Hongyuan grassland – beautiful meadows in northern Sichuan

As part of your holiday in China, you could enjoy this beautiful landscape of clear blue skies, snow-capped mountains, blooming wildflowers, and herds of yak and sheep. A sprawling carpet of green meadow sitting at an altitude of 3,400 m. (11,000 ft.), the Hongyuan Grassland is located in Aba Prefecture, in northwest Sichuan Province. It can make a great stop-over on the way to Tibet or the Silk Road, and is one of the most charming places to see in China.

Hongyuan Grassland got its name when the Red Army passed through here in 1935, during the famous Long March. The Premier, Zhou Enlai, named this place the “Red Plain”. If you are visiting here for natural beauty, you may also want to visit Jiuzhaiou National Park and Huanglong Park, both UNESCO World Natural Heritage sites. If you are headed for Gansu Province, the Zoige Grassland is also on your route.  The rivers in both grasslands drain into the headwaters of the Yellow River.

If you travel to Hongyuan Grassland during your holiday in China, you can ride horses, go fishing or bird watching (there are Black-Necked Cranes and Golden Eagles) and enjoy your Tibetan hosts’ dancing and singing. If you time it right, you can join in their annual festival called “The Horse Competitions,” on July 1st. At that time, countless horses and people will gather together on the Hongyuan Grassland for a variety of races and games. You can find more information about Aba Prefecture from Northern Sichuan Aba.

There are also many cultural attractions such as Maiwa Temple and Dageze Temple. Along with seeing the vigor of the vast prairie, you can also experience the grandeur and purity of the snow-capped Zhegu Mountain. In this landscape, you can forgot the noisy cities and the disgrace or honor of mortal life. You will feel so real and simple in the Hongyuan Grassland that you may leave it thinking it is one of the greatest places to see in China.