[Chengdu Day 2] Paying Respects to the Water and Seeking the Way: A Day Trip to Dujiangyan and Mount Qingcheng

From the legendary flood-control story of Li Bing and his son, to the tranquil mountain forest where Zhang Daoling founded Taoism, we visited two of Sichuan's most spiritually charged sites in a single day — Dujiangyan and Mount Qingcheng. 🗓 Today's Itinerary Chengdu → Dujiangyan → Mount Qingcheng → Chunxi Road Dujiangyan: Fish Mouth Levee・Fulong Temple・Yulei Pavilion｜Mount Qingcheng: Yuecheng Lake・Shangqing Palace Setting Off Before Dawn The alarm went off at 5:30 in the morning. Our luggage had already been mostly packed the night before, so after a quick wash-up we headed out the door. The vehicle that picked us up was a 9-seat van, and I couldn't help but think, "Oh no, if we have to ride in this thing all day, how exhausting would that be!" — thankfully it was just a shuttle to the main pickup point. While we had a moment, we grabbed some breakfast to tide us over.

The first stop was a shopping station. The travel agency had mentioned this beforehand, but it was originally scheduled for 30-40 minutes, yet it ended up lasting nearly 50 minutes. The venue mainly featured Tibetan medicine, health supplements, and souvenirs. Although the sales pitch was quite apparent, there was no forced purchasing.

Dujiangyan: An Ancient Feat of Water-Management Wisdom We got back on the bus to keep catching up on sleep, and arrived at the Dujiangyan scenic area around 9 a.m. The most famous line associated with this place comes from Yu Qiuyu: "Worship the waters at Dujiangyan, seek the Way at Mount Qingcheng.

At the entrance stands a fountain designed in the image of a "macha" (traditional wooden pile weir), symbolizing the ancient people's wisdom in dredging silt and diverting water flow.

Dujiangyan not only holds the history of Li Bing and his son's water management, but also incorporates the mythology of Erlangshen subduing the river dragon, which is why the scenic area features the 'Fulong Guan.

We started our tour at the Baoping Mouth, and the tour guide explained along the way: The Baoping Mouth is the water intake of the Neijiang River, controlling the volume of water flowing into the Chengdu Plain;

The Feishayan (Flying Sand Weir) is located between the Inner and Outer Rivers, responsible for discharging sediment and overflow floodwater, ensuring the quality of irrigation water;

Yuzui is the starting point of the entire system, dividing the Min River into the Inner River and the Outer River.

Although it's the low-water season in winter, the flow is still surging powerfully. The guide explained that in summer the water flow is reversed, with the intake volume controlled by design, showcasing the engineering wisdom of two thousand years ago. Next, we took the escalator up the mountain to Yulei Pavilion. Yulei Pavilion has six floors in total, and on a clear day you can overlook the entire Dujiangyan. But today the fog was thick, so we could only faintly make out the outer river and the hydroelectric facilities.

I thought to myself: "I already felt that surging, powerful energy just now looking at the Inner River — if this is the Outer River, it must be even more shocking!" The whole route from the entrance to Yulei Pavilion took about 2.5 hours. Midway Break: Encounter · Dujiangyan Performance Since the itinerary went smoothly, we arrived at the lunch spot early, so the tour guide arranged for us to watch the performance "Encounter · Dujiangyan" (I only later realized this was actually part of an extra fee 😅). The show was divided into three parts: the Fire Lantern Dance, the shadow puppet play of Li Bing Taming the Waters, and the grand finale face-changing show. The performance was quite wonderful, except the shadow puppet segment was a bit too calm and I almost dozed off. However, I later found out that the ticket for this show costs 50 RMB, so independent travelers probably wouldn't go out of their way to see it.

Lunch was unexpectedly abundant. Though there weren't many meat dishes, there were quite a few choices, and vegetarians also had multiple options.

