※ This video is part of the <World Theme Travel Ojigo GO China Yunnan·Sichuan Parts 1-4> broadcast from May 27-30, 2024. Part 1. A paradise outside the world Curator Ahn Geun-soo, a traveler in Oji, fell in love with the taste of travel starting with his backpacking trip to Yunnan Province while studying abroad in China about 20 years ago. His first travel destination, Yunnan Province, is a land where various ethnic minorities live together, to the point that there is a saying that "every 10 li has a different ethnicity and customs." Hongwancun Village, a Yi ethnic village located in a quiet mountainous area about 2,000m above sea level, is overflowing with outsiders rather than locals in early spring. This is because a "fire festival" called Jihuojie (祭火節) is held there. The Yi ethnic group has been a people who have worshipped nature since ancient times, and have been performing rituals to worship "fire" in particular for thousands of years. The residents of Hongwanchun are the Ashi people among the Yi people. The Ashi fire festival, the fire festival, is a day commemorating the third day of the second lunar month when the fire god, Mudeung, first lit a fire and taught them how to use fire. The primitive rhythms and songs of the Ashi people contain their gratitude and joy for the fire that has warmed and enriched their lives in the remote areas. Travelers who are intoxicated by the excitement also enjoy the fire festival with their bodies and minds by jumping over the bonfires with the Ashi people. Not far from Hongwanchun is another special Yi village, Chengzigucun. The landscape of the traditional Yi houses, the earthen palm houses, is lined up in layers along the mountainside. It is called the “Potala Palace of the Yi People” because it resembles the Potala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet. Let's imagine the past of the village where people lived like a family while looking at the unique architectural style of Tujiangfang, such as the open roof Tianjing (天井) and the structure where all the houses are connected through the roof. The next journey passes by the karst topography of Puzhehei (普者黑), famous for the best scenery in Yunnan Province, and heads to Ba Meicun (坝美村). Ba Meicun is a secret village that can only be reached by taking a ferry and passing through a dark cave about 800m long. It is praised as a paradise outside the world (世外桃源) for its appearance that is just like the paradise described in the poet Tao Yuanming's "Peach Blossom Spring." We spend a quiet night in that peaceful scenery. Part 2. People on the cliff A giant treasure chest that stimulates the adventurous spirit of explorers in remote areas, China. When you follow an unfamiliar path, there are times when you encounter an unknown world that is hard to believe is real. Yanjin County (盐津县), also known as the “narrowest city in China,” is one such place. The city is located in a rugged valley between mountainous terrain with an average altitude of 1,600m, where the Guanhe River flows. The sight of buildings four to five stories high or more lined up on the precarious slopes is a strange sight that even a curator, a traveler in remote areas, has never seen before. Why have so many people come to live in this unstable land? The name of the city, “Yanjin,” means “salt port.” In the past, this place was not only a famous salt production area, but also an important stopover on the ancient Southern Silk Road. In the past, the first gateway that people crossing from Central Plains to Yunnan encountered was Yanjin County’s Dousaguan (豆沙棺). When you walk along the old road called Wujidao (五尺道) or Wujidao (五尺道) because the road is about 150cm wide, you will encounter traces of people in the past who used to carry their luggage and hopes on their horses and head out into the wide world. There is another special road in Zhaotong City, where Yanjin County is located. It is the Baihejiao Road (白鹤驿道) that flows along the side of a steep cliff. It is the road used to transport copper, a local specialty, during the Qing Dynasty to avoid the turbulent Jinsha River (金沙江). You will meet people on the road who are as unusual as the scenery, from couples dating on the cliff road that is too dangerous for even one person to walk on alone to women walking in high heels. After leaving Yanjin County, the curator visits the village that he had been looking forward to the most in Yunnan Province. It is the Wuddaegwakwoncheongganggun (五德大锅圈天坑群), where eight households live inside a giant sinkhole with a diameter of 600m. A curator who goes down a cliff path for nearly 2 hours to the bottom of a sinkhole with a maximum depth of 150m. The closer we get to