Kangding, or Dardo in Tibetan, is a medium sized town in the Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, approximately 360km to the west of provincial capital, Chengdu. The town is seemingly wedged into a narrow valley surrounded by tall mountains and then further cloven in half by the Zheduo River.
Kangding's popularity as a tourist destination stems primarily from the fact that it is about as close as you can come to experiencing Tibet, without the difficulty of actually going there. The township is populated mainly by Han Chinese and people of Tibetan ancestry, on a ratio of around 50:50. Scenery in surrounding areas, grasslands, snow-capped mountains, glaciers, hot springs and red-cheeked horsemen will give a pretty authentic experience, sans the altitude sickness Tibet is likely to induce—hopefully.
History
The years have been kind to Kangding and its inhabitants, where traders from Sichuan and the foothills for Tibet conducted business peacefully for many centuries. Tibetans raised horses to trade for Han tea grown in Kangding's surrounding areas.
Prior to the 1950's and the Communist Party's defeat of the Guomingdang (Kuomingdang - Chinese Nationalist Party), Kangding was the capital city of Xikang Province. The now defunct province encompassed much of Sichuan province and Tibet's Kham region. Kangding was provincial capital for just over a decade.
The city was once immortalized in a folk song entitled "Kangding Qingge" (Kangding Love Song), which was recently repopularized by pop singer William So.
Climate
You might find Kangding a little chillier than many other places in China. The climate is best described as monsoonal, bringing heavy rains in the months from June to early September. The township is situated a bit more than two thousand meters above sea-level, contributing to low temperatures—even during the summer months, where noon-time temperatures peak at around 15°C (59°F) . Winter temperatures are well into the negatives, so rug up if you plan a winter trip.
There aren't a lot of options for accommodation in town. Many of the hotels are situated adjacent to the river. There's a couple of good choices for backpackers, where you can find a dorm bed for RMB 20 to 30 a night. Star rated hotels are not quite as scarce as hen's teeth, but almost.
The local style of cookery is called Hanzang and as the name suggests it's a combination of traditional Han Chinese style cooking and that of Tibet (Xizang, in Chinese). The fact is that although there is Han Chinese influence, the cuisine more strongly resembles Tibetan than otherwise. A couple of local specialties to keep an eye out for:
Kangding liangfen - Kangding cool noodles are a clear, wide noodle like many kinds of liangfen you'd find in China. It is usually accompanied by a spicy sauce or a peanut sauce similar to satay. Kangding's liangfen is made to taste, with sauce flavors including ma (the numbing flavor prominent in many Sichuan style dishes), spicy, fragrant, weak, salty and the list continues
Dabutong Mutton Soup - This delicious soup is available in a restaurant called Zhang Huzi (translation: grow a beard). The restaurant serves up mutton cooked in many styles, however the soups are the most highly recommended.
Getting Around
The taxis to the outskirts (mainly Guzan Town and Luding) of Kangding usually center on the small parking lot opposite the Great Wall Hotel and at the bridgehead of Xiaqiao Bridge by Yanhe Dong Lu. Tourists to Mugecuo Lake and Tagong Grassland may also find a taxi in these two places or rent a car in Kangding Bus Station.
The base rate for taxis is 3 RMB for the first kilometer and then 2 RMB per additional kilometer. Usually it won't cost you more than 10 RMB within the city district.
To and from Kangding
Air
Kangding Airport's claim to fame is that it's the second highest airport in the world, located atop Zheduo Mountain. Currently the airport doesn't do a lot, but should be receiving flights from Chengdu by May 2008.
Train
There is no railway station in Kangding. Travelers may get off at Wusihe Railway Station along Chengkun Railway Line and then transfer to a bus to Kangding.
Bus
There are buses from Chengdu Xinnanmen Bus Station to Kangding daily and the trip takes about eight hours.
Car
There are several routes to choose if you prefer to drive your own car:
1. Depart from Chengdu and drive westwards along National Highway No. 318. Take Chengya Freeway to Ya'an and after you pass Tianquan County, go through Erlang Shan Tunnel and go across Luding Bridge, then you will arrive at Kangding.
2. Depart from Chengdu via Wolong Nature Reserve, Xiaojin, Siguniang Shan and Danba and finally arrive at Kangding. It's 504km in total (314 mi).
3. Depart from Xichang City via Shimian and Luding, and then reach Kangding, 346 km (215 mi) in total.
Centuries ago, Kangding was a place where Tibetans exchanged horses for Han tea. Though tea is no longer the currency, trading remains prominent in the area. In this hilly county, there are several open-air markets along the main street where you can have a great time shopping around for local products which even include Tibetan knives and attire. Several small, but interesting souvenir shops are run by friendly Tibetans. Prayer wheels, daggers, rings and Tangka paintings are all to be found locally.
The wild fungi in Kangding are nutritious and of high quality and it generally acknowledged that the pine mushrooms are the best. They are exported to Japan all year round.
Kangding is probably not the kind of place to go if you're looking to indulge a love or music or the arts. Foreign tourists are not catered for here, as you might find with other, larger cities. Try the hot springs for a bit of relaxation after a day on your feet.
Festivals
The Horse Running Festival after the spring sowing and autumn harvest is a traditional festival in the west of Kangding County. People celebrate the festival hoping that their domesticated animals and fowls will thrive and every family can live a peaceful life, as well as celebrating the harvest.
The Kangding area features the Zhuanshan Festival on April 8th of the Chinese lunar calendar. Legend has it that this date is the birthday of Buddha. On this day, water would come out of the mouths of nine dragons on Paoma Mountain for Buddha to take a bath. So it is also called Buddha Bath Festival. Each year on the 8th, people of various ethnic groups in the Lucheng region dress in splendid attire and head for Paoma Mountain to participate in festival related activities with other family members or friends.
Most of the people in Kangding believe in Buddhism as introduced from Tibet. Having been in the region for quite a a long time, Buddhism in Kangding encompasses all five religious sects, namely the Gelug Sect, Nyingma Sect, Sakya Sect, Gaggu Sect and Bon Sect (or Yellow Hat, Red Hat, Striped Hat, White Hat and Black Hat). These sects are mainly distributed in the Yixi and Hucheng areas, while Black Hat sect followers are mainly in the Kongyu and Jintang areas. Inside Kangding County, there are 29 temples including the famous Nanwu Temple, Jingang Temple, Anjue Temple, Juli Temple and Tagong Temple. Each temple holds one to three Buddhist services every year, and people from the surrounding areas will gather to join or watch the celebration activities, such as Tibetan opera and horse racing.