Ya'an

Ya'an was historically known as the start of the Tea-Horse Road, the ancient trade route that carried Sichuan tea to Tibet and brought horses back to China. The city itself is modest and unspoilt by mass tourism, offering refreshing authenticity compared to Chengdu. The Bifengxia Giant Panda Base houses dozens of pandas in a gorge environment with cascading waterfalls and natural bamboo — far more naturalistic than Chengdu's urban facility. Ya'an is also the gateway to Wolong National Nature Reserve (150 km north) and the scenic Luding area to the west.