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Introducing Déqīn
Nestled in the wild west of Yúnnán, among ragged, snowy peaks Déqīn is the last outpost before Tibet. It’s a terrific little rough-and-tumble town with plenty of atmosphere. Part of Díqìng Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, the county is 80% Tibetan, though a dozen other minorities are found here, including one of the few settlements of non-Hui Muslims in China. For borderholics, east is Sìchuān, west is Tibet and Myanmar lies southwest. Déqīn County is also referred to as ‘Shangri-la’ in an effort to keep tourist dollars flowing up from the other Shangri-la (Zhōngdiàn).
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Some 187km northwest of Shangri-la, the road crosses some serious ranges along this route and at any time from mid-October to late spring, heavy snows can close the road. Tibet beckons, to be sure, but the road is currently closed to individual travellers.
Last updated: Feb 17, 2009
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