yubeng and the sacred waterfalls
Yubeng is a sleepy village at the feet of Meili Mountain, right in the heart of the majestic and ancient Eastern Himalaya. The village is located on Chinese territory, in the western region of Yunnan, and is mainly inhabited by Tibetan people.
It is told that at the beginning of the modern era an old man showed up in the village of Xidang looking for provisions. None knew where the man came from. Curious people followed him and thus discovered the enchanting lush valley surrounded by snowy mountains which is cradle of Yubeng village.
Nowadays, Yubeng is only reachable on foot or by mule, through an arduous dirt path which challenges even the most skilled climbers. It is a seven hour walk that starts from the Mekong Valley, goes steeply up and then descends straight towards the petite valley of Yubeng, situated at around 3100 metres above sea level.
The valley is sacred for the Shanbu Waterfalls or Sacred Waterfalls, whose water has a purifier function as long as you get there on foot and walk three times around it, letting the power of water wash away every suffering. For this reason Yubeng is a pilgrimage destination.
On the dirt path to reach the valley and the waterfalls you can meet young adults, smiling old people and courageous children, all of them are Tibetan coming from the neighboring towns of Deqin and Shangri-la and other regions of Sichuan and Tibet. They are Lamaist devotees, followers of that school of thoughts which refers to the Dalai Lama.
When people meet on the way they exclaim "Tashi Deleh” and using a hand gesture facing the sky smile gently and wish that fortune could arrive to the person who stands in front of them.
Location:
Year:
2015
