The Most Beautiful and Longest Scenic Road of China - G318

China National Highway 318 (G318), one of the most splendid and dangerous road trip and cycling routes in the world, is known as “heavenly road” for its wondrous landscapes and unique Tibetan culture. The road itself is a heart-touching attraction for its high altitude, ruggedness, and great scenery.

Across China: a combination of various rare landscapes

G318 was completed and went into service in 1954. Starting from People’s Square in Shanghai, the road runs through Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui, Hubei, Chongqing, and Sichuan before it finally reaches Tibet. With a length of over five thousand kilometers, it is the longest national highway in China. Stretching across east, middle and west China, G318 contains such natural landscapes as plain, hill, basin, and plateau, and connects water town culture in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, basin culture of Chongqing and Sichuan, and Tibetan culture. Owing to its precipitous cliffs, magnificent valleys and amazing wonders, G318 is rated as the “Scenic Road of the Chinese” by Chinese National Geography magazine.

The graceful and glorious views of China some of which are quite rare appear one after another as you travel along G318: plains, plateaus, low hills, high mountains, freshwater lakes, salt water lakes, rainforests, scrubs, grasslands, deserts, etc. In addition, a journey along G318 is also a journey through history from which you can find the rice seven thousand years ago at Hemudu, the millet found at Changdu Ruins in Chamdo county, the jade of Liangzhu culture, the bronze of Sanxingdui, the ancient houses in Zhouzhuang and Tongli, the local towered buildings at Danba, and the ancient Tangbo Road. The Chinese in the east and Tibetans in the west as well as the Qiang people in the north and the Yi people in the south along this road together built the colorful and glamorous culture of China.

Magical landscapes: the most intensive scenic belt along 30°N

There is a well-known yet mysterious belt in the planet we live and that is 30°N, which links a number of world wonders and mysteries. Famous rivers around the world like the Mississippi in the US, the Euphrates in Iraq, the Yangtze River in China all flow into the sea at around 30°N. What’s more, the pyramids and the Great Sphinx of Giza in Egypt, the Bermuda Triangle, the legendary Atlantis, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, and the Sea of Death also gather around 30°N.

Examining the numerous scenic spots, you will find that China has the most extensive and the largest number of scenic areas around 30°N. Most of these scenic areas also line G318 for this heavenly road almost follows 30°N. The mysterious and wonderful landscapes generally lie just beside the road or within 200 kilometers to the north or south of the road. They include not only such famous tourist destinations like Qiantang River, West Lake, Mount Huang, Mount Lu, Poyang Lake, Shennongjia, the

Three Gorges, Zhangjiajie, and Mount Emei but also some landscapes hardly known to people like Mount Gongga, the Grand Glacier Cascade of Hailuogou, Mount Zheduo, Mount Yala, and the three snow mountains in Daocheng, which come into sight one after antoher. Moving westward on, you will see four mountains with heights of over 8,000 meters, one of which is the Everest, the highest point on earth. Besides, G318 is also lined with so many unnamed giant snow mountains and glaciers that you could do nothing but behold and marvel at them.

Southern section of Chuanzang Highway: faith and danger come together

The part of G318 in Sichuan and Tibet belongs to the southern section of Chuanzhang Highway (Sichuan-Tibet Highway) and it is home to the most beautiful scenery of this scenic road. The southern section of Chuanzhang Highway stretches for over 2,100 kilometers, 1,300 kilometers of which is in Tibet and 800 kilometers in Sichuan. The landscapes on the way are forever changing and traveling along the way you may get the miraculous feeling of “different weather in different areas and a mountain has four seasons”. Furthermore, this section of the road is also regarded as one of the most dangerous and difficult roads in China by visitors.

The highlight of the views along Chuangzang section of G318 is its canyons. The landscapes are embraced by various canyons. The first half of the road cuts across several grand ravines of the Hengduan Mountains while the second half meanders along the valleys of Yarlung Zangbo River, namely the gorges in Nyenchen Tanglha Mountains. It’s worth mentioning that the Hengduan Mountains in the east of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is the most complicated alpine gorge area in the world and a journey through this region is known as “soul in heaven and body in hell”. The gorges along this road also enjoy great fame: the most beautiful gorge-Dadu River Gorge, the most dangerous gorge-Lancang River Gorge, the largest and third largest gorges in the world - Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon and Parlung Zangbo Grand Canyon.