Paoma Mountain (pǎo mǎ shān 跑马山) is located in the southeast of Lucheng Town (lú chéng zhèn 炉城镇) in Kangding County (kāng dìng xiàn 康定县) of Sichuan Province (sì chuān shěng 四川省). In Tibetan language, it is called Fairy Mountain (xiān nǚ shān 仙女山) and regarded as one of the holy mountains. There are many attractions in the mountain, which will bring you to a fairyland.

Climbing up the mountain from the left foot of the mountain and walking along the path in the azalea and rose bushes, you can see the Five-Color Sea (wǔ sè hǎi 五色海), which is 4100 meters above the sea level. It is the remnants of glaciations, covering an area of 110 square meters. Around the lake there are precipitous cliffs. On the east side of the lake, there is a waterfall, the water of which is like thousands of pearls. The lake is as clear as a mirror. In the morning, the sun glows, the waterfall is reflected on the lake. The color of the lake is changeable under the sunlight.

On the south slope of Paoma Mountain, there is the Yongxue Pavilion (yǒng xuě lóu 咏雪楼), which is hiding in the green woods. When winter turns to spring, you can step to the top of the pavilion, lean on the baluster and take a bird’s view. The mountains and hills on the southwest are all covered with snow, which will give you great inspiration to write a poem to appreciate the snow.

On the west side of the Paoma Mountain, there is the Jixiang Temple (jí xiáng chán yuàn 吉祥禅院), surrounded by thick vegetations and flowers. Located on the jade stone steps, the temple is resplendent and magnificent. Stepping into the hall, you can see the statue of Tathagata Buddha sitting there. Out of the temple, there is the Lingyun Pagoda (líng yún bái tǎ 凌云白塔), which is more than 20 meters high, erecting to the sky. There are always clouds hung over the pagoda, which add some mystery to it.

On mountain slope, there is a corridor which is called Feiyun (fēi yún飞云), means the floating cloud. In front of the Feiyun Corridor, there are stone steps which are 2 meters wide. Beside the step, there is a pair of stone lion sitting there, smiling to the tourists. Taking a rest in the corridor, you will feel relaxed.

Paoma Mountain is famous for horse racing. In the eighth day of the fourth month in Chinese lunar calendar, people will hold a competition of horse racing on Paoma Grassland (pǎo mǎ ping 跑马坪). On the other days, there are performances of dancing and singing. Besides, there are the Dongguan Pavilion (dōng guān tíng 东关亭) and Guanyin Pavilion (guān yīn gé 观音阁), which is a Buddhist sites in Paoma Mountain.

Paoma Mountain
Location: on the southeastern Lucheng Town, Kangding City
Admission fee: CNY 50
Opening hours: 8:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Transportation: you can take bus at Kangding City to Lucheng Town, and then take a walk or hire a car to get to Paoma Mountain