Dragon Beard River

Dragon Beard River.

    This river zigzagging through bamboo groves is seven kilometers from the county seat. Apart from Jiuzhaigou, an ethereal place in Sichuan, no other place has water as green as this one. Flowing between bamboo grooves gently kissed by sunshine and held affectionately by the mountains in their bosom, this river does not belong to this world, and seems like something from a dream.

    Drifting down the stream in a bamboo raft, we are greeted in succession by bamboo groves, exotic flowers in luxuriant bloom, playful monkeys swinging in trees and Yao people's wooden houses in the forest. We felt like we were in a landscape painting. It is just the beginning, we were told. The best part of the trip was between Zuodeng Street and the river mouth, a stretch about 20 kilometers long, where we saw a waterfall cascade 20 meters down two cliffs before it crashed into a huge pool below. The breath-taking view and the huge force of the waterfall left me in awe of the power of Mother Nature.

    This once-in-a-life experience left me speechless. There are many attractions like this one, people said. Yet my schedule didn't allow me to prolong my stay. With regret, I bid farewell to this place, hoping to return some day to pay my respects to all of them.

    According to Wei Xiaodong, the county magistrate, 350,000 tourists left Tiandong RMB 5 million richer in 2008. This year, the figure is expected to rise by a large margin. Where else can you find primitive conditions as attractive as those in Tiandong?