Approach: The trip to Hong Kong was a Cathay Pacific flight which left London where we found the Anglo-Saxon group, the three customers and the Scottish guide specialist in Tibetology. It should be specified that the customers were actually an American couple and an Englishman. The French group was composed of 6 women and me.

Hong Kong, a stopover city par excellence for any trip to Asia, was visited several times at the time of the journeys to China, Hong Kong.

Canton, is one of the cities to enter China. Canton was also visited several times.

Chengdu, was a stage of the South Road journey, Chengdu

Approach: The group split in the three vehicles for the long tour from Chengdu to Lanzhou. Very quickly the difficulties occurred. After Ya'an the pouring rain had gullied the mountain causing rock-slides and torrent enlargement. We found ourselves blocked in front of an insuperable ford with tens of trucks on either side. The situation was solved after several hours waiting by the arrival of heavy machines.

Ya'an : The city, the first stage of the trip, is still located in the Sichuan area. After the Kaka Buddha La, pass +3,000m high, a superb sight on Minyak-Kangkar, 7.556m high, gave the context of the journey in this area.
Luting is regarded as the border town between Tibet, Kham area, and China, Sichuan area. The natural border is materialized by the Ngul-chu river spanned by an iron bridge.

Dartsedo: Like the majority of the Kham cities integrated in the Chinese areas, each locality is known under the Chinese name and the Tibetan name. Darsedo is called Kangting and named Tatsienlou by Alexandra David-Neel. The traditional Tibetan houses are gradually replaced by the Chinese standard. Seven monasteries have survived the old days and the various ravages. The largest two were visited.
Ngachu, Gelugpa monastery, was restored recently.
Dordrak, Nyingmapa monastery, was in restoration at the time of our passage.
The catholic mission, still active, was Alexandra David-Neel's refuge during World War II, from 04 July 1938 until 1943. She wrote many books there.

Pel Lhangong: Tagon-Si, the monastery may have been built at the time of Songsten Gampo on the orders of his future wife, princess Wencheng. Belonging to the Sakya sect, it has a Buddha statue in the reclining position, "the mind at rest".
Road 317 continues its rise towards the plateau through many villages influenced by Chinese presence.

Kantze: The return of Kham to the Lhasa rule was made at the time of the Mongol vassalage in the 17th century. Two Dzongs were built of which nothing is left. A small temple, Da Gompa, may date back to the 9th century. It has a xylography workshop to print religious literature.
The monastery, of the Gelugpa sect, clings on the mountainside with the monk cells staged at its foot. Access is by a narrow and stiff path curving between the monks' dwellings. This monastic urbanization type is common in all Tibet. I found it in Ladakh. T he monastery, with approximately 700 monks, exhibits rich art, statues, paintings and a large library.

Approach: Road 317, was left to go to Katok monastery where we remained several days to attend the festival. The village of Horpo, 3,200 m high, is at the junction of the track to the two following stages.

Pelyul: The monastery was reached from Horpo following the Yangste river. It was founded in 1665 by the King of Derge, it is attached to the Nyingmapa sect. It was entirely rebuilt in 1981. It contains some beautiful statues, in particular, of Padmasambhava who may have hidden writings found later and called, terma,  hidden treasures.

Kato Dorje-Den: The monastery, 4,000m high, was reached after a three-hour walk or horse riding, according to the preference of the participants. It was the annual festival. Our arrival had been announced by word of mouth. When our group was within sight of the monastery, the pilgrims ran to us to carry us in triumph to the monastery. The site, surrounded by mountains, built on a rocky plateau, is magic in the elegance of its buildings raised on a spur. For three days we attended the festival in honour of Padmasambhava, ritual dances on the temple esplanade. We stayed in a house over the festival square.

Derge: The city, 3,300m high, is on the edge of an impetuous torrent, Zi-chu. Houses are built overhanging the river. The city was the capital of a very influential Kingdom until the 18th century. It has two temples, Lhundrupteng and the one dedicated to Tsangtong Gyelpo, who was a tertön, discoverer of treasures, hidden holy literature.
Parkhang: The printing of Kanjur and Tanjur is the most important activity of Derge. The printing works are installed in a provisional building until the restoration of the original building is completed. The site of Derge was the target of the Red Guards.

