Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture | First Bend of the Yellow River | The best views are on the road.
The First Bend of the Yellow River is located in Tangke Town, Ruoergai County, Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province, and is a famous scenic spot at the junction of Sichuan, Qinghai, and Gansu provinces. Detailed introduction:
- Formation and evolution: The Yellow River merges with the Baihe River in Tangke Township, Ruoergai County, forming the First Bend of the Yellow River. Due to the squeeze of the three major tectonic belts of the North Qinling Mountains, Longmen Mountain, and Daxue Mountain, the Yellow River was blocked from continuing to move southeast from the northwest, and the Yellow River turned around at the northwest edge of Ruoergai County, forming a nearly perfect "U"-shaped large rotation.
- Natural geography:
- Location: Located at the junction of Sichuan, Qinghai, and Gansu provinces, 71 kilometers away from Ruoergai County.
- Climate: Cold and windy, with a plateau cold temperate humid monsoon climate, an average annual temperature of 1.1°C, an absolute minimum annual temperature of -33.7°C, an annual precipitation of 721.3 mm, an annual evaporation of 1212.6 mm, and more than 2300 hours of sunshine.
- Topography: Most of the land is plateau grassland, forest resources are scarce, and arbor trees are mainly cypress.
- Hydrology: The Yellow River is rich in water resources, and the water and grass are beautiful, making it an excellent natural pasture.
- Biodiversity: There are black-necked cranes, yaks, pheasants, mallards, hares, red-crowned cranes, Sichuan sika deer and other creatures, as well as cordyceps, star grass, red-flowered green wormwood and other national key protected plants.
- Scenic area layout: There are natural landscapes such as grasslands, meandering rivers, flower seas, cattle and sheep, as well as facilities and equipment such as squares, passenger transport centers, visitor centers, toilets, viewing corridors, viewing platforms, and escalators.
- Important attractions:
- First Bend: The water of the Yellow River comes from the sky, forming a unique landscape here, with many islands, red willow forests, red-crowned cranes, black-necked cranes, etc.
- Suoge Tibetan Temple: Also known as Suocang Temple, it belongs to the Gelug Sect of Tibetan Buddhism. It was built in 1658 and has a history of more than 300 years. The temple is located at the confluence of the Yellow River and the Baihe River at the first bend of the Yellow River in Miaoshan, with a huge flow. The riverfront in front of the temple is in the shape of a goldfish kissing, and the front of the temple site is surrounded by the water of the Yellow River.
- Viewing platform: The viewing platform of the First Bend of the Yellow River is on the top of the mountain on the north bank of the Yellow River, close to an altitude of 4000 meters. It is difficult for ordinary people to climb to the top. An elevator has been built to give ordinary people the opportunity to enjoy the beautiful scenery.