Howie spirited me out of Chengdu, and we traveled south by high speed train to the city of Yibin.

Lizhuang Ancient City

Yibin at night

Sea of Bamboo

Not far from Yibin is the Bamboo Sea, a huge park filled with many varieties of bamboo.

This spot *claims* to be the location where a treetop duel played out in the movie “Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon”. But there appears to be some (prideful) debate on this issue! Some people disagree and say it was filmed in a forest in Jiangsu province. Others contend the location was in Anhui.

It doesn’t really matter, the Bamboo Sea is spectacular!

Double Nine

I planned my visit to Sichuan to coincide with the Chinese “Double Nine” celebration. The name refers to the timing: it is celebrated in the ninth day of the ninth month of the Chinese lunar calendar. This year, it fell on October 7fh.

One of the traditions of this holiday, is for people (especially old people) to climb a mountain.

So, Howie and I headed up Cuipingshan.

On the way up, we passed a variety of temples and shrines.

At the top was a tower, (which was under repair), and lovely views of Yibin.

Based on the advice of some other visitors, Howie and I descended Cuipingshan, crossed the river, and went up a hill to visit the “White Pagoda”. From that spot were great views of the confluence of the Jinsha and Min rivers.