As spring turns to summer and the heat begins to set in, plants start to flourish. If you’re used to city life, you might want to escape to the grasslands to cool off and unwind. When it comes to grasslands, your first thought might be Inner Mongolia or Hulunbuir, where the scene of “vast skies, boundless wilderness, with cattle and sheep visible amid swaying grass” seems to exist only there. But what you may not know is that on the border of Hubei and Chongqing in southern China, there is also a grassland — it’s the Bailihuang Alpine Grassland.
The Bailihuang Grassland is located within the territory of Yichang, Hubei, just dozens of kilometers from the Three Gorges. Hundreds of years ago, this was a desolate, uninhabited land. Ouyang Xiu, a literary master of the Song Dynasty who served as the magistrate of Yiling County, once wrote the famous lines “A few scattered households amid the drifting mist, and meager fields carved from the lean land,” which is why people at that time called it “Bailihuang” (Hundred Li of Wilderness).
Bailihuang really was once “wild.” Legend has it that during the Three Kingdoms period, deep valleys and low hills made this place easily defensible, and Guan Yu once stationed a large military force here. To this day, surrounding villages still preserve sites such as “Horse Washing Pond,” “Rolling Valley,” “Pancake Slope,” and “Horse Resting Spot.” It is said that Guan Yu once baked pancakes, watered his horses, and trained soldiers here.
However, today’s Bailihuang is anything but “wild.” As a former research base for the “raising northern sheep in the south” project, today’s Bailihuang features grasslands, canyons, sea of clouds, peculiar pines, oddly shaped rocks, and wind turbines, together forming a one-of-a-kind southern grassland. Due to its unique geographical location, it has long been known as the “Grassland of Southern China,” and it is also the main filming location for the love story between the Third Brother and Jingqiu in the movie Under the Hawthorn Tree, hence earning the reputation of the “Sacred Place of Pure Love in China.”
It’s no exaggeration to say that Bailihuang is a unique southern grassland. The grasslands of northern China are vast and seemingly endless — all you might see are a few yurts, a couple of herds of cattle and sheep, the melodious tune of a horsehead fiddle, and the silhouette of a horseman galloping toward the setting sun. The northern grasslands embody the ruggedness of the Mongolian people. But in Bailihuang, the high mountain pastures, Huashan pine forests, and ecological villages unique to southern grasslands give the area a warm and leisurely human touch.
Unlike the grasslands of the north, the Bailihuang pasture is built against the mountains, with tens of thousands of acres of grassland situated atop rolling peaks. The mountain ridges are gentle and undulating, with chains of canyons and jagged rocks. Herds of cattle and sheep often roam the area, and sea of clouds drift ethereally overhead. Hence the poetic line: “Above the Three Gorges Dam lies Bailihuang, where the wind blows the grass low and reveals grazing herds.” The grasslands are often shrouded in sea of clouds. If you climb to the mountaintop and look down, you’ll see the boundless sea of clouds surging like ocean waves, splashing and crashing against the shore. The Bailihuang Huashan pines, covering thousands of acres, grow along the mountain slopes and remain lush green all year round. Some grow in clusters, while others stand alone in quirky shapes, robust and weather-beaten, in postures that are upright, prone, leaning, or arched — creating a profound and distant ambiance. They are hailed as the “Three Gorges Welcoming Pines,” truly “endless blue of the heavenly grassland, and the sunlit pines a unique wonder.”
In addition to the unique natural landscapes of high mountain pastures and Huashan pine forests, the ecologically distinctive villages of Bailihuang are truly a gem of the southern grassland. The unique geographical climate and local customs have nurtured an ancient agricultural civilization here, filling the area with the idyllic charm of a rural paradise. Today, with the development of integrated agriculture and tourism, Bailihuang has formed premium experiential leisure agriculture bases such as “livestock farming on the mountains covering tens of thousands of acres” and “fruit and vegetable cultivation on the hillsides spanning tens of thousands of acres.” Visitors can step into centuries-old traditional farming culture, participate in village activities, experience farm work, and taste rural cuisine. Local products such as “Yasi silk,” “tribute rice,” “white goats,” and “Yiling cattle” have a long history. The national intangible cultural heritage “Yichang Artemisia Drum Music” is rich with regional musical flavor. Local folk songs, represented by work chants, mountain songs, and lantern songs, cover a wide range of themes and are highly distinctive. The shadow puppetry originating from the late Ming and early Qing dynasties in Fenxiang adds a thick and mellow humanistic touch to this grassland.
Speaking of humanistic charm, Bailihuang has also earned the title of “Sacred Place of Pure Love” thanks to a movie. In 2010, Zhang Yimou’s film Under the Hawthorn Tree was released globally, and the pure and eternal love story of the Third Brother and Jingqiu moved millions. The film was primarily shot in Bailihuang, and the hawthorn tree symbolizing their love is also located within the Bailihuang scenic area. “I can’t wait for you for a year and a month, nor for 25 years, but I will wait for you for a lifetime.” As the seasons change, the hawthorn blossoms bloom once again. In the moments when the wind rustles through the hawthorn tree, meeting you feels like waiting for a thousand or even ten thousand years. Couples from all over the country come here to experience a “pure love journey.” The fragrant hawthorn blossoms dance for love, as if praying for “love to conquer all.” This century-old tree has become a witness to their lifelong commitment. If you love someone, take them to Bailihuang.
With its beautiful landscapes and pristine natural ecology, Bailihuang has become not only a unique “southern grassland” and a pure “sacred place of love,” but also an excellent summer retreat from the heat. Thanks to its vast forest oxygen bar, while urban areas turn into “grilling mode” with temperatures soaring above 40°C, Bailihuang often enjoys cool breezes with a maximum temperature of just 26°C. Hence, it is also known as the “Natural Air Conditioner of the South” and the “Summer Retreat of Jingchu.” Every summer, the scenic area hosts events such as “Camping Festivals” and “Beer & Music Festivals.” If you visit Bailihuang during this time, you’re sure to create cool, heartwarming, and romantic memories.
Today, Bailihuang has become a “National AAAA-level Tourist Attraction,” an “Hubei Provincial Sports Industry Demonstration Unit,” and a “Yichang City Sports Demonstration Base.” It is a comprehensive tourist destination integrating summer retreats, sightseeing, adventure sports, and wellness vacations. The area now features numerous outdoor activities such as skiing, paragliding, camping, horseback riding, and paintball. Throughout the year, there are exciting themed events such as “Hiking and Cross-Country Races,” “Farming Culture Festivals,” and “Skiing Tourism Festivals.” When spring is in full bloom and the sun rises, you can bring your family to fly a kite and enjoy the lively fun of the “Kite Festival.” In the sweltering summer heat, you can relax at the “Forest Sea Fairy Abode,” sip a cup of tea, hide among the pine trees, and stay above the sea of clouds for a cool summer. When autumn brings crisp air and clear skies, you can stay at the “Red Leaf Inn,” admire the mountains covered in colorful foliage, and enjoy the tempting flavors of the “Cattle and Sheep Food Festival.” And when the geese fly south and the winter snow clears, you might as well sip a glass of highland grassland milk, gaze at the snow-blanketed forests, and enjoy the serene silence of a world dressed in white.
Bailihuang is anything but “wild.” This unique southern alpine grassland is waiting for you to discover it.