Baishuitai

Baishuitai

Baishuitai is located at the foot of the Haba Snow Mountain, 103 kilometers from Shangri-La County and at an altitude of 2,380 meters. It is a natural wonder formed by the dissolution of calcium carbonate in spring water. The spring water containing calcium bicarbonate flows slowly downward, with carbonates gradually precipitating over the years to form terraced platforms that resemble layered rice paddies. Known as the "Celestial Being’s Leftover Fields," it covers an area of about 3 square kilometers and is the largest travertine terrace in China.

Baishuitai is located in Baidi Village, Sanba Township, southeast of Shangri-La County, 101 kilometers from the county town and at an altitude of 2,380 meters. It is the birthplace of the Dongba religion of the Naxi ethnic group. From a distance, Baishuitai, nestled among green mountains, truly looks like layered rice terraces, and under the sunlight, it resembles a frozen waterfall in a photograph. Stepping on the white stone steps brings an indescribable cool and refreshing sensation.

Every year on the eighth day of the second lunar month, the Naxi people hold their annual "Pilgrimage to Baishuitai." Naxi people from all directions gather here to sing, dance, have picnics, and pray to the gods for a bountiful harvest in the coming year.

Legend has it that two Naxi celestial beings created this "terraced field" to teach the local Naxi people how to farm, hence the saying "Celestial Being’s Leftover Fields."

Baishuitai sits at an altitude of about 2,380 meters and resembles layered rice terraces. Its formation is due to calcium bicarbonate in the water, which, upon exposure to sunlight and evaporation of moisture, forms white calcium carbonate deposits that continuously accumulate on the surface, creating a travertine landform. Thus, it is one of the largest spring-fed travertine terraces in China.

Baishuitai covers an area of 3 square kilometers and has a temperate climate with relatively high rainfall and an average annual temperature of 11.4°C. It is one of the birthplaces of Naxi ethnic culture in China. According to research, Baishuitai was originally worshipped as a sacred site. Legend says that the first saint of the Naxi Dongba religion, Dingba Shiluo, returning from Tibet after studying Buddhist scriptures, was captivated by the beauty of Baishuitai and stayed to preach here. Therefore, it is a sacred place for Naxi Dongba followers. The nearby Naxi residential houses, clothing, and handicrafts are also quite distinctive.

In the Naxi language, Baishuitai is called "Shibuzhi," meaning "a flower that grows gradually." It is also known as the "Celestial Being’s Leftover Fields." Approaching the terrace, you see layers of white terraces resembling slanting moons scattered across the earth or the silver ornaments of Naxi maidens, forming countless silver rings. Morning and evening light casts a silvery glow, giving a refreshing feeling like polished gold and jade. To the left, a spring terrace shaped like a crescent moon brims with clear spring water, said to be where fairies once dressed. Below the left side of the terrace is a white stone dome, pure as jade and shaped like a pregnant woman. It is a place where locals worship the deity of fertility. Baishuitai is not only a scenic spot but also the central birthplace of the Naxi Dongba religion, where religious activities and ethnic festivals take place.

As early as the Tang and Song dynasties, Baishuitai had become a famous tourist destination in western Yunnan. On the stone wall at the source, there is an inscription by Mu Gao, the Naxi Tusi (local chieftain) of the Ming Dynasty: “Five hundred years ago, a monk once lived here, guarding the Buddha’s realm. Three thousand ridges of cloud and snow waves, tens of thousands of ridges of jade and silver mounds. Winding streams flow unstained, layer upon layer of jade-like springs remain still. The Yangtze River forever becomes a jade in the heart, envying those who have attained the highest wisdom.” Below the left side of the terrace is a natural statue, pure white and shaped like a pregnant woman, regarded by locals as the “goddess of fertility.” Not far east of Baidi Village is a waterfall over 60 meters high, worth visiting.

Legend has it that the founder of the Dongba religion, "Dongba Shiluo," attained enlightenment at Baishuitai, making it a sacred Dongba site. Every year on the eighth day of the second lunar month, local Tibetans, Naxi, Yi, Bai, and Lisu people come to Baishuitai for worship, entertaining the gods with song and dance, showcasing rich ethnic customs. Baishuitai is an important tourist destination on the Diqing Plateau.

