Hiking in Meixi Canyon | Temple, Mine, End of Jade Belt Road (Medium Distance)

Total distance: 12 km, elevation gain: 800 m. Moderate fitness required.

(Adults: slightly above average physical fitness, Children: recommended to be over 8 years old and usually energetic)

time: 8:00/9:00 AM, depending on the season.

Hiking preparation: Bring 2 bottles of water, a hiking meal, and wear regular hiking shoes.

Meixi Gorge is located between Yingle Peak and Xiaocen Peak. It is named after the many plum trees on both sides. In winter, the plum blossoms are in full bloom, and the scenery is very spectacular. My first real contact with the mountains and waters of Cangshan was in Meixi. At that time, we were a group of five, swimming upstream in the turbulent stream during the rainy season. When rescuing a friend trapped by rocks, one of my sandals was lost and floated downstream.

After a leisurely off-season,

Xiaoxi and I feel that we need to "recover from training"

To prepare for the upcoming peak season.

We decided to go for a medium-long distance hike in the valley.

This is an alluring destination that few people go to and it left a lasting impression on us.

But what impressed us most was the path on the edge of the cliff, where clusters of coral pink flowers bloomed. People called them "ghost lanterns". These flowers exuded a magical and mysterious atmosphere, which was very consistent with the name of the flower. It left an indelible impression on us when we first saw it.

In the sunlit glade, we were delighted to discover the endangered Yunnan leopard flower.

At noon, we arrived at an abandoned marble mine at an altitude of about 3,000 meters. The lines of the rocks were clearly visible, which were the product of nature and human mining, which made people marvel. This gave people a sense of "human accidental art", and in the years after human activities stopped, plant seeds returned to the cracks and took root again.

Magical canyons and forests after the rainy season

Rainy season harvest

On the way down the mountain, we passed Baique Temple.

Baique Temple, located at the end of a forgotten Jade Belt Road, is perhaps the least known temple on Cangshan Mountain. When we arrived, a sister was washing dishes by the spring and enthusiastically invited us to take a look in the kitchen. She told us without hesitation that there was rice and soup if we were interested. Hearing the noise, an old man came out of the kitchen with a pot of rice, showed it to us with a smile, and asked if we wanted to eat, but did not ask us to pay. A middle-aged man was sitting under the eaves. When asked about the origin of Baique Temple, he explained that Baique Temple was formerly called Douluo Pavilion, and the age was unknown. Baique Temple was named after the white bird, the mount of Nuwa. The main hall is dedicated to Nuwa, but there are no monks. Believers of the three religions can come to worship. He is currently in charge of managing the temple.

Entering the main hall, you may be amazed by the colorful clay sculptures inside.

The Jade Belt Road area of ​​Cangshan National Geopark is crowded with tourists, and at the end of Jade Belt Road, plants grow out of the cracks in the stone slabs, full of wild interest.

Every June, we can always find the tail feathers of white-bellied pheasants in the mountains.

There are also strange and colorful mushrooms