Put the pedal to the metal on these adventures
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E-mail Shanghai Daily, September 11, 2014
Route 3: Sichuan
Sichuan is a land famous for its pandas, rivers, lakes, beautiful scenery and spectacular mountains.
Travelers can plan on a trip of at least 12 days to cover this route, some of which includes the ancient Tea Horse Road, also known as the south Silk Road. The trading trail exporting tea, salt and Sichuan-style silk works from Sichuan to Tibet starts from Ya'an. The Sichuan city that suffered a 7.0-magnitude earthquake in 2013 has a great production of quality tea leaves from ancient times. Check out the clumsy yet cute pandas at Bifengxia Panda Reserve in Ya'an.
Kangding is a major stop en route. Wait for the sunrise or sunset along the crystalline Muge Lake. Tagong Grassland is at its utmost beauty in spring. The route then runs through Chengdu's vast red land of various shades.
Another highlight includes Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, where travelers can learn about the habits of these cute and lazy bears.
Don't forget to stop at Songgang stone fortress and Sirin Kar Monastery of Kagyupa School near Lianghekou Village.
Other spots include Dege Printing House (Dege Yinjingyuan), Pelyul Monastery and Litang Monastery.
When driving from Yajiang to Danba, gaze in awe at Mount Minya while stopping in Xinduqiao. Its summit is 7,556 meters above sea level although the mountain peak is often obscured by clouds.
There's also Lhagang Monastery, or Tagong Si in Chinese, and views of Mount Zhara Lhatse (5,820 meters) in Tagong.
Route 4: Urumqi to Kashgar, Xinjiang
Feel like an ancient trader as you explore part of the ancient Silk Road and drive on the edge of the Taklamakan Desert, which is farther from the ocean than any other desert in the world.
Start in Urumqi, capital city of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, and head east to Turpan on highway 314. From here, head west to the Taklamakan, the largest shifting sand desert in the world, toward Kashgar. This section on the northern edge of the desert was once part of the Silk Road. Travelers can stop in Yopurga, whose county is about 76 kilometers from Kashgar, and take a camel trek through the desert.
The Silk Road was primarily a trading route between China and the West, but it also led to cultural exchanges. Over the course of 2,000 years, countless merchants, caravans, wandering armies and adventurers have left their marks on this incredible route.
Conclude the journey in Kashgar, China's western most city close to the border with Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. Kashgar's Old City is a good example of a traditional Islamic town. Id Kah Mosque is the country's largest and there is a 12.26-meter-tall statue of Chairman Mao Zedong.
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