East of the Mountain

Dongda Mountain, a high mountain pass on the Sichuan-Tibet Highway, is also known as the “forbidden zone of life”. There is snow all year round. It is 5,008 meters above sea level. On one side of the mountain is the surging Lancang River, and on the other side is Zuogong. In Dongda Mountain, the temperature on the Bangda grassland can reach below zero degrees Celsius. However, the temperature on the banks of the Lancang River and the Nujiang River is around 20 degrees Celsius. The altitude difference experienced in a day can be nearly 2,500 meters. Between the two counties are Jueba Mountain, Lawu Mountain and Dongda Mountain with an altitude of nearly 6,000 meters. The road conditions are not very good, and there is often a feeling of “people and horses falling down”.