On this cycling journey, Chen Shi'an had a route planned, but he also went wherever he pleased.
After leaving Shixi City, Chen Shi'an continued cycling. The road began winding upward, and the air gradually grew thinner. His next stop was Xueshan City.
The outlying ridges of Snow Mountain extended into countless snowcapped peaks here, the tallest of which, Wangchuan Peak, remained covered in snow year-round.
Chen Shi'an arrived in the early morning. The rising sun painted the snowy peaks gold and red, while the temple's golden roof gleamed in the morning light below, and prayer flags snapped in the wind.
He stopped to rest at a Tibetan-style teahouse outside the temple, where the proprietress brought him butter tea and highland barley flatbread.
The butter tea was rich and fragrant, just the thing to ease the fatigue of cycling. The flatbread was baked crisp outside and soft within, with the fresh aroma of highland barley emerging with each bite.
At the next table, a middle-aged Tibetan man was discussing business in Mandarin with a merchant from out of town. They were talking about the purchase price of yak wool.
Only after chatting with the man did Chen Shi'an learn that the locals now not only raised yaks but also ran guesthouses, and many young people even knew how to operate e-commerce businesses...
Leaving Xueshan City, he headed southeast toward Jiangxia City.
The elevation dropped sharply. The road ran along the Nu River Grand Canyon, with towering sheer cliffs on one side and, on the other, the surging, roaring
Nu River. Jiangxia City stood in the widest part of the canyon, home to communities of Lisu, Nu, and Derung people. Even today, ziplines remained the river's most distinctive means of transport.
Standing beside the river, Chen Shi'an watched young Lisu men grip