Quaint historic towns are always among our favorite places on our journeys. As we dedicated 18 days to just one Chinese province this time, I made sure to cover Sichuan's ancient towns and villages, from Langzhong to Shangli to Songpan to Danba's Zhonglu and Suopo.
Except this little town wasn't originally on our list.
This was the second half of our day-trip after spending the morning and early afternoon at Mount Qingcheng, the birthplace of Taoism and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. THAT wasn't originally on our itinerary either, but it turned out to be a pleasant half-day hike and we wanted something more. That's where Jiezi came in, almost as an afterthought.
The Old Town of Jiezi wasn't unknown to us -- in fact it's often promoted as one of the Ten Historic Towns (Shida Guzhen) of Sichuan -- there are simply higher priorities on our list. Sichuan is the ancestral homeland to a wide range of indigenous ethnicities and their 2000-year-old settlements, and towns like Jiezi has a lot of competition.
If I were to rank the historic towns of Sichuan, the Ancient City of Langzhong would undoubtedly be on top of my list. Smaller but well-preserved towns such as Shangli and Pingle would form the next tier. Then there is the extensively refurbished type such as Huanglongxi. Jiezi, fortunately or unfortunately, belongs to this third type.
But Jiezi has one unique advantage over its competitors -- its proximity to the internationally famous Mount Qingcheng. Basing ourselves in Dujiangyan it was easy to visit Mount Qingcheng for a half-day then take a 20-minute direct bus ride to Jiezi. And at the end of the day, Bus 102 returned us straight to Dujiangyan. It doesn't get much more convenient than this, especially in suburban Sichuan.
We arrived without even a map due to our spontaneous decision to visit, and as usual taxi drivers circled the bus station like vultures. Trusting neither the taxis nor the golf cart shuttles we started walking without knowing exactly how far and in which direction. Fortunately the way was well-demarcated by a long row of foot massage parlours and noodle houses, and in 10 minutes we reached the town's Paifang gate.
Every noodle stand in town claimed to be the originator of a local variant of noodles known as Dadamian, and each had its own blown-up photo of its founder on the logo. We ordered two small bowls to refuel after our earlier hike, and the noodles were all well-flavored and pleasantly al dente. But which shop had the original original Dadamian? That's China at its most authentic.
Most historic towns in China follow a tourism model in which the town would be enclosed, guarded and charging money for entrance, as typified by the likes of Xitang and Tongli. We half-expected popular Jiezi to follow suit, and were pleasantly surprised by the absence of ticket booths or pesky tour guides hawking for business.
But the Old Town of Jiezi that greeted us was anything but old -- the Great Sichuan Earthquake of 2008 had destroyed most of that. Leading toward the town centre now is a wide promenade of limestone slabs and artificial rivers, flanked by brand new two-storey rowhouses in 18th Century Qing Dynasty style. Everything in camera view was clean and modern as exemplified by these contemporary statues designed as photo-ops for casual tourists.
There's almost an European feel to these airy townsquares and water fountains, except for the red lanterns overhanging the wooden verandas. Fortunately the remodeling was limited to just the main pedestrian zone -- 30 metres off to the side alleys and the real China emerged, with local women selling home-grown vegetables at the back of rundown three-wheeler trucks.
My wife's favorite discovery was an old-fashioned chestnut stand, luring its followers on this cold November day with its familiar crackling sound and hand-warming treats. In my mind few things pronounce Autumn in China better than the charred aroma of roasted chestnuts.
It was only last week when we visited another historic town known as Shangli, but the two couldn't have been more different in terms of refurbishments and tourist volumes. While Shangli still retained its streetfuls of Qing Dynasty houses and medieval bridges, Jiezi had lost much of its old self during the 2008 earthquake and had to reinvent itself into a picture-perfect tourist experience. While there is no doubt about the new Jiezi's commercial success, as a traveler I often wonder if this is the future for many of China's heritage sites.
But Jiezi isn't just a pretty face behind modern cosmetics -- there exists a genuine side in the backstreets where blue-collar laborers work, local grandpas hang out in mahjong parlours and off-school students and their moms zoom by on their electric scooters. Photogenic or not, that's the side that would interest most independent travelers, and it's still observable especially after the busloads of domestic Chinese tourists have departed in the late afternoon.
More importantly the locals seemed perfectly honest and content, as opposed to the entrepreneurism and aggressiveness we experienced in many such towns. Perhaps it's the laid-back lifestyle that Sichuanese people are famous for, something I can easily relate to as a Canadian.
One needs to appreciate the authentic Jiezi for what it is -- a 21st Century blue-collar town with remnants of a Qing Dynasty past -- instead of the 18th Century facade the tourist industry tries too hard to project. While it does sport a perfectly manicured, brand new face for the desires of mass tourism, there also exists an ungentrified side as represented by its working class townspeople. I still wouldn't rank Jiezi among my favorites, but there were aspects of the town that I found enjoyable.
Would I recommend Jiezi to fellow travelers? It's a good side-trip if you're visiting Mount Qingcheng like we were, and photographers would probably appreciate the atmosphere of the historic streets especially at dusk. But if you're a serious traveler and want to experience an authentic Sichuanese ancient town, I would recommend heading to Shangli soon, in case it gets devastated by another earthquake and gets redeveloped beyond recognition.
The trusty Bus 102 would take us directly back to our hotel in Dujiangyan. Two days on flatland was just the perfect cure for our slight altitude sickness at Mount Siguniang, though we had to return to the elevation of 2850m the next morning, at the medieval walled city of Songpan.
The New-Old Town of Jiezi
Reviewed by Laura
Published :
Rating : 4.5
Published :
Rating : 4.5
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