Mongolia, just like walking on the Taklimakan desert highway. The speed measurement of G7 section is incomplete, and most of them are patrol police cars. Desolate to the extreme, there are few service areas during the trip, and even if there is, it may not be possible to add oil. We must make a plan for replenishment. In this way, it takes about 8 hours to walk slowly in the desert Gobi and walk 670 kilometers. It is definitely an unforgettable experience to calm down and enjoy the beauty of desolation on the way.
In Ejina, if you come here in autumn, you can feast your eyes. Populus euphratica forest in Ejina is earlier and brighter than Populus euphratica forest in Taklimakan. The most important thing is that the desert here in Ejina is mostly sands. Populus euphratica is world-famous and attracts a large number of tourists every autumn. Although the price here is very high at this time of year, even a bed is hard to find, it is worthwhile to see the beautiful scenery of Populus euphratica in the desert. The grotesque Populus euphratica has grown for thousands of years. It seems that every Hu Yangshu is telling a story. When these Hu Yangshu trees are connected together and their leaves are yellowed by autumn wind, a visual feast is presented to people.
Drive in the desert Gobi and enjoy the beautiful scenery of Alashan. 450,000 mu of Ejina Populus euphratica forest adds a lot of color to autumn; Don't miss a series of beautiful scenery such as Moon Lake and Guangzong Temple. The whole Alashan Mountain is a ring road, starting from Wulijixi in the east and ending in Ejina in the west. There are countless things to play and see. Maybe you can meet lovely wild camels strolling in the sand when driving on the road, maybe you can see off-road vehicles still washing sand after the hero's meeting, of course, maybe it is camel grass, or it may be the spectacle of sunset in the desert, enjoying the pleasure brought by the desert to travelers in Badain Jaran Desert. Finally, I chose to stay in Badain Jilin town and taste the unique desert flavor here in Badain Jilin. The night in the desert is extremely cold, so we must pay attention to cold protection here and don't get sick, which will affect the travel experience.
The distance from Badain Jilin Town to Zhangye is actually 150 km, which is not far. It goes south along National Highway 307. The roads in Inner Mongolia are wide and flat, and the speed limit of vehicles has reached 100. The roadside is the familiar Haloxylon ammodendron. Friends who have Alipay are no strangers. Presumably, we have all contributed to the prevention and control of desertification here.
In Gansu, the road is rugged and the road surface is obviously narrowed. Look at the map, I am in the famous Yan Zhi. In ancient times, there was a saying in Xiongnu that "if I miss a mountain, my daughter will lose her color." . As far away as the Han Dynasty, this was a battleground for the Huns and the Chinese nation. Of course, it is also an important area for the integration of grassland culture and Central Plains culture, including Jiuquan not far away. Even its name is related to Huo Qubing, the general of the Han Dynasty. Thinking of these, enjoying the scenery of the past frontier fortress, I have long forgotten the fatigue of the journey. If there are no other arrangements and plans in Zhangye, I suggest choosing the "Liyuan New Village" at the entrance of Colorful Danxia Scenic Spot in Linze County. It is very convenient to reach the colorful Danxia scenic spot here, next to the large-scale performance scene where Zhang Ye met, and the flower sea at the door is even more refreshing.
Colorful Danxia is a famous Danxia landform, and its geographical research value is extremely high, but these have not affected its ornamental value at all. Colorful Danxia is brightly colored. Every season, every weather will present different scenery, just like a girl with makeup. However, the most beautiful time must be when the rain clears. Under the sunlight, the colors are gorgeous and fascinating.
The whole colorful Danxia has many observation platforms that can be named, which are lifelike. For example, colorful clouds, colorful towers, colorful screens, sea of fire, colorful exercises, glazed peaks, colorful corals, colorful mushrooms and scallops. In the scenic area, you can take a helicopter and a hot air balloon to overlook the whole Danxia, and the bright colors of the hot air balloon itself constitute a beautiful landscape. 19, the ticket price in 74 yuan is very suitable, but in 2020, 1 year, the colorful Danxia scenic spot will be upgraded to 5A-level scenic spot, and the ticket price must be raised to more than 100 yuan, but even so, you must not miss the beautiful colorful Danxia when you come to Zhangye.
Gansu is the longest province in China. There is a joke that "foreigners go to Xinjiang by train and arrive in Lanzhou, will it be soon?" "The flight attendant said that only Xinjiang went out from Gansu, and the young man got ready to get off in advance, but it has not arrived for three days. Throughout Zhangye, Gansu, in fact, Zhangye's position can be said to be in the middle, and it must be a traffic artery connecting Dunhuang and Xinjiang in the west; North to Inner Mongolia; Qinghai in the south; East to Wuwei Jinchang, straight to the central defender. But there is a national road from Zhangye in the north to Xining in Nantong, which caught my attention. After consulting relevant information, I decided to go there to find out. This is National Highway 227!
National Highway 227, connecting Qinghai and Gansu, is the traffic artery in the northwest, but what we don't know is that it has beautiful natural scenery, maybe it is too low-key, but only when we take this road, we know that it is absolutely glad you came. Starting from Zhangye, it was desert scenery at first, which was roughly the same as before. The yellow sand all over the sky and the swarms of camel grass add a bit of loneliness.
