The Sky City of Litang Makes a Stunning Debut at the 2019 Self-Drive Travel Conference

From March 5th to 6th, the 2019 Self-Drive Travel Conference, hosted by Aijia Media, was successfully held at the Shanghai Poly Grand Theatre. Themed “Reinvention,” the conference attracted over a thousand participants from across the country, including government officials, decision-makers in the self-drive travel industry, club leaders, auto travel enthusiasts, investors, and media professionals. This grand festival, set against the backdrop of the integration of culture and tourism, refreshed the entire industry's perception of self-drive travel and helped reshape confidence in the ecosystem. The delegation from Litang County, Ganzi Prefecture, Sichuan Province—the “World’s High City” and the ultimate destination along the Route 318—joined the conference to showcase the unique charm of the “Sky City.”

 

On the morning of the 5th, traditional Tibetan opera performances and a poetry duet of Tsangyang Gyatso’s works presented by Litang during the official press conference amazed the audience, journalists, and media alike.

The little star of Litang, 8-year-old Xiaoyangjin, is a young tour guide on Renkang Ancient Street in Litang. She was selected from over 1,000 young guides. At the conference, she vividly introduced Litang’s scenery, culture, beauty spots, and the story of Tsangyang Gyatso and Litang. Xiaoyangjin said she loves introducing Litang to others. Although her grandmother doesn’t understand Mandarin, she still supports her way of expressing love for their hometown.

 

This also reflects a unique cooperation model between Litang’s Lertong Ancient Town and local residents. Mr. Zhang Xi, Chairman of the Litang County State-Owned Assets Operation Investment Management Group Co., Ltd., explained to the media that they adhere to the principle of deep local involvement, providing diverse job opportunities—from ancient town guiding and Tibetan opera performances to handicraft making—to preserve the authentic charm of the town as much as possible. This allows visitors to deeply experience the local culture without a overly commercialized mindset, while also enabling locals to maintain their traditional way of life.

 

On the afternoon of the 5th, at the 2019 Self-Drive Travel Conference · Awards Ceremony, Mr. Li Keqi, founder of Aijia Media, led everyone in reviewing the journey and evolution of the awards, explaining the new selection criteria and award categories. Building on previous years’ selections, 36 new routes were created through deconstruction, extraction, reorganization, and reinvention from the 180 routes accumulated over the past five years. Litang also became a must-visit destination on the “Sichuan-Tibet Line” within the “2019 Aijia Drivers’ Lifetime Must-Drive 36.”

 

In addition to announcing the 36 “Lifetime Must-Drive” routes for 2019, this year’s organizing committee also established 36 special awards to recognize organizations, enterprises, and individuals who have achieved outstanding results and made special contributions in the field of self-drive travel. Litang, alongside six other management bodies—Ningguo, Chengde, Wenzhou, Gansu, and Chongqing—was honored with the “Resource Management Award.”

Later, a performance of “Tsangyang Gyatso’s Love Song” by a singer from Litang echoed through the Poly Grand Theatre.

 

Known throughout the plateau region as the “City of Love” due to Tsangyang Gyatso’s reincarnation here, Litang has a long tradition of love song duets.

 

Since 2016, Aijia Media has been dedicated to building the “National Highway G318” IP. This year’s self-drive travel conference specially curated the first-ever “National Highway G318” themed exhibition. The Tibetan cultural artifacts brought by Litang—including Tibetan opera masks, stone carvings, and thangkas—attracted many attendees. A thangka master from Litang even demonstrated the art of thangka painting on-site, treating the audience to a visual feast.

This visit of Litang to Shanghai, the magical city, and its stunning appearance at the 2019 Self-Drive Travel Conference allowed all participants to experience the rich Tibetan culture and simple ethnic customs of Litang.

 

Litang, a key stop along the Route 318 “National Highway,” lies at the intersection of Route 318 and Route 217, which leads to Daocheng Yading and Shangri-La, and is often referred to as the crossroads of the eastern plateau. Located 500 kilometers from Chengdu and 1,500 kilometers from Lhasa, it boasts an altitude of over 4,000 meters, making it the highest city along the Route 318.

