We went to Beichuan Banacha and enjoyed the spring flowers along the way.

On a beautiful Sunday, March 9th, my husband and I drove from Mianyang to Beichuan, about 40 kilometers away. It had been several years since our last visit. In the decade following the earthquake, we frequently visited Beichuan during its reconstruction. I remember the first time we went, there weren't even any restrooms… it was quite awkward. Later, we accompanied family, relatives, and friends on numerous trips to Beichuan, admiring the unique Qiang architecture, shopping and strolling on Yuwang Bridge, and dining at the Banacha scenic area. I remember the road from Mianyang to Beichuan being lined with flowers. One year, the blooming white magnolia trees were a feast for the eyes. I decided then that I must return during magnolia season. Several years passed, and after the pandemic, I hadn't been back. Recently, I've been thinking how wonderful it would be if the 5A Banacha scenic area became as popular as Harbin in winter, attracting tourists from all over China and the world, boosting the local economy. Since we didn't plan to spend too much time at the scenic area itself, we focused on enjoying the scenery and flowers along the way. Besides lush greenery, there were many flowers in bloom along the road, mainly purple-leaf plums and some fading crabapple blossoms. We took a small road through the countryside, stopping to admire the spring scenery. We were delighted to find beautiful rapeseed flowers, pea flowers, and a few early peach blossoms, reminding me of the poem by Su Dongpo, "Peach blossoms in twos and threes outside the bamboo grove, the ducks know first when the river warms in spring." Although I didn't see any ducks, we later spotted egrets by Yuwang Bridge, but they were too far away to photograph. (Incidentally, Yuwang Bridge was under construction and closed to pedestrians; it used to be a bustling commercial street.) Of course, I was most eager to see the white magnolias, and it was perfect timing! The beautiful white magnolias bloomed under the clear blue sky, their petals resembling ancient jade artifacts. Later, from the car, we saw a large grove of magnolia trees near the Banacha parking lot. We got out of the car and walked along the greenway by Yuwang Bridge and the Anchang River. The scenery was stunning, with distant mountains visible, a view impossible to find in Mianyang city. Sadly, there were hardly any people around. In a big city, such a beautiful environment would be filled with people exercising. We saw a young mother encouraging her four or five-year-old son as they rode their bikes, one behind the other. We gave the boy a thumbs-up. Only a few winter jasmine flowers were in bloom, but clusters of small blue flowers dotted the grass, a lovely sight. I even saw tadpoles in the river, which reminded me of the cartoon "Little Tadpoles Looking for Their Mother." The poppies at the entrance of Banacha were absolutely breathtaking! I spent a long time there taking pictures of the flowers and bees. We had lunch at Banacha, strolled around, and bought some local products, including houttuynia cordata (fish mint) dug up by an elderly man from the mountains and eggs from his free-range chickens. Satisfied with our meal, our walk, and the beautiful scenery, we felt good about contributing to the local economy, and we drove home. The parking fee was only two yuan, incredibly cheap. We almost got lost on the way back, proving my husband's point that Beichuan is a place where you can easily lose your way. Beichuan is beautiful in spring, and we welcome you to visit!