This place I want to talk about today should not be heard of by many people. As a travel enthusiast who travels all year round, I also made a strategy and came here with the large army, which is the ancient city of Songpan.
Located in Songpan County, Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province, the ancient city of Songpan is a famous border town in history, known as the "gateway to western Sichuan". From Chengdu, we can choose to drive, take a bus or plane, or take a high-speed rail to a free shuttle. If you also choose to arrive in Chengdu first and then transfer trains, there are three ways to get to your destination, namely self-driving and bus, which are about 6-7 hours.
The second way is to transfer to Jiuzhai Huanglong Airport, and then take a bus to Songpan County, which takes about 2 hours. The third way is to take the high-speed rail, from Chengdu East to Zhenjiang Pass, there are three classes a day, after getting off the high-speed rail, transfer to the free shuttle bus to Songzhou Passenger Station, walk 900 meters to arrive.
The ancient city of Songpan is a thousand-year-old city with a long history, the lanes of the ancient city are like a labyrinth, and the traditional Tibetan architecture can always be found at the bend, with red bricks and green tiles, as if passing through a time tunnel. The ancient city of Songpan retains the history of more than 1,400 years of ancient street styles starting from the Tang Dynasty, which has lasted for a long time. This thousand-year-old city, after the vicissitudes of life, still stands, it is like an ancient epic, witnessing countless historical changes and changes.
The ancient city is not big, it is spread out by a main street, and there are many specialties, and it is enough to walk for an hour. From the north gate to the south gate, you can walk to the end by a main road. One of the biggest reasons I like this place is that in addition to the charm of history and culture, it has strong national characteristics.
Of course, it is more important to say that compared with many ancient cities in China, it is not very commercial, but it still retains the quaint folk customs and street buildings, probably because the ancient city of Songpan is not very famous, so the experience of travel is really good. It's worth mentioning that while exploring the ancient city, don't forget to taste the local delicacies! Songpan yak meat skewers have a tender taste and an endless aftertaste. There are also barley cakes, which are crispy and sweet, which are all delicacies that cannot be missed during travel.
What I imagine the most is that the ancient city of Songpan has a very charm, small bridges and flowing water, unique landscape, especially the people on both sides of the river, according to the river bank on the river surface to erect ancient bamboo buildings, enjoy the distant mountains and near the water, very freehand.
Probably, every war and peace, every prosperity and decline, has left a deep imprint on every brick and stone of this ancient city. If you're a fan of this retro mottled history, find a café and sit in front of the window with a cup of butter tea and savor the warmth of this ancient culture.