Approach: The trip took road 317 again, on a few kilometres, as far as Manigango to continue on a trail to the main crossroads of Shewu where we took road 214 eastwards as far as Huashixia.

Manigango: The road going to Manigango crossed the Tro La pass, 4,916m high, and passed along the sacred lake of Yilhun Lhasto surrounded by stones engraved of the mantra "Om mani padme hum". The vastest plain surrounding the village is the place of the Khampa nomad and rider annual gathering in August. Yaser Gompa temple is part of Dzogchen.

Dzogchen: Located 4,000m high, the Nyingmapa monastery was founded in the 17th century. The buildings are in restoration. The main building has fine carved wood beams, which support the central part of the prayer room. In the mountain the college of Shrisimba, is surrounded by aa earth wall. The group had the privilege to meet the Rinpoche in private audience and to receive his blessing.

Shewu: The city at the crossroads is a trade and transit centre. At the time of our passage the festival held at the beginning of August ha finished the day before. The delay was the consequence of our "captivity" in Derge decided by the authorities.
Drogon, the monastery is attached to the Ningmapa sect. In accordance with the architecture of Kantze on the mountainside, it was restored in 1981.
Nyi-dzong, is a temple attached to the Drigungpa Kagyu sect.

Jyekundo: The city is also known under the name of Yushu. Located 3,800m high it lodged Alexandra David-Neel from September 1921 to July 1922, she was blocked by the winter as well as by the authority refusal to let her continue her trip. A caravan city, it became the prefecture of the Yushu area in 1951.
Jyeku, The Sakyapa monastery was built in 1187. It was destroyed by the Red Guards.

Mado: Also called Madoi, it is a garrison town. We were lodged in the barracks nearly to 5,000m high. It was a stopover city before taking the trail from Huashixia to Ngawa via Darlag and Parma.

Approach: The town of Huashixia is at the crossroads of roads towards the south east to go to Longriba to join road 213 and to head towards north east to visit the monastery of Labrang.

Darla: The city is still a caravan stage for the Yak caravans that we met there, led by savage Khampa.
This city is also dear to my heart, the group celebrated my 50th birthday, August 10, 1990.

Ngawa: In full Golok land, the city is located on a rich plateau of cultures and has many monasteries worthy of interest. A Bon temple and one of the Gelugpa sect, Setenling, whose library has an Tanjur edition from Derge.

Dzoge: The city, known under the name of Zoige, is famous for its medicinal plants.

Labrang: The monastery, known under the name of Labuling Si, was founded in 1709. Built at the foot of the mountain close to the village of Xiahe, it covers a surface of 87 hectares and accommodates up to 3,000 monks. Out of the 63 buildings of the site, only 15 are left after the ravages of the Cultural Revolution.  The library has approximately 20,000 books. The most interesting buildings are the Gold Temple and the Large Assembly Room. The court of philosophical debates again rings with the student oratorical contests at the time of the examinations in front of the Great Masters.
Alexandra David-Neel stayed at the inn of the village from March 30 to April 4 1921 before leaving for Jeykundo which she reached on September 15, 1921. She was integrated perfectly into the population after her two-year stay at the Kumbum monastery .

Approach: The return took the reverse way, a plane to Canton, a train to Hong Kong.

Lanzhou, was visited at the time of the journey to the Silk Road. The return to Lanzhou after the visit of the Labrang monastery was the occasion to make a detour by Yongjing to visit:
The Caves of Biling Si and the Great Buddha statue, 27m high: The building work started at the end of the Wei dynasty, (386-534) to continue under Tang (618-907) and to finish under Ming (1368-1644). This set is in a fantastic scenery of Yellow river gorges cut by water in the mountains of blue, ochre, yellow colour.

Canton: The town of Canton has already been commented on.

Hong Kong: The town of Hong Kong has already been commented on.