Nujiang - in the Middle of Nowhere, at the Center of Everything |
Travel in Yunnan | |||
Situated in the northwest of Yunnan Province, Nujiang Lisu Autonomous Prefecture (nù jiāng lì sù zú zì zhì zhōu 怒江傈僳族自治州) neighbors Lijiang City (lì jiāng shì 丽江市), Shangri-La (xiāng gé lǐ lā 香格里拉) and Dali (dà lǐ 大理) prefectures in the east. It is also bordered by Tibet in the north and shares a boundary of nearly 450 kilometers (280 miles) with Burma in the west. Ethnic minority groups inhabiting this prefecture include the Lisu (lì sù 傈僳), Nu (nù 怒) and Dulong (dú lóng 独龙) people.
Nujiang Prefecture includes 2 counties: Lushui (lú shuǐ xiàn 泸水县) and Fugong (fú gòng xiàn 福贡县), 2 autonomous counties: Gongshan Dulong and Nu Autonomous County (gòng shān dú lóng zú nù zú zì zhì xiàn 贡山独龙族怒族自治县), Lanping Bai and Primi Autonomous County (lán píng bái zú pǔ mǐ zú zì zhì xiàn 兰坪白族普米族自治县).
Enjoying a plateau monsoon climate at low altitude, Nujiang is characterized by clear dry and wet seasons, great temperature difference between day and night and small temperature difference during the whole year. Due to the landform and altitude, it is colder in its northern part and warmer in the south. September is the best time to visit here, just after the rainy season. Nujiang is the only autonomous prefecture for Lisu ethnic minority. Nu and Dulong are minority groups unique to this region. Lanping Bai and Primi Autonomous County is the main community of Primi (pǔ mǐ zú 普米族). People of ethnic minorities still maintain their traditional culture and customs. Nujiang people are followers of Protestant, Catholic, Tibetan Buddhist, and animist religions. There are numerous Catholic churches in this area as a result of the French missionaries who arrived here in the 19th century.A French priest named Pere Annet Genestier built the Catholic Church in Zhongding Village (zhòng dīng cūn 重丁村) along with a few others during the 1920s and 1930s.
Lying in the longitudinal valley area of Hengduan Mountains (héng duàn shān mài 横断山脉) in western Yunnan, Nujiang is made up of lofty mountains and roaring rivers, with more than forty peaks in the prefecture over 4,000 meters high. Its terrain generally slopes downward from north to south. Other than a small area of flat land on the fringe, Lancang River (lán cāng jiāng 澜沧江) and Dulong River (dú lóng jiāng 独龙江), mountainous regions constitute the main part of the area. Among the magical gorges formed by the rivers, Nu River Gorges is the most spectacular. The part of the gorge in Yunan is over 600 kilometers (373 miles) long. With picturesque lofty mountains, virgin forests, river rapids and snowscape in spring and winter, the gorge is the most breathtaking example in the world. The Dulong Gorge Bingzhongluo (bǐng zhōng luò 丙中洛) is a township on the border of Gongshan Autonomous County and Tibet. It is spoken of as the Shangri-La of Nujiang Prefecture. Nu, Tibetan and Dulong ethnic minorities live there. Primitive religions, Lamaism and Christianity coexist among those minorities. After your trip in Nujiang, you will find that the pure natural sceneries and unsophisticated folks make Nujiang a place which is in the middle of nowhere, at the center of everything. Travel Tips: there are three main routes to Nujiang. Visitors can take buses from Kunming directly to Liuku Town or Gongshan County of Nujiang. Regular buses are available from Kunming Passenger Transportation Bus Station at the south end of Beijing Lu, neighboring Nanyao Railway Station. Liuku is about 581 kilometers (361 miles) from Kunming. The whole journey takes 13 hours. Visitors can get to Baoshan and Dali by air first, and then change to buses to Liuku. Dali is about eight hours' drive to Liuku, and four hours from Baoshan. Special Local Products: braided rug of Dulong ethnic minority, sumac, herbs, marble. Useful Telephone Numbers:
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