Crazy ancient Chinese city in the middle of no where: Surprised by Songpan 松潘 in Western Sichuan!

Рет қаралды 17,754

4 ай бұрын

Find out what surprised me about this ancient town in Sichuan and watch to the end to see how I get attacked by the young folks of the town.
Introduction to Songpan Ancient Town
Situated about 200 miles from Chengdu, Songpan Ancient Town used to be a military base due to its advantageous location. As an ancient town, this place is rich in history and culture. Remains of ancient structures and battlefields can be seen in the ancient town. The city gates and city walls of the ancient town are still well-preserved despite being many centuries old. Historically, it was known as Songzhou Town and was considered the 'West Portal of Sichuan'. It has recently gained a reputation as one of the most interesting historical towns in Sichuan Province.
Dating back to Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), the city wall of Songpan Ancient Town was made of blue bricks locally fired. It is extremely tough, and 10 meters high, 30 meters wide and 6,200 meters long. The wall is one of the best ancient city wall relics in China. The tops of the East City Gate, the South City Gate and the North City Gate are all half-moon-shaped. The cornerstones of the gatehouses are enchased with unique anaglyphs and they still keep their ancient style and beauty now.
Songpan was an important military post and economic and trading center for horse and tea exchange between Sichuan, Gansu, Qinghai and Tibet. In 1935, led by Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai, the retreating Chinese Communist Army marched through the plateau of Songpan to advance to the north western province. As well the history and scenery of Songpan, the cultural diversity is one of the most fascinating in China. Because of its location, four ethnic groups are resident in Songpan including Tibetan, Qiang, Hui(Muslim) and Han (Mandarin). This contributes to the unique cultural style of this ancient town, Kangba Culture, a kind of multicultural medley of the four different cultural elements in this ancient historical town makes it a rare if not unique example of cultural history in China.
#Songpan
#sichuan
#adventure
#jiuzhaigou
#Huanglong
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Пікірлер: 139

@dxJ-qt2th 4 ай бұрын

Why do you have so few subscriptions? There should be more subscriptions to such high-quality videos!

@thecubbages 4 ай бұрын

Hoping for more! Thanks for following along the journey!

@redneckscumbags4422 4 ай бұрын

probably suppressed by the algorithm, need anti-china clickbait titles to get boosted by the algo. First time I came across this guy and I've been watching china related contents for a year.

@t4ac 4 ай бұрын

Subscribed! A great job - keep it up:)

@MarcoPolo-hn8or 4 ай бұрын

Subscribed👍

@ssrae-2229 4 ай бұрын

''How about changing Channel Name not resembling your ''real'' name ??@@thecubbages

@PartTimeTravellerChina 4 ай бұрын

What a beautiful place ❤️😍😍

@dxJ-qt2th 4 ай бұрын

You should also go and have a look. It only takes two or three hours to fly from Shanghai to Xining. Western China is wild and colorful.

@thecubbages 4 ай бұрын

It really is! Thanks for watching so consistently, Sarika.

@mechannel7046 4 ай бұрын

Amazing this old Chinese city has been preserved

@thecubbages 4 ай бұрын

Thank you so much for watching!

@heinlich 4 ай бұрын

I guess such videos were the reason I came to KZfaq 15 years ago. Keep up the good work!

@thecubbages 4 ай бұрын

That is so nice of you to say! Makes all the hard work feel so worth it!

@ahliong 4 ай бұрын

Wow. Thanks for showing us beautiful places.

@thecubbages 4 ай бұрын

Thanks for following along the journey!

@yneverland 4 ай бұрын

Crazy beautiful place

@thecubbages 4 ай бұрын

It really is!

@nicoletteuy8455 4 ай бұрын

This is something unique n amazing....very beautiful place. Peaceful , far from d hassle of big cities

@thecubbages 4 ай бұрын

Very beautiful, indeed! It is nice to be out of the big cities of China.

@raymondyau7234 4 ай бұрын

Thanks for bringing this unique city to us. Happy travel!!!

@thecubbages 4 ай бұрын

Our pleasure!

