Ridang, Gongshan

Gongshan (Gongshan Derung and Nu Autonomous County) is in Western Yunnan, China. It is a remote city of 38,000 people (2010) covering 4,500 km² in the northern Nujiang Valley. Cikai City is the main settlement, with about 15,000 people. Tibetan cultural influence is visible in the city due to its vicinity to the province. The city is home to various ethnic minorities of China, including the Lisu, Dulong, and Tibetan peoples.

Understand

Gongshan is in the Hengduan Mountains, and with the Salween and N'Mai rivers running through the county. The N'Mai River is known for its green appearance. In the spring, flowers blossom in the fields and gardens of Bingzhongluo.

The county's three major mountain ranges are the Biluo Snow Mountains (碧罗雪山), the Gaoligong Mountains, and the Dandanglika Mountains

Get in

By bus

The only bus station in Gongshan is on the main circle road.

From Liuku there are no sleeper buses. Daily buses run from 07:00 till 13:00. They cost ¥71 and are very uncomfortable. The bus takes around 7-8 hours, depending on road conditions. Especially in summer landslides are common.

From Bing Zhongluo Xiang coming down to Gongshan buses leave every hour from 07:00 till 16:00. They cost ¥12 and take about one hour.

Buses to Liuku leave every day from 07:30 till 11:30 (price ¥71).

Buses to Bing Zhongluo Xiang leave hourly (¥12).

Public SUV-Buses to Dulongjiang (¥60).

By minibus

Minibuses leave at the bus station and the big road crossing next to the food market.

For minibuses, to Fugong (¥40) and Liuku (¥80), it is best to go to the bus station

Minibuses to Dimaluo and Bingzhongluo leave at the big road crossing.

Get around

Gongshan is a small city surrounded by mountains. Everything is in walkable distance.

Since the city is made of a one-way circle road, taxis drive all the time around this circle. To take a taxi on the circle costs ¥3 to ¥5 (at night ¥5 to ¥10).

See

• The Christian church is a beautiful piece of architecture and worth a visit. The church service can be joined every Sunday at 11:00.

Do

Water mill in Gongshan

• Hiking: Gongshan is a fantastic starting point for hiking trips since Gongshan lies in the middle of the Hengduan mountain range. Make sure to be well equipped. The weather in Gongshan is unpredictable and the mountains are wild. Hiking maps can't be obtained in Gongshan. The only possibility to buy hiking maps of the region is Aluo's Hostel in Bing Zhongluo Xiang and in Dimaluo. These maps are very basic though.
• Visit the Dulongjiang
• Piao Niu Wu (剽牛舞, literally "slaughter cattle dance") is a traditional ceremony of the Derung People unique to Gongshan County. Traditionally performed during Derung New Year, the ceremony is prepared by tying a cattle to a sacrificial pole with traditional Derung rope, placing bead ornaments on the cattle, and placing other material sacrifices in front of it. The host of the ceremony then leads a prayer, and another man pierces the cattle's heart with a bamboo spear once the prayer is finished. Before preparing the dead cattle for further use, the ceremony host performs a ritual fortune-telling. This follows with traditional song and dance. In modern times, the festival has become less common, and is typically for entertainment purposes, rather than spiritual ones.

Buy

In Gongshan County and Fugong County, it is not possible to get money from an ATM with a foreign credit card. Only domestic cards are accepted. Thus it is recommended to bring enough cash in case you don't possess a domestic card. The last possibility to get money is in Liuku

• Traditional cloth: Tibetan, Lisu, and Dulung clothes can be purchased in one of the tailorings next to the food market.

Eat

• Tibetan Food: There is a Tibetan restaurant next to the hospital (医院 yīyuàn). The prices are very cheap.

Drink

• Tibetan Dance Bar (close to the market). Daily from 20:00 to 12:00. You can watch Tibetan dance shows or just dance on your own. Beers are about ¥12. 

Sleep

There are many hotels around the bus station. They cost about ¥60 to ¥150 per night for a double room.