China Tibetan Tea Village
▲ 610 mJust out of Ya'an at about 610 m, the China Tibetan Tea Village is the historic source of Tibetan tea — pressed and packed here, then carried up onto the plateau by porters along the old tea road.
Day 2 of 20 · Act 1 · Out of Chengdu
The Rain City · Ya’an
Ya'an → Tianquan
1,382 m High point Easing upward
Through the rain city of Ya’an and on to Tianquan, where the road tilts up for the first time and the air turns green and wet.
Landmarks
Tianquan
天全 · 1,000 m
The last town before the climb into the Erlang gorges.
Stops along the way
3 scenic check-in spots on this stage — pull over at any of them for a postcard.
Feixianguan Tunnel Mouth
▲ 630 mFeixianguan, around 630 m, is the first great gateway into the mountains on the Sichuan–Tibet road — at the tunnel mouth the Qingyi River and the cliff press close together.
Longweixia Gorge Tunnel Mouth
▲ 790 mThrough the Longweixia Gorge tunnel at about 790 m you reach Tianquan, the last town before the climb into the Erlang gorges, with Mount Erlang's mist already pressing down to the valley mouth.
Questions about this day
How long is day 2, Ya’an to Tianquan?
A short, green warm-up day topping out around 1,382 m. It’s the first time the road tilts up, so it’s a good day to feel how the gears and your stamina trade off before the real climbing begins.
Why is Ya’an called the rain city?
Ya’an sits where wet basin air piles against the first mountains, so it rains a lot — locally it’s the "rain city." In the game expect a green, wet feel here, and a good chance of the rain weather rolling in.
How do I manage stamina on the first climbs?
Drop a gear and spin rather than mashing. Cycling 318 never fails you — if your stamina runs out you just step off and walk the bike a while — but easing into a steady rhythm now sets you up for the big passes ahead.
A shared postcard from Cycling 318
Ride your own 318
Cycling 318 turns the road to Lhasa into a daily, cozy ride. Check in at the landmarks, collect a postcard from each, and fill your 318 passport.
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