Mount Qingcheng: A Place to Seek the Dao In the afternoon, we headed to Mount Qingcheng. This is one of the birthplaces of Taoism, known as the "Ancestral Mountain of Taoism," and the place where the Celestial Master Zhang Daoling cultivated and ascended to immortality. The Mount Qingcheng scenic area is very large, so it requires several transfers between different modes of transport: First, we took a battery-powered shuttle car to the trailhead (walking there would take about 40 minutes);

Along the way, we came across a Taoist Academy where students must practice for 3-5 years before becoming formal disciples. The first scenic spot was Yuecheng Lake; you can take a boat to the opposite shore (one-way 5 RMB), but we chose to walk along the lake.

Then walk for about 30 to 40 minutes to reach the cable car station, and take a 5-minute cable car ride up the mountain.

After leaving the cable car, the first stop is Ciyun Pavilion, which enshrines a male-form Guanyin; further up is Shangqing Palace. The three characters on the hall's plaque, "Shangqing Gong," were personally inscribed by Chiang Kai-shek, and it was thanks to the abbot's quick wit that the temple narrowly escaped destruction during the Cultural Revolution.

All the couplets outside the hall are the work of renowned calligraphers. Inside the courtyard stand the Azure Dragon and White Tiger as guardian deities, along with the "Mandarin Duck Well," symbolizing yin and yang, as well as a stone stele inscribed by Zhang Daqian.

I encountered a Taoist blessing ceremony inside the palace, and the atmosphere was solemn and reverent.

Finally, ascend to the Laojun Pavilion, which enshrines a giant statue of Taishang Laojun (the deified Lao Tzu).

The whole tour lasted about 3 hours — packed but wonderful. Back to Chengdu and Night Snacks The return was originally scheduled for 16:30, but departure was delayed by 10 minutes, and we got back to the city about an hour and a half later. The travel agency's designated drop-off point was still half an hour's drive from Chunxi Road, and since it was rush hour, traffic was terrible — though that's understandable. For dinner we chose to eat "chuan chuan" (skewer hot pot). Since it was our first time, we didn't dare take too much, and everyone at our table was quite restrained; it was only when we saw people at other tables grabbing whole handfuls and standing the skewers up like a bonfire that we realized we'd been way too conservative. In the end it only cost 50 RMB per person, even lower than the online average of 80 RMB — that's when we realized just how conservatively we'd eaten!

After eating, we returned to the hotel to pick up our luggage, ready to head to accommodation next to the airport. We had assumed the "airport hotel" was right next door, so we chose to take the 15 RMB shuttle bus — but it turned out we had to transfer and spend another 100 RMB before finally arriving. The hotel was a business-style one, but the space was comfortable. After a short rest, we're about to set off — heading to Lhasa to begin our Tibet journey. 🌄 Summary: Impressions from the Dujiangyan/Mount Qingcheng group tour Tour cost: Basic tour fee: 200 RMB/person (includes transportation, admission tickets, and tour guide) Additional charges 260 RMB: Dujiangyan audio guide headset + sightseeing shuttle ticket 50 RMB (mandatory) Yulei Pavilion escalator 40 RMB (mandatory if going to the summit) Qingchengshan audio guide headset + sightseeing shuttle ticket 60 RMB (mandatory) "Encounter · Dujiangyan" performance 50 RMB (optional) Qingchengshan cable car 60 RMB (mandatory if going to the summit) Advantages of joining a group tour: No need to worry about transportation and transfers, saving time; For travelers who want to visit both attractions in one day, the overall cost is more economical; The tour guide's explanations were rich in content, helping us understand the historical background. Disadvantages of joining a tour group: The itinerary schedule is tightly controlled, so you can only view the highlights; Arranged shopping stops waste about 1 hour; There are many additional charges, so actual spending ends up higher than the registration fee. If you only want to explore one place in depth (such as visiting Qingcheng Mountain alone), chartering a car for a self-guided tour costs about 300 RMB, which is more flexible and free.