@kagar3465 4 ай бұрын

Quality video. This channel deserves more subs than 2k. 100k at least

@thecubbages 4 ай бұрын

I appreciate that! Hopefully one day!

@nicoletteuy8455 4 ай бұрын

How i envy u...me as an overseas Chinese haven't gone to far flang places in China. One day i'll be there too 😃😉👍. More power to u sir !!!

@thecubbages 4 ай бұрын

I hope you get a chance to travel more! It has opened my eyes!

@Userof-d4b 4 ай бұрын

Wowww🎉, video quality & the city😊😊😊🎉🎉🎉🎉

@thecubbages 4 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching!

@alvinol9003 4 ай бұрын

Glad to discover this channel ❤

@thecubbages 4 ай бұрын

Welcome aboard! Glad to have you!

@bombasticborneo 4 ай бұрын

Looking fwd to more of your stories.🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿

@thecubbages 4 ай бұрын

More to come! Excited to get you more great content!

@thecubbages 4 ай бұрын

By the way - I was just in Malaysian Borneo last week. Are you from Borneo?

@bombasticborneo 4 ай бұрын

@@thecubbages Yes I am

@hawkkim1974 4 ай бұрын

amazingly beautifully unique city with a wonderful landscape

@thecubbages 4 ай бұрын

It really is!

@adone807 4 ай бұрын

At first I thought you were just a traveler. After entering your channel, I found out that you have been living in China for so long. And you have traveled to so many places in China It’s really cool.

@thecubbages 4 ай бұрын

Yeah. I have lived in western China for 13 years. It is really an honor to live here. I love it!

@serriajohn 4 ай бұрын

Great drone footage, thank you to share this beautiful old town.

@thecubbages 4 ай бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it!

@sz5263 3 ай бұрын

Very informative. Very beautiful ancient city. Thanks showing the history of the city.

@thecubbages 3 ай бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it

@xtiany 4 ай бұрын

great to see you discover my homecountry, there's lot places even i never went to be.

@thecubbages 4 ай бұрын

China is a big, beautiful country with lots to discover!

@kenric1460 4 ай бұрын

Amazing footage! Thanks ✌ subscribed!

@thecubbages 4 ай бұрын

Thanks for the sub! Great to have you!

@samyang5873 4 ай бұрын

Great video !!! Subscribed 👌

@thecubbages 4 ай бұрын

Thanks for the sub!

@IUVJessmaya 4 ай бұрын

You are another legend😘, the quality of the video just like another KZfaqr maybe u heard before: little chinese everywhere

@thecubbages 4 ай бұрын

Thank you, sir!

@gohengsan1603 4 ай бұрын

Thank you for bringing back the many beautiful memories of my trip to China in 2018. We made a stopover at Songpan on the way back to Chengdu after visiting Jiuzhaigou and Huanglong National Park.

@thecubbages 4 ай бұрын

Our pleasure!

@jytang8172 4 ай бұрын

In 1976, there was a big earthquake in Songpan, so I remember the place. At that time I was only one year old and sleeping outside, which is what my parents told me. Although my home is about 1000 KM away from Songpan, the shock wave was still strong.

@thecubbages 4 ай бұрын

Yes. That was a devastating earthquake. I am sorry your parents went through that.

@niust 4 ай бұрын

nice!

@thecubbages 4 ай бұрын

Thank you! Cheers!

@ydm8932 4 ай бұрын

感谢分享

@thecubbages 4 ай бұрын

感谢你🙏！

@Albion80s 4 ай бұрын

First time learning and seeing Songpan, a quaint military outpost with its ancient fortress well preserved.

@thecubbages 4 ай бұрын

Most people have never heard of Songpan. It is pretty far off the map!

@Gideonblade 4 ай бұрын

Wonder how old are those walls. thanks for posting. great video.

@thecubbages 4 ай бұрын

Good question! Generally the walls were constructed between 1368-1644AD.

