Songpan County, which is located in the northwest of Sichuan Province, is the gateway to the Jiuzhai Valley fairyland, and also a part of the Aba autonomous region.
Nestling at the foot of the Minshan Mountain, and having the Minjiang River flowing past its gates,the Songpan County was built during Tang Dynasty (618-907), when Prince Wencheng was married to a Tibetan King. The county, which was extended to its largest area during the Ming Emperor Jiajing's reign nearly 500 years ago, is still a bridge between the long lasting friendship between the Han and Tibetan peoples.
The minute you approach the county, you will be fascinated by the grand gates. Decorated by well written names and various pictures, the grand gates, from four directions,were once the best place to put weapons in order to keep outsiders from invading the county. Now still the largest of their kind in existence in China, these gates have become the witness of history. Like the faded pictures carved on the stone wall,they are still telling the stories of past centuries even today.
Go to the downtown area, the rising three-star hotels and horse riding Tibetan people will give you mixed feelings of their place in history. You may feel confused by what you see: A county that is going through the inevitable urbanization process, or a quiet and peaceful primitive Tibetan village.
Recommended as the world's best place to ride a horse, Songpan County has become an increasingly popular tourist attraction, especially among backpackers.
The county now has two professional horse treks that offer both designated and customized horse trekking services. The horse trekking services, which offer each tourist a local tour guide, and a horse,will bring you a fresh experience of camping and cooking food.
Among the nearby sightseeing hotspots, Mounigou and Xuebaoding are our top recommendations for horse trekking.
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