A wild jewel

Polychromatic prayer flags, and local Tibetans leading mules carrying cargos along the difficult mountain path, and international running festival are among highlights in Yading.[Photo by Yang Feiyue / China Daily]

The place is considered by many to be one of the few remaining pristine lands on earth. It was first brought to the attention of the Western world by Joseph Rock, an American explorer, who presented the stunning beauty of Yading in National Geographic magazine in 1931.

Due to its remoteness, the Yading Nature Reserve remained a relatively unbeaten path for visitors from home and abroad over the years.

But building the local airport in September 2013 changed things.

It takes roughly one hour to get there from Chengdu now. Many comers will take photos at the Yading airport, which is 4,411 meters above sea level and claims to be the highest civil airport on Earth.

Direct flights to many major cities, including Chongqing, Zhejiang province's Hangzhou and Shaanxi province's Xi'an are now available.

The best season for visits is from May to mid October. Climate gets rough in winter.

The Yading scenic spot received 153,000 visits for the first six months of 2015, surging more than 60 percent over the previous year, according to the local tourism authority.

Tourism income stood at 61.1 million yuan ($8.9 million).

At the National Day holiday (October 1-7) in 2016, the number of visitors had to be limited to 8,150 a day, and tickets were sold out in the first three days.

Yading is filled with stunning beauty and is ideal for those with an adventurous spirit.

The Chonggu Monastery is nearly 800 years old and sits at the base of Chenresig Mountain (Xiannairi in Chinese), which is 6,032 meters above sea level and the highest in the reserve. The view of the golden-roofed monastery against the backdrop of the snow peak and blue sky is just superb.

The temple offers free access and one could see monks going round their daily business.