On the National Highway 318 from Kangding, Sichuan to Xinduqiao, over 300 hikers and cyclists hurry along the road. The colorful procession against the blue sky forms a unique sight along the thousand-mile Sichuan-Tibet Highway.
At 10 a.m., as soon as the off-road vehicle carrying the reporter left the city, two girls with backpacks by the roadside waved to our car, hoping for a ride to Xinduqiao. The girls said they had started from Chengdu, hitchhiking along the way, and arrived in Kangding after three days. Today, they were catching a ride to Xinduqiao.
Along the way, the reporter noticed that hikers carried tall backpacks and walked sweatily along the highway. Occasionally, some travelers would raise their thumbs to passing vehicles, signaling for a lift.
“I used my summer vacation to earn some money from a part-time job, then set out to trek to Lhasa, Tibet,” said Li Mengyao from Shenyang Ligong University. Taking advantage of her holiday, she came out for a hiking trip to enjoy the scenery while challenging herself. To ensure safety, their group of 22 split into pairs, setting a daily destination and looking out for each other along the way. As the car drove along the highway, hikers by the roadside either took breaks, drank water, or munched on snacks, and when they encountered beautiful views, they took out their phones or cameras to take photos.
The travelers said that when it rained on the road, they would knock on any door, and the locals would always offer warmth. Especially the herding mothers — their gaze toward the travelers seemed as affectionate as toward their own children. If you asked for directions, as long as they understood, they would point you toward the way ahead, and sometimes even accompany you for a stretch. “Such feelings cannot be found in the cold cities made of concrete and steel. Only here can you truly sense the warmth of human life,” said traveler Lin Chengyu, who hopes to spend half of his life on the road. In Lin Chengyu’s blog, he meticulously records his observations and insights along the Sichuan-Tibet Highway. Anyone who reads them will feel as if they are right there.
The Dengba Inn in Kangding City (a station on the Ancient Tea Horse Road) is an old-fashioned Tibetan-style building, where backpackers from different regions stay. They treat it as a place to rest, recuperate, and meet fellow travelers. Here, they relax, listen to music, chat about all sorts of things, and share their experiences from the journey.
A few young people met online and formed a team. They gathered in Chengdu from different directions and then cycled into Tibet. One of the travelers came from Yangzhou, Jiangsu. He said that coming from the gentle Yangzhou to the cool and refreshing Kangding — this world-renowned city of love songs — was something he had longed for.
On the short stretch of just over 50 kilometers from Kangding County to the Zheduo Mountain Pass, the reporter roughly counted that there were already more than 300 hikers and cyclists. The two female hikers showed no signs of fatigue on their faces, but rather curiosity. Besides their backpacks, they also carried some food and water. “Such big mountains, such blue skies, such white clouds — they fill you with awe for this land,” said Su Xia, a college student from Hengyang Normal University in Hunan. Though the journey was long and tough, she remained hopeful about the road ahead.
Having just arrived in Kangding, the two girls kept asking the reporter what beautiful sights they might encounter on the road ahead and what customs they should be aware of when interacting with Tibetans. The reporter reminded them that upon entering the plateau, protection against ultraviolet rays, prevention of altitude sickness, and readiness for transportation disruptions due to the rainy season — as well as natural disasters like floods and mudslides — could not be overlooked. It was especially important to keep warm and avoid catching a cold at all costs.
Li Mengyao, a university student from Shenyang, Liaoning, told the reporter that she had originally planned to enter Tibet from the Aba Prefecture direction, but due to ongoing floods and mudslides, the road from Dujiangyan to Wenchuan had been washed out, so the group chose to enter from the Garzê direction. “Before coming, I read many posts and blogs from other travelers, saw the beautiful pictures they took, and had long dreamed of coming here. I hope this trip will be a dream come true,” said Li Mengyao.
Currently, Tibet has entered its peak tourist season, and the number of travelers cycling, hiking, or driving along the Sichuan-Tibet Highway into Tibet continues to rise. However, July and August are also the rainy season on the Sichuan-Tibet Highway, and travelers should be cautious of geological disasters caused by rainfall during their journey.