the village, the more excited we become. What kind of scenery will we encounter in this truly unknown village that no Korean has ever visited? Part 3. Finding Hidden Hot Places Chengdu (成都), the capital of Sichuan, is a huge city with a population of over 20 million, but if you go a little outside, you will still find a leisurely and relaxed atmosphere. The place where you can best feel the unique Chengdu atmosphere is the tea house. Fengzhen (彭镇), an ancient village built during the Ming Dynasty, is lined with tea houses that are over 100 years old, and we will visit one of the hottest tea houses these days. The old tea house of Pengzhen (彭镇老茶馆), or Guanyin Pavilion (观音阁), has been attracting attention as a filming location for photographers and video producers due to its atmosphere that makes it seem as if time has stopped from some day 50-60 years ago and the owner’s unique attire. The curator, who enjoyed drinking tea, cleaning his ears, and taking in the old streets of Chengdu, is now heading to the remote areas of Sichuan. Every March, he passes Jinchuan County (金川縣), where white pear blossoms bloom in profusion, and arrives at Zhonglu Zangzhai (中路藏寨), a Tibetan village in Danba County. The Tibetan village in Danba County, famous for its unique architectural style, has been called the “Country of a Thousand Pearls” (千碉之國) and the “Country of a Thousand Pearls” (千碉之國). A watchtower is a defensive tower. It was built by the Tibetans who hid deep in the mountains to avoid enemies and to monitor the intrusion of outsiders. The approximately 160 watchtowers remaining in Danba County are now used as observation platforms to appreciate the beauty, rather than the danger, of this land. Next, we visited another Tibetan village, Yanglonghad (羊茸哈德). After the great Sichuan earthquake in 2008, all of its residents relocated to this village. It is a remote hot place where you can experience Tibetan culture and enjoy mountain life. In particular, the Dagu Bingchuan (达古冰川) near the village is a rare sight on a global scale. It is a huge mountain glacier formed at an altitude of about 4,800m, and was discovered in 1992, but was not opened as a tourist attraction until the 2000s. From a warm village filled with flower breezes, we quickly explore the glacial world of midwinter and head to the Luoji 99-ri Hot Spring Waterfall (螺髻九十九里温泉瀑布). As we soak in the warm waterfall flowing down the winding valley, all the fatigue from our trip disappears. Part 4. The winding scenery of Ojige in Yunnan and Sichuan, China~ The final leg of our Ojige GO trip, where we only visited great places! We start from the glamping site, which is said to be the hippest in Sichuan these days. The glamping site is located on the summit of Niubei Mountain (牛背山), which is 3,666m above sea level. We spend the night facing the magnificent scenery of Gongga Mountain (贡嘎山), the highest peak in Sichuan. In addition to a clean bed, there is also a restaurant that serves special menus such as yak hot pot, so you can enjoy the taste of traveling in the wilderness without having to work hard. If Niubei Mountain is a mountain for travelers, Daliang Mountain has long been a mountain for the poor. Shuenya Village (悬崖村) is located in the cliff basin of Daliang Mountain, which is over 1,400m above sea level. For a long time, the only way for the cliff village residents to go to the lower village was through a vertical ladder made of woven rattan. Around 2016, when the image of the residents climbing the dangerous wooden ladder became a hot topic online, the government stepped in to help the residents relocate. For the residents who wanted to stay in the village, steel ladders were installed to replace the dangerous rattan ladders. However, the road to the village is still long and arduous. In search of those who still live here, we climb the cliff path for an eight-hour round trip. Just as the dangerous cliff is a cozy shelter for some, the word “hometown” itself is a heartwarming word. We stop by Mengding Mountain (蒙顶山), the hometown of our local coordinator, Shudan, who we have been traveling with for nearly a month, and the best tea producing area in Sichuan. The curator heads back to Chengdu with a heart warmed by the overflowing hospitality and delicious home-cooked meals. This journey ends in the city that is the starting point of the Sichuan trip and full of memories of my youth 20 years ago. ✔ Program name: World Theme Travel Ojigo GO China Yunnan·Sichuan Parts 1-4 ✔ Broadcast date: 2024.05.27 #TVViewingGoladunDocumentary #GoladunDocumentary #WorldThemeTravel #Setegi #China #ChinaRemote #ChinaRemoteVillage #RemoteVillage #Yunnan #Sichuan #RemoteTravel #OverseasTravel