Shangri-La County is predominantly Tibetan, but the area near Lijiang’s Dagushui is mostly Naxi-populated and is the birthplace of Naxi "Dongba culture." The Dongba religion is an ancient Naxi faith, with "Dongba" translating to "mountain reciters." Some are considered the "wise ones" of the ethnic group. Legend says that in the mid-11th century, Dingba Shiluo (Dingba means "ancestor" in Tibetan, and Shiluo is a personal name) spread the Dongba religion near Baidi. He and his disciples were the first to write Dongba scriptures in pictographic script, opening a new chapter in the development of the Dongba religion, and he is revered as its founding master. To this day, the Dongba scriptures contain records of his life and legends. Over centuries, the Dongba scriptures have grown into a treasure trove of ancient Naxi culture. The cave where Dingba Shiluo practiced and preached, Baidi Cave, is also revered as a "spirit cave," and Baidi, where Dingba Shiluo mainly lived, is considered a "holy land." Every mid-spring, on the eighth day of the second lunar month, locals often come to worship, and Dongba from afar also make pilgrimages. People “come from hundreds of miles away, bringing wine and tea, gathering by the thousands without prior arrangement” (from the draft of the Zhongdian Prefecture Annals during the Guangxu era). Year after year, it became a custom, and the eighth day of the second lunar month turned into the Sanba Spring Festival.

For most visitors, coming to admire the magnificent scenery around the "spirit cave" and enjoy life’s pleasures is more appealing than actual pilgrimage. Baishuitai lies at the foot of the snow mountain at the western end of the Baidi Canyon in Sanba Township, Shangri-La County. After crossing numerous high mountains and arriving at the mountain ridge of Baidi Canyon, the first sight to greet you is: a giant jade mirror-like silver screen embedded in the towering green mountains, radiating brilliance and dazzling the eye. As you get closer, the view becomes clearer. This glittering silver screen turns out to be thousands of stacked jade-like terraces, or layers of cloud and snow waves, rising from the bottom up, terrace upon terrace, piled with clouds and condensed snow, pure white as suet, smooth and lustrous as jade, free of any dust. On the surface, some terraces resemble fine fish scales, gracefully curved; others look like rolling silver rings, interlocking in sequence; some are like flat silk fans, with folds radiating outward; some resemble petals pieced together to form various exotic flowers; others look like terraced rice fields, stacked layer by layer. To the left is a roughly 20-meter-high “waterfall,” and below it lies a crescent-shaped spring terrace about half an acre in size. The spring water is crystal-clear and azure, and within it sits a natural statue resembling a maiden gazing at her reflection by the water, draped in sheer veils, delicate and pretty. Locals call her the “goddess.”

Time Needed

1–2 hours

Transportation

1. Shangri-La Bus Station offers two daily buses to Baishuitai (Sanba Township), departing at 9:00 and 14:00, with a fare of 26 RMB per person. Additional buses are available on Sundays and holidays. The road is mostly unpaved, and you can get off at Baidi Village instead of going all the way to Sanba.

2. Hiring a private car costs around 400 RMB (round trip).

3. A bus also departs from Hutiao Town at noon daily. Hikers of the Tiger Leaping Gorge can also take this bus to Baishuitai.

Ticket Price

30 RMB per person

Opening Hours

8:00-16:00

Location

Baidi Village, Sanba Township, Shangri-La County, Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province (at the foot of the Haba Snow Mountain)

Sanba Township: Sanba Naxi Township is located in the southeastern part of Shangri-La County, east of the Haba Snow Mountain, between 27°17′–27°43′N latitude and 99°56′–100°19′E longitude. The township seat is Baidi Shuijia Village, at an altitude of 2,380 meters, 10.53 kilometers from the county town. Historically, during the Tang Dynasty, Sanba was part of the Tibetan Shenchuan Dudufu; in the Song Dynasty, it was controlled by the local Mosuo chieftains. In the Yuan Dynasty, Baidi, Washua, Haba, and areas along the river belonged to Baoshan Prefecture. After the 23rd year of the Ming Chenghua era, it was occupied by the Mu clan chieftains. After the 2nd year of the Qing Yongzheng era, it belonged to the Jiangbian border region. In the early Republican period, it was part of the Third District, and in 1938 (the 27th year of the Republic), it was established as... More details on Sanba Township++