Walking, there are many trees on the roadside, and you can vaguely see the snow-capped mountains in the distance. The fruits and vegetables on the roadside are gradually increasing, and the road is winding. Maybe this is the so-called Xanadu. Not far away is Minle County, which has built "the most beautiful National Highway 227 in China" in recent years. If you come here in summer, it can be said that you have walked into the flowers, yellow and purple ... just like God spilled the paint in his hand, smelling the flowers and feeling the charm of Xanadu.
Step by step approaching Qilian Mountain, looking at the mountains on both sides, there is a feeling of ink painting. There is also a feeling of frontier fortress, quietly enjoying the beautiful scenery on the roadside, one pass after another disappearing into the rearview mirror, and watching the wind and horses floating in the air, I realized that I should be in Qinghai, and there are many traces of Tibetans. I got off the bus and looked far away. The sun was fierce and the ultraviolet rays were extremely strong. I knew this was a plateau, and the scenery on the plateau was really different.
A must-see place is Gangshika Snow Mountain, which is snowy even in summer. This is a sacred mountain worshipped by local people. About a few kilometers away from the main road, the alpine meadows on the roadside are as charming as those seen in Naqu, Tibet. The water left on the mountain is cold and transparent. Hold a handful in the palm of your hand and feel the temperature and holiness of snow. Climbing high, you can see the outline of Qilian Mountain, which is very shocking. Under the Gangshika Snow Mountain, a shot is a big piece. Be sure to record all the wonderful things on the trip.
Next is the sea of thyme rape flowers in Menyuan. Unlike the mainland, the rape flowers here will not bloom until July. The endless golden ocean and the snow-capped mountains in the distance complement each other. Stop the car and stroll in the rape sea, smelling the flowers, accompanied by blue sky and white clouds. This is the best experience of life, feeling the gift of nature. You can buy a few bottles of honey, which is sweet and delicious, and it can also be regarded as a souvenir on the trip.
Climbing Daban Mountain and overlooking the sea of rape blossoms, other mountains are dwarfed under the sky ... Plateau, glacier and rape blossoms ... are perfectly integrated at this moment. The road is rugged, and traffic jams are inevitable during rush hours. Be sure to pay attention to driving safety. The whole journey of National Highway 227 is not too long. The 340-kilometer journey from Zhangye to Xining embodies countless beautiful things. You can arrange a one-day tour of Xining and feel the pearl of this plateau.
Xining, the capital of Qinghai Province, has the taste of plateau, but it is more like the northwest, and the food in Otawa and Gansu is halal, but the stuffed skin and yogurt in Xining are unique. Very delicious. You must try it when you come. Most of the barbecues here are not roasted with charcoal fire, but directly roasted with open fire, with a bowl of Lamian Noodles and a cup of yogurt, which can be said to be a unique taste experience.
When you come to Xining, don't miss the beautiful Qinghai Lake. Starting from Xining, we first passed the ancient city of Huangyuan, which left many traces of Princess * * entering Tibet. It is said that there are many beautiful women here, because the maids who came here with Princess XX at that time did not adapt to the plateau environment and stayed here to reproduce, which is also a unique scenery.
Qinghai Lake is a vast lake, and what we can play can only be called the corner of Qinghai Lake. However, we can also feel the charm of Qinghai Lake. There is no doubt about the characteristics of plateau lakes, and the surrounding culture must not be missed. The rich Tibetan culture comes to the nose, so that friends who are obsessed with Tibet can feel a little here. Daotang River, Sun Moon Mountain, Bird Island and Sand Island are all going. Qinghai Lake ticket season 100 yuan, valid for 3 days. Within 3 days, you can visit Sand Island, Bird Island and Erlangjian Scenic Area at will, enjoy the plateau scenery here and watch the sunrise and sunset of Qinghai Lake. Add a lot of color to the trip.
After the tour in Xining, we will plan the return route. We shouldn't go back when traveling, so we set the next stop in Xi 'an, the ancient capital of the Millennium, which is 900 kilometers from Xining to Xi 'an. If we are in a hurry, we will leave early and return late, and we will arrive in one day. If you are not in a hurry, you can go to Tianshui first, as a stopover, simply stop to have a rest, and then go to Xi 'an.
Xi' an's trip still depends on your own itinerary. After all, it takes a long time to truly appreciate the charm of Xi 'an, a thousand-year-old ancient capital, and we regard it as a rough tour stop, taking a turn around the bell and drum tower in the urban area and the ancient city wall to taste Xi 'an's unique food. You can't miss rolling dough, meat buns and all kinds of pasta, but when it comes to the most impressive food, it is paomo, a bowl of beef paomo, which is broken by yourself, served with Chili sauce and sugar and garlic. This is delicious and irreplaceable. Enjoy the food and end the perfect journey.
Shijiazhuang-Qixian County-Daixian County-Shahukou-Hohhot-Bayannaoer-Ejina-Badain Jilin Town-Zhangye -Xining-Tianshui-Xi 'an-Shijiazhuang
The total mileage is about 3,500 kilometers, and the best journey is about 14 days, which is at least 20 days less than the Xinjiang Tibet Ring Road. The scenery and culture of the whole journey have unique experiences, and it is a good choice to go to road trip.