@pennywallace9362 4 ай бұрын

Bussed through Songpan in 2004 on my way to Jiuzhaigou which is at much lower altitudes in the valleys. Flew into Songpan some years later, overnighted before exploring regions north and west and suffered alpine sickness for several days. Just loved the history, shopping food and folk and lifestyle. Thanks for sharing your experience

@thecubbages 4 ай бұрын

Wow! That is great! What a cool experience.

@zhaojunzhou7306 4 ай бұрын

I bet most Chinese people never heard of this place😂you are so cool！

@thecubbages 4 ай бұрын

Sichuan people probably know of it. Otherwise it is relatively unheard of.

@sdarkao9297 4 ай бұрын

✨💖🌟 Songpan~!!!

@thecubbages 4 ай бұрын

Thank you for watching. Have you been to Songpan?

@fischman26-China 4 ай бұрын

Excellent video. I would like to visit here someday but perhaps Chengdu or Chongqing will be the closest I will get. Yunnan was suggested as the next possible trip to visit my friends in Guangdong.

@thecubbages 4 ай бұрын

Please come! I have a travel business at www.elevatedtrips.com. Would love to host you. With the new fast train from Chengdu Songpan is only a few hours from Chengdu

@inidepoc 4 ай бұрын

好祥和宁静

@thecubbages 4 ай бұрын

That is one of my favorite things about western China!

@nicholaswhite9760 4 ай бұрын

City pop style bgm X Songpan, weired, but GOOD!

@thecubbages 4 ай бұрын

Thanks! Yeah. I kind of played around with the music and landed on that. What do you think of the music? 🎶

@billyyee1618 4 ай бұрын

👍👍👍

@thecubbages 4 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching and the thumbs up!

@felinetropical8822 4 ай бұрын

Went there last summer, on the way to Jiuzhaigou. I remember having yak meat steamboat in the town.

@thecubbages 4 ай бұрын

Lots of yak meat 🥩 to eat here!

@linda6000 4 ай бұрын

Thank you, i think i have passed this place when i went to Yellow Dragon in 1986, maybe we stopped for some snacks. ^_^

@thecubbages 4 ай бұрын

It is a good rest point for those traveling to Jiuzhaigou or Huanglong National Park. I bet it has changed a lot since 1986!

@juanliu1949101 4 ай бұрын

😊👍👍👍👍

@thecubbages 4 ай бұрын

Thank you for being with us!

@Teochewtuahang 4 ай бұрын

the old city gate has character saying Song Zhou. maybe old name

@thecubbages 4 ай бұрын

Good eye! That is right. The gate does say SongZhou

@FreshWaterBrook. 4 ай бұрын

Through your video I saw things which I never saw before even as Chinese.

@thecubbages 4 ай бұрын

That is great! That is really why I make these videos!

@Giles20 4 ай бұрын

Does the new high speed train reach Songpan yet? I heard its supposed to go all the way up Jiuzhaigou

@thecubbages 4 ай бұрын

China just finished the high speed train from Chengdu to Jiuzhaigou. It does not go directly to either Jiuzhaigou or Songpan but it comes about 1-2 hours away and definitely makes travel shorter and more affordable.

@sharonsoon4866 4 ай бұрын

I have been to Songpan many years ago. It’s an ancient city with strong Islamic influences.

@thecubbages 4 ай бұрын

Yeah. Such a blend of cultures.

@osuan9 4 ай бұрын

wwwoow...

@thecubbages 4 ай бұрын

It is very beautiful. Thanks for watching!

@edwardlin2941 4 ай бұрын

😊

@thecubbages 4 ай бұрын

Thanks for joining us!

@tomsunuwar6940 4 ай бұрын

Anicent 🇨🇳💕💐

@thecubbages 4 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching! We appreciate your support!

@Ottovonostbahnhof 4 ай бұрын

昨天刚看到海西蒙古与明朝边军在松潘、西宁的拉锯战。唐朝开始，这里就是四战之地。

@thecubbages 4 ай бұрын

谢谢！

@CDTsuiPo 4 ай бұрын

This place gets prettier in the summer.

@thecubbages 4 ай бұрын

Oh yes! It turns into a very beautiful high altitude grassland.

