Get to know Yanyuan County
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- Administrative area
- County · 县
- Part of
- Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture
- Chinese name
- 盐源县
- Local areas
- County guide
Area & population
- Area in the source
- 8,388.00 km²
- Population · 2020
- 340,898
- Administrative seat
- Yanjing Subdistrict
Source: cited geographic source, as of the dates shown.
What to see
The Caohai wetlands (草海) spread around Walking Marriage Bridge (走婚桥), a wooden crossing less than 300 metres long. Its name recalls the traditional visits between Mosuo partners known as walking marriage. Grass and open water form a mosaic beneath the bridge, with waterbirds among the grasses. Dazu Village (达祖村), in Lugu Lake Town (泸沽湖镇), retains traditional Mosuo architecture and local customs.
Villages and local products
Shekua Village (舍垮村) is another settlement on the Sichuan side. In December 2024, the Sichuan People’s Congress described its highland apple and strawberry cultivation. It also identifies the lake’s distinctive pig-trough boats (猪槽船) and Walking Marriage Bridge as carriers of local cultural traditions.
Sources for this guide
探寻泸沽湖的“生态之变”与 “发展之机”_四川人大网 · Sichuan People’s Congress
C视频｜看水天一色 初秋泸沽湖走婚桥的浪漫_四川在线 · Sichuan Online
Original English written from the listed sources and checked sentence by sentence against quoted extracts by a separate reviewer. Updated 2026-09-27.
Explore Yanyuan County
Core places to explore, with English and Chinese names.
Places to explore around Yanyuan County
Lugu Lake Sichuan Side · Plan your visit
Getting there
Yanyuan County is about 90 km in a straight line from central Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture. Search for 盐源县 in a map app to find stations and your accommodation.
Where to stay →Build your route
Start with Lugu Lake Sichuan Side. The linked place guides have entrance and visit details.
Continue with Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture →More in Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture
Sources & geographic information
Administrative names and parent areas: Official geographic directory · Reference date 2026-09-06.
Photo: Lugu Lake Sichuan Side · Source photographer · License not provided. EXIF orientation normalized; resized without changing aspect ratio; converted to WebP. No subject edits.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Pins mark approximate centres, not entrances or boundaries.