Introducing Lǎngzhōng
Those decrying the demise of ‘old’ Chéngdū should immediately hop on a bus for this funky little town some 220km northeast of the capital. A significant chunk of it time has forgotten and tourists have overlooked, for the most part: photo-ops of endless black-tile roofs with swooping eaves overlooking the narrowest of alleys, flagstone streets and temples atop misty hills across a river. World Heritage site à la Píngyáo (Shānxī) or Lìjiāng (Yúnnán) it ain’t – call it Lìjiāng Lite – but Lǎngzhōng has Sìchuān’s largest grouping of extant traditional architecture and, in fact, was the capital for 17 years during the Qing dynasty. It has been the centre of provincial/regional/kingdom politics and economics for much of its 2300 years.
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Last updated: Mar 2, 2009
Thorn Tree forum discussion
Recent posts
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Songpan etc v. Sichuan-Tibet Highway Towns
by wolfk 30 August 2011
Hi, I'm at a loss trying to decide between two alternatives in Sichuan: 1) North and NE Sichuan: Songpan, Jiuzaigou, Gongyuan-Yuanba,…
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RE: Korea, China, and Japan
by drumbrake 05 August 2011
Tibet has been closed during March for the last few years, so don't make any plans to visit at that time. There is plenty to do in and…
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RE: China Itinary
by drumbrake 19 July 2011
Leshan for the Big Buddha. If you like mountains, you could spend a couple of days on Emei Shan after Leshan. For smaller towns, wit…
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