A bunch of Tibetans known as Muya people live near Mount Gongga in Kangding City， Sichuan Province. This book summarizes the geographical and natural characteristics of Muya people’s living environment and their cultural heritage. With excellent pictures and accompanying texts， it introduces to the readers the Muya people who live at the foot of Mount Gongga. The book has three parts， including geographical and natural characteristics， cultural heritage， and customs and beliefs. The three parts respectively introduce the history of Muya people， their relationship with the Western Xia dynasty， Muya stone towers， scripture hall murals of the Ming dynasty in Muya area， Muya residential architecture and costumes， folk activities， and so on.

The West of Mount Gongga

Editorial Committee of The West of Mount Gongga

Sichuan Fine Arts Publishing House

September 2020

168 （CNY）

Editorial Committee of The West of Mount Gongga

The Editorial Committee of The West of Mount Gongga consists of senior Chinese geographical editors， authors of the Chinese National Geography， cultural studies scholars， and local cultural experts.

Exploring Mount Gongga， the King of Sichuan Mountains

A bunch of Tibetans known as Muya people live near Mount Gongga in Kangding City， Sichuan Province. This book summarizes the geographical and natural characteristics of Muya people’s living environment and their cultural heritage. With excellent pictures and accompanying texts， it introduces to the readers the Muya people who live at the foot of Mount Gongga. The book has three parts， including geographical and natural characteristics， cultural heritage， and customs and beliefs. The three parts respectively introduce the history of Muya people， their relationship with the Western Xia dynasty， Muya stone towers， scripture hall murals of the Ming dynasty in Muya area， Muya residential architecture and costumes， folk activities， and so on. With rich content and novel perspectives， this book focuses first on geography and biology， and then on culture and history. It is not only a photography book but also a popular science book of alpine geography and culture， revealing great significance of inheriting and developing local ethnic cultural characteristics.

If you get on a plane from Chengdu and fly westward over the Hengduan Mountains on a sunny day， you will see a dreamy world of snowy peaks outside the porthole half an hour later. Among them， one snow peak towers above the other 145 snow peaks at an altitude of over 5，000 meters. It is like the leader of an ancient army， standing on the land in the east and commanding thousands of troops behind him. It is Mount Gongga， the king of the Sichuan mountains and the highest peak in the Hengduan Mountains.

Mount Gongga is the highest peak both in the Hengduan Mountains， and in Sichuan Province. It is thus known as the king of the Sichuan mountains. It is the easternmost peak among China’s mountains at an altitude of over 7，000 meters. To the west of it is the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau， a sparsely populated area with steep and winding snowy peaks. To the east of it are prosperous cities with dense populations and famous mountains and rivers at altitudes of only 2，000 or 3，000 meters. Mount Gongga is on the dividing line between a “fairyland” and the human world.

In Tibetan， Gongga means white snowy mountain. Seventy-four large glaciers pour down from here， creating the ultimate beauty of China’s marine glaciers. Extending from north to south， this huge mountain is like a screen that not only blocks the monsoons blowing in from the ocean but also affects the communication and exchanges between residents on the two sides of the mountain.

Inhabitants appeared in this ancient land at the foot of Mount Gongga as early as the pre-Qin period. They thrived like other ethnic groups. In their long history of development on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau， they created the unique twin stone towers， 13 scripture hall towers， and over 30 ancient murals of the Ming and Qing dynasties. Outstanding figures include the Five Muya Sages.

This book focuses on an ethnic group living in the Liqu River （a tributary of the Yalong River） basin on the west side of Mount Gongga. They are called Muya Tibetans. Mount Gongga is also called Muya Gongga. This is almost known to everyone， indicating that the area historically closely related to Mount Gongga is the traditional area inhabited by this ethnic group. Moreover， the different landforms on the east and west sides of Mount Gongga are also the focus of this book.

Each place has its way of supporting its inhabitants. It is this difference that leads to the differences in production and lifestyles of inhabitants on the east and west sides. This is also revealed in their tangible culture and intangible culture. This book contains about 3，000 beautiful photos and illustrations that reveal strong visual appeal. However， this is not purely a photography book. The compiler pays more attention to whether it is informative and readable. In the use of pictures， it pays attention to whether they are rare， systematic， and storytelling. They can serve as content， rather than simply showing off photography skills.

Mount Gongga is a place every Sichuan native and even every Chinese should visit at least once in their lifetime. Otherwise， you wouldn’t know how wonderful the planet you live on is. Mount Gongga is also a place every photographer should visit at least once in their lives. Extreme glaciers and horns， a thin oxygen atmosphere， and an unpredictable climate all pose enormous challenges for any who make the trek.

In the past 70 years， the transport in Ganzi Prefecture has undergone earth-shaking changes. A diversified transport pattern consisting of airports， highways， and railways is gradually taking shape. Today， it is no longer out of reach to watch the sunrise by the glacier lake on Mount Gongga in the morning and return to Chengdu to dine at a hot pot restaurant in the evening. Please come to this area and explore the snowy mountains， grasslands， forests， lakes， and hot springs … Moreover， we advise you to slow down your steps and take a closer look at the people who have lived here for generations and their buildings and murals. You may find it is an immeasurable paradise.

Comparison of Scenic spots on the East and West Slopes of Mount Gongga

Apart from the scenic spots supported by the observation platforms， Mount Gongga also has many scenic spots that were formed by glaciers or by the effect of glaciers. The former is mainly concentrated on the eastern slope of Mount Gongga and has convenient transportation， complete tourism facilities， and adequate logistics service. However， the latter is relatively scattered at high altitude areas and has barely been developed for tourism. In recent years， those areas have been explored by backpackers and amateur photographers and subsequently went viral on the Internet.

During the Labor Day holiday in 2018， a Douyin video recorded on the west side of Mount Gongga quickly went viral on the internet and garnered tens of millions of views in just a few days. In the video， rosy clouds rose slowly on the snowy mountains; Mount Gongga broke through the clouds and towered above the peaks. In the foreground， the mirror-like surface of the lake reflects the snowy mountains， fascinating many people.

Since then， an endless stream of tourists has traveled to the small mountain village called Bangmu Jide in Mount Gongga Town （formerly Liuba Township） day and night. According to reports， nearly 100 people went up the mountain every day on weekdays， and that number increased to as many as 300 to 400 on holidays. The destination of most tourists was Lenggacuo， a glacial lake about 4，500 meters high on the mountain. It is not only a paradise for amateur photographers but also an ideal place for the artistic youth.

“Hearing you are in a place far away from me， I set out to travel thousands of miles to go to you. I feel the wind you have felt， does this count as a hug？ I walk through the road you have walked， does this count as a meeting … “ This is a very popular background song that many video producers put in the videos they recorded on the west side of Mount Gongga. Likewise， on the west side of Mount Gongga， Nama Peak， which is at an altitude of 5，588 meters， has attracted much attention in recent years. It is considered to be one of the easiest snowy mountains at an altitude of over 5，000 meters to climb on foot. In late April 2001， Mr. Billy and his wife from Germany first ascended the peak.

Since then， the number of climbers has increased year after year. In 2016， 16 climbers reached the summit simultaneously for the first time. Nama Peak has become the “new cyber star” in mountaineering circles. This cyber star indeed has something attractive. “The most attractive thing is not ascending the summit but the excellent scenery seen during the climb. Climbers will see such excellent scenery all along the ascent.” On Nama Peak reaching over 5，100 meters， climbers can then see the northwest and southwest walls of the main peak of Mount Gongga as well as the Xiaogongba glacier that pours down. The major selling point of Nama Peak may be its proximity to the main peak.