Ya'an

Ya'an, also known as Yucheng, is an unremarkable city located 2 hours southwest of Chengdu on the Sichuan-Tibet highway. It is an emerging tourist city, known as the "rainy city", "the throat of western Sichuan", "the gateway to Tibet", "ethnic corridor", Lungs of Tianfu"", "the hometown of the panda", the territory of Mengding Mountain is the birthplace of the world's tea culture, the birthplace of the world's tea civilisation, the world's tea culture sacred mountain.

Understand
This prefecture-level city in Sichuan Province is located in a mountainous area on the western edge of the Sichuan Basin. At the end of 2022, the city had a population of 1.433 million.

History
Ya'an has a long history, and has been under the jurisdiction of the Central Plains since the pre-Qin Dynasty. The history of human activities in the area can be traced back to the Paleolithic period, and the "Fulin Culture" is an important cultural site of the late Paleolithic period in southern China.

Ya'an City is located in Sichuan-Tibet, Sichuan-Yunnan highway junction, 120 km from Chengdu. It was the gateway to the ancient Southern Silk Road and was the capital of Xikang Province.

Climate
Ya'an is located on the southwest edge of the Sichuan Basin and has a subtropical monsoon climate zone with abundant rainfall. The annual rainfall is about 1,180 mm. Most rainy days are concentrated from June to August, accounting for more than 60% of the total annual rainfall. Heavy rainfall is one of the characteristics of Ya'an's climate.

Get in
Fast buses from Chengdu’s Xinnanmen bus station (07:30-19:00, every 35 min, 2 hr, ¥46) leave throughout the day.

Even though your ticket says Ya’an, there is a possibility you may be directed onto a bus bound for the inane Bifengxia Nature Park near Ya’an. If you are the discerning type and forgo the park's dancing tigers, the driver will drop you off at the first intersection inside Ya’an. From here you can flag down a Shangli-bound minivan or get a taxi to the Wangyu minivan depot.

By taxis
Various forms of transport ply the street willing to take you to your destination at maximum speed for a minimum cost. Taxis charge around ¥5 to anywhere.

See
There is a wall-size map in the bus station; this includes Labahe Nature Reserve.

Parks and nature

 * Niubei shan.jpg
 * Bifeng Xia.jpg
 * Niubei shan.jpg
 * Bifeng Xia.jpg
 * Niubei shan.jpg
 * Bifeng Xia.jpg
 * Bifeng Xia.jpg
 * Bifeng Xia.jpg
 * Bifeng Xia.jpg

Ancient towns

 * Wangyu Ancient Town.jpg
 * Wangyu Ancient Town.jpg

Do

 * Picking tea yaan.jpg

Buy
If you go to BiFengXia, you can buy a hat made from a fern frond. It's not much good for keeping the sun off your face, but you will fit in with the crowd.
 * Hanyuan Sydney.jpg
 * Hanyuan Sydney.jpg

Eat

 * Mubla Xiaoyuan hot pot.jpg
 * Aunt Yuan BBQ.png
 * Aunt Yuan BBQ.png
 * Aunt Yuan BBQ.png
 * Aunt Yuan BBQ.png
 * Aunt Yuan BBQ.png
 * Aunt Yuan BBQ.png
 * Aunt Yuan BBQ.png

Drink

 * Cassava Coffee.jpg

Sleep
About a block due south of the museum on the south side of West St (Xidàjiē), a family-run establishment has satisfactory rooms and WiFi for ¥90/night, but the proprietor will want to escort you to the local police station about a block or two away some time after you've checked in for registration purposes.

Mid-range




Internet
There are internet cafes and other places in many places, but there are limitations on the internet and many foreign websites cannot be accessed.

Go next

 * Chengdu bound buses (07:30-19;00, every 35 min, 2 hr, ¥46) leave throughout the day from the tourist bus station.
 * Shangli bound minivans (20 min, ¥6.5) can be flagged down on the main road outside the tourist bus station.
 * Wangyu bound minivans (1 hr, ¥8.5) leave from a secret location known only to the local taxi drivers who park near the Tourist bus station (10 min, ¥5). The minivans leave when full but will continue to pick up passengers along the way. Hopefully the road has been repaired by the time you go.