Yajiang

Yajiang is a modern town of under 10,000 people set in a steep valley along the southern Tibet-Sichuan highway (G318) in Ganzi in Sichuan, at an altitude of roughly 2,900 meters. It consists mainly of one long street (Jiefang Jie), with a large square in the town center and several busy side streets adjoining. The town is dusty, and its buildings are modern and mostly somewhat drab, but the surrounding hillsides are attractive, and there is a temple atop one of them. Because of its altitude and location, it sometimes serves as a stop between Kangding and Litang for bicyclists or those averse to long rides. The town is almost entirely Tibetan; many people do not speak fluent Chinese, and few speak English.