Litang (Lǐtáng, 理塘) lies deep in the heart of Ganzi, a day's drive or more from Kangding and more than twice as far from Shangri-La (Zhongdian). Although the distance is great and the roads extremely bumpy, the trip is well worth any suffering you might have to endure.

The "downtown" area of Litang is slowly being engulfed by Chinese-style throw-up housing with garage door fronts and cheap plastic goods. But the streets are teeming with Khampa nomads down from the mountains selling the famous "worm-fungus" called cordyceps in the West and often used in Traditional Chinese Medicine, or hawking silver chains and gold, or just strolling up and down the strip looking awesome.

The outskirts of the town are very Khampa—the houses are the big stone and lumber works of art that one finds up and down Tibetan area of Ganzi Prefecture and they are all guarded by frenzied mastiffs. The population of Litang gathers around the monastery (the site of heavy fighting by the Tibetan resistance six decades ago) and remains quiet for most of the year but as soon as the summer rolls around, the town bulges as tents and caravans pour in from all directions, preparing for the great Litang Horse Festival.

Taking place annually in August, the Litang horse races are a big deal for the nomads and are fascinating to watch as men hang, one footed from their saddles, shooting arrows into bales of straw. There are hawkers and hucksters trying to take advantage of the mountain folk and small circles of families laughing and playing together. The nights get raucous, so be sure to stay up as late as you can.

Ganzi Prefecture guide | Ganzi Prefecture attractions
Ganzi Prefecture flights (Lijiang) | Ganzi on the China Travel Blog