Baoxing County 宝兴县

Setting and landscape

The county lies in the Qionglai Mountains (邛崃山), falling from Shilama Mountain (石喇嘛山, 5,328 m) in the northwest to 750 m at the Lingguan gorge (灵关峡口). The Baoxing River, the main source of the Qingyi, rises on the southern slopes of Jiajin Mountain (夹金山) and meets its largest tributary, the Xi River, at Lianghekou (两河口) in the county town. The county government says 81.7 percent of the county falls within Giant Panda National Park, and it lists the wild osmanthus stand in the Donglashan canyon (东拉山大峡谷) in Longdong (陇东镇) as the largest in the world.

History

The county government places the ancient Qingyi Qiang (青衣羌) state here; from the late Yuan the area was ruled by hereditary chieftains, and the county was created in 1929, its name taken from the phrase "宝藏兴焉" ("treasures arise") in the Doctrine of the Mean. In 1869 the French missionary Armand David found and named the giant panda at Dengchigou (邓池沟) in Fengtongzhai (蜂桶寨乡). Jiajin Mountain was the first great snow mountain the Central Red Army crossed on the Long March, and the county marks it as the starting point of the snowy mountains and grasslands section of the Long March National Cultural Park.

What to see

At Dengchigou the Giant Panda Origin Museum (大熊猫起源馆) tells the story of the animal's discovery. The Memorial Hall of the Red Army Crossing Jiajin Mountain (红军长征翻越夹金山纪念馆) and an exhibition hall on Chen Yun's departure from Sichuan (陈云出川史实陈列馆) recall the Long March. Shenmulei (神木垒) is a primeval forest with ski runs and winter rime, and Dawa Gengzha (达瓦更扎), whose viewing platform the county government calls the largest 360-degree platform in Asia, is visited for sunrise over a sea of clouds. The Baokang road (宝康路) runs from Baoxing to Kangding past the Donglashan canyon.

Food and local products

Baoxing white marble (宝兴白) is the best known of more than 30 marble and granite varieties found here; the county government ranks it alongside Italian Carrara white. Baoxing ox-knee root (宝兴川牛膝), the dried root of Cyathula officinalis, is a Chinese geographical-indication product. For the Tibetan village of Qiaoqi (硗碛), the county's winter guide recommends Qiaoqi-style Tibetan hotpot and yak hotpot.

Getting oriented

Baoxing borders Lushan (芦山) to the east, Tianquan (天全) to the south, Kangding (康定) to the west, Xiaojin (小金) to the north and Wenchuan (汶川) to the northeast, and lies about 200 km from Chengdu.

Highlights

• Dengchigou 蜂桶寨邓池沟: Where Armand David found and named the giant panda in 1869; home of the Giant Panda Origin Museum.
• Jiajin Mountain 夹金山: First great snow mountain crossed by the Central Red Army on the Long March.
• Shenmulei 神木垒: Primeval forest with ski runs and winter rime.
• Dawa Gengzha 达瓦更扎: Mountain viewpoint for sunrise over a sea of clouds.
• Baoxing white marble 宝兴白: The county's best-known stone, ranked by the county alongside Carrara white.