Xiangcheng (乡城; Xiāng chéng - Tibetan: Chaktreng), is in Sichuan Province in south-west China. It also belongs to the ancient Tibetan province of Kham. Being a necessary overnight-stop on the 'Backdoor'-route to Yunnan, the town is a pleasant place to linger or to serve as starting point for excursions into the surrounding mountain areas. Coming over the mountain passes from either direction, you will at once spot the beautiful villages scattered amongst wheat-field-paddies in the valley ground. The large, cubicle houses look like little castles and with their white-chalked exterior walls give the whole valley a north-African air. Xiangcheng itself consists of an old village paired with a modern Chinese downtown.
Roads to the north are sealed, while the southern part to Shangrila is rubble and dirt, with construction work at both extremities of the road (2017). Despite the bumpy side, the road is however very scenic, passing a pass at around 4500m, and offering views on rocky peaks and deep gorges.
The Bus Station is at the southern end of town. The ticket-office is through the side-entrance of the building on your right hand side when facing uphill. Be sure to buy your advance-ticket on arrival, because buses can get crowded in summer. In low season it's ok to buy your ticket just before you leave, but the ticket office opens very shirt time before the bus leaves, especially in the morning. Buses arrive from Shangrila (6–9 hours, ¥85, departs daily at 08:00), Kangding (12–14 hours, ~¥160, departs daily at 06:00).
Departure times are as of November 2007 and both buses tend to leave earlier and fill up quickly! It is possible to buy tickets to Litang on the bus going to Kangding at06:00, around ¥70 (2017). It's a scenic 4-5 hour ride.
You can easily visit the town on foot.
Hike to the villages north of Xiangcheng
Hike to Bamu-Mountain.
Teach English and play with kids in a family owned language school (even for just 1 day) Stanley, a 30-year-old Tibetan guy, speaking very good English, has opened a private (but cheap) school in 2015 where kids goes during weekends and holidays to improve their English (seems that the teachers in public school are not very good). He is very nice and it's a great opportunity for him to meet English-speaking travelers in a not-touristy town where he and Angel, another young teacher lady from the school, are the only ones speaking English. As well, as great opportunity for you to meet an English teacher & Tibetan guy, learn about the culture, and interact with kids (between 6 and 10) in his small school. Stanley will certainly invite you for food and might even pay for your accommodation if you stay 1 or 2 days playing and teaching English to the kids. You can contact him by phone : 18123441020 or by email : shambhalaeducation@hotmail.com
Join the locals for a night of karaoke!
There is an internet coffee in a restaurant/hotel on top of the main street. It must be on the third floor. Looks like the place belongs to the local Police force so don't be surprised to see many of them playing games, drinking and smoking. They won't bother you.
Small shops downtown provide typical Tibetan clothing and jewellery.
Supermarkets on main-street sell food and toiletries, you can also buy bottles of beer and decent Chinese wine to make up your own nightlife.
Plenty of small restaurants are to be found on the main road. Look out for Muslim-specialties where the restaurant sign bears Arabic writing, green color and dried meat and yak carcasses are displayed in front of the shop.
There is not much nightlife in town. To have a beer, simply visit a restaurant.
Bamu Tibetan Guesthouse is a bit harder to get into now, the gate to the bus station seems to be permanently locked. If you go out of the bus station and turn left at the first road, there is a sign over a driveway on the left in colourful Chinese. This driveway will take you to an apartment building and the guesthouse. The woman there wouldn't do cheaper than ¥35-40 a night for a dorm bed (October 2016).
You can get a dorm bed at a place on the same road as the bus station for ¥25. Lamu, the woman who owns it, will probably try to advertise it at the bus station as you arrive. If you turn left and continue up the street for about 100 m, past the large hotel on the right, there is a concrete stairway in the middle of the building on the left. This will take you to Lamu's place. She speaks very limited English but is exceptionally goodhearted and will help you find a place to eat as well as buy cheap (cheaper than quoted at the ticket office) bus tickets if you ask.
People around Xiangcheng supposedly still own firearms left over from the guerrilla war against the Chinese invasion in the 1950s. In July 2007 a dispute about mushroom-collecting grounds between two villages in the district turned into a gunfight with more than 10 persons killed (story read on South China Morning Post).
Going south to Yunnan and Shangri La, if you are on your own (car, bike) try the S217, a rough piste through the mountains. Nearly no traffic but fantastic landscape. This road is sometimes closed few kilometers after Xiangchang at the end of the asphalt portion. If so you'll have to take the main road.
Buses for Shangri La depart daily from 6am at the Bus Station. The ticket office is open in the morning before the bus leaves but in Summer it is probably better to buy your ticket the day before (after 2pm). Don't expect any help from the ticket ladies!
2nd-order administrative division
Primary administrative division