Xinduqiao Town, the paradise for Photographers

Xinduqiao is a small town located in the west of Kangding County. The altitude of Xinduqiao is about 3300 meters. Although there is no prominent landmark landscape, Xinduqiao is well known as the paradise for Photographers, with more than 10 kilometers’ long “photographer corridor”

This area is located in the junction of south line and north line of China National Highway 318. It’s a picturesque paradise. Magical light, vast grassland, winding creeks, golden Populus Albas, rolling hills, scattered Tibetan villages, and peace cattle and sheep in eating grass…all of these show the beautiful scenery of west Sichuan plains.

The Architecture in Xinduqiao Town

The local Tibetan dwellings are distinctive, with spacious courtyard, white walls and red-painted wooden door. Most of the houses are made of stone, with good ventilation and excellent lighting. The three windows on each wall are painted in red, black and white separately and dotted with patterns of sun, moon or triangles, symbolizing a large family and a prosperous year.

The best season to shoot Xinduqiao is the late autumn because the color, gradation and light at that time are the best.The best light comes out in the morning or evening. By then, standing on the hillside in front of the village, you can overlook the entire valley and watch the first rays of morning sun spread over the whole village or the last rays of evening sun gradually fade out in afar. When there are clouds in the sky, some fabulous rays of the sun will skillfully shine to the cottage, Populus Alba, or the sloping field.

The best places to photograph

01. The ten-mile road between Zheduoshan Mountain and Xinduqiao Town (the renowned Ten-mile Gallery), where you will find the earliest sunshine in a day.
02. The villages at the foot of Zheduoshan Mountain
03. The viewing platform for Mount Gongga