@hongqingxiang3374 4 ай бұрын

🙂🙏😀🙏👍🙏🙂

@thecubbages 4 ай бұрын

Thank you for watching! You are awesome!

@jmchng9662 4 ай бұрын

With a population of around 70,000 no wonder the place looks rather quiet. And the far away distance plus lack of informations discourage foreign tourists from visiting the place. What a pity....

@thecubbages 4 ай бұрын

Yeah. It definitely is off the beaten track

@lovemycat2521 4 ай бұрын

never heard about songpana even i am chiniese

@thecubbages 4 ай бұрын

Yeah. It is pretty remote in Sichuan!

@safuwanfauzi5014 4 ай бұрын

Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, China, Mongolia, and also Southeast Asia like Thailand, Malaysia, Brunei, especially Singapore cities, road, street are clean and not bad, Southeast Asia not perfect except Singapore. Indonesia not all part Sumatra like Riau, Jambi, Kepulauan Riau, Kalimantan and Bali, but in Java not much. India, Bangladesh and Pakistan(some place are clean) not good about hygiene and cleanliness, You go to Thailand, especially in 'Buddhist Wat(Temple) and City Pillar Shrine like Bangkok city Pillar shrine, Buriram city pillar shrine, Surat Thani city Pillar Shrine and Nakhon Si Thammarat city pillar shrine etc are very clean with garden and plant, in Malaysia and Singapore street, mall and road also clean. Japan much better, even fish and aquatic plant can live in small river, sewer and water drainage, very clean and fresh look water. India i saw many road and street full of plastic waste, garbage, litter and sometimes poop and smell urine.

@thecubbages 4 ай бұрын

That is interesting how different countries view hygiene.

@zha0nan 4 ай бұрын

没有歧视，日本政府不负责任的排放核污水，已经永远让我感觉日本不干净，特别是水，毕竟危害显现太久了，也可能是下一代😢

@oooofish5670 4 ай бұрын

Why do the color is so odd in whole video ?

@thecubbages 4 ай бұрын

I am not sure. I do not do any color editing.

@oooofish5670 4 ай бұрын

@@thecubbages seems grey tone, our flag's red, the trees green... looks like BBC color🥹

@achtungbaby2009 3 ай бұрын

not bbc channel with grey filter.

@mechannel7046 4 ай бұрын

Most Americans have no concept of meters. You might want to mention the heights in feet as well as meters in future videos

@xbman1 4 ай бұрын

Most Americans have no concept of anything 😂

@thecubbages 4 ай бұрын

Yeah. That is good advice. I usually do that in most videos but forget Tobin this one. Thanks for the reminders

@yananneteoh9818 4 ай бұрын

Ben looks like one of the native chiefs.

@thecubbages 4 ай бұрын

That is great! Thank you!

@serriajohn 4 ай бұрын

I am very lucky because my mom is a Chinese medcine doctor, the whole family benefits from her knowledge about herbs, esp my elderly grandma and grandpa, they prefer herbs to cure flu or some mild disease, the only trouble is the smell when mom is boiling herbs.

@thecubbages 4 ай бұрын

Wow! This is fascinating! You have a very amazing mom!

@achtungbaby2009 3 ай бұрын

western med doesn't taste good too. Most medicinal ingredients are derive from herbs. Most are bitter in taste.

@snowlee-ml7rr 4 ай бұрын

GOOD ！

@thecubbages 4 ай бұрын

Thank you for the kind words.

@user-pg5cj3dl2t 4 ай бұрын

Hey buddy, welcome to China. Although this is the first time I've seen your channel, I admire your courage. You dare to go to the horror China portrayed by western media. I decided to subscribe to your channel. I hope to see more of your videos.

@thecubbages 4 ай бұрын

Great! Glad to have you onboard!

@cxplb 4 ай бұрын

👍

@thecubbages 4 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching!

@k-fm4zx 4 ай бұрын

There are many cities and ancient towns in western Sichuan where Han and Tibetan cultures blend. They are very beautiful and ancient and have not been damaged by any war, even though the entire Sichuan province is very beautiful.

@thecubbages 4 ай бұрын

Sichuan is an awesome place!