Snow Dragon Jade Mountain overlooks the old and new city of Li Jiang. With an altitude of over sixteen thousand feet, the upper parts of which are accessible to tourists via cable cars, Yu Long Xue Shan is a snow covered jagged masterpiece of creation. A glacier on the upper part of the mountain lends a certain amount of beauty and awe to the place.
The visitor area starts at an atlitude of 14,500 feet, which, for those who are not in the best of health, can cause problems. Oxygen bags can be rented from the staff, and a small medical clinic facility is available. Despite these precautions, it apparently is not uncommon to see people take ill from the lack of oxygen. The day I was there, I came across an elderly Chinese woman who had fainted due to lack of oxygen, and, quite surprisingly, was being totally ignored by the staff, and family.
It was cold, it was harsh, it was beautiful. Unfortunately, the higher aspects of the tourist region were not available because of the snow pack. The images hopefully will convey a bit of what this experience was all about.
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