 

Known as the “City Suspended in the Sky,” Litang has been a vital hub along the ancient Tea-Horse Road. In summer, the meadows of Maoya burst with vibrant cosmos flowers, while the distant Mount Ge’nyen glows with silvery light, and the sky is painted with the colors of the Buddhist paradise, the酥乐金刚坛城. Galloping across the land, you’ll see vast grasslands, the majestic Wujiang River, and the friendly, sun-kissed faces of the plateau people. “Give me the wings of a white crane, I want to fly to a faraway place—not anywhere else, just to catch one glimpse of beautiful Litang…” Only by visiting Litang can you truly understand why Tsangyang Gyatso yearned for this “Sky High City” all his life.

 

In recent years, Litang has focused on developing all-for-one tourism. Centered around Renkang Ancient Street, believed to be the reincarnation site of Tsangyang Gyatso, and featuring the largest temple along Route 318—the Changqingke’er Monastery—and the largest traditional Tibetan village—the Qianhu Tibetan Village—as key resources, Litang targets emerging self-drive tourists, as well as those seeking experiential and immersive travel. It aims to create the best serviced, most experiential, and culturally profound destination along Route 318.

 

If you don’t drive Route 318, you haven’t truly understood China. And if you don’t visit Litang, you won’t comprehend Route 318.

 

Organizers

 

Aijia Media

 

Special Thanks

 

Jiading District Tourism Bureau, Anting Town People’s Government, Shanghai International Automobile City, Shanghai Poly Grand Theatre

 

Strategic Partnerships

 

Cyber Culture Travel & Haohao Life, SMART Resort Real Estate Expert Committee, ZhiXue Academy, Camping World, Baidu Maps, China International Business Travel Alliance, International Mountain Tourism Alliance, Home Inns & Hotels Management Inc., Ruili CAS Modified Car Exhibition, AC Automotive, Zhihui, Five Star Legend

 

Event Support

 

Ganzi Prefecture Tourism Development Commission, CPC Litang County Committee, Litang County People’s Government

 

Self-Drive Travel Industry Report Lead

 

Yunjie Liangshu

 

Customized Ceremony Baijiu

 

Guizhou Fushengtai Liquor Co., Ltd.

 

Designated AI Tea Set Brand

 

Chami

 

Designated Wellness Brand

 

Perilla Wellness

 

Designated Five-Star Hotel

 

Hyatt Regency Jiading

 

Special Domestic Promotion Support

 

Focus Media

 

Special Domestic Promotion Support

 

Xuyang Media

 

Special Overseas Promotion Support

 

Beijing Lutu Advertising Media Co., Ltd.

 

Official Designated Instant Imaging Partner

 

VPhoto Cloud Photography

 

Intelligent Voice Partner

 

iFlytek Tingting

 

Government Public Affairs Coordination Body

 

Gewu Cultural Research Institute

 

Internet+ Cultural Platform

 

Culture Cloud

 

Exclusive Automotive Media

 

Extreme Car Channel

 

Conference Insurance Support

 

China Life Property & Casualty · Self-Drive Leisure Protection Plan

 

Official Designated Tent Supplier

 

Shanghai Xiangwu Construction Technology Co., Ltd.

 

Audiovisual Support

 

Shanghai Qinchun Culture Communication Co., Ltd.

 

Official video team

 

Shanghai Yizuo Yizuo Culture Media Co., Ltd.

 

Shanghai Xinzǐ Culture Communication Co., Ltd.

 

Sound design

 

Esound Yi Sheng Culture

 

Font collaboration

 

HanYi Font Library

 

Conference system support

 

31 Conference

 

Partners

 

Tencent Auto Connection, Growth Club, Aiche Global Self-Drive Car Culture (Group) Club, Yuanmeng Kangjian, Beiwei 21 Tea Industry, Chengdu Dianxing Club, Hong Kong Rosy Industry Limited, Xingzhe Wujian (Lianyungang), Gansu Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, Jackie Chan DC Racing Team, Keye Culture, Cai Cai Mobile Photography, PANUM ROVER Kuma Equipment, Jinhuì Tonghang, Lie Tu Outdoor Club, China Tourism Hundred People Association, Hook Road, Han Wei Racing, Shanghai Fanzhu Culture Media Co., Ltd., Orion, Earth Subsurface, S-POWER Tuning, Earth Password Exploration Team, China 599 Car Club, China Cross-Country Club, Longmao Classmates, Enshi Grand Canyon Tourism Development Co., Ltd., China Xuan Paper Co., Ltd., Pingwang Town People’s Government, Xili Sand Painting, Shanghai Yangtze River Delta Tourism Development Research Center, People's Daily App, "Car Intelligence" Magazine, Changdu, "Off-Road World" Magazine