Amazing sights like Yichao Valley – Don't visit unless you appreciate the beauty of nature!

Hello everyone, I am Cheng Wen, a tourism doctor and a university professor. I enjoy visiting culturally rich and profound tourism resources. Today, I'd like to share a wonder on the Loess Plateau with you.

The Loess Plateau is located in northern China, encompassing areas in Gansu, Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, Qinghai, Shaanxi, and Shanxi provinces. It stretches over 1000 kilometers long and 750 kilometers wide north-south, making it the world's largest loess accumulation zone.

The Loess Plateau is one of the most severely eroded and ecologically fragile regions in the world. Due to long-term intensive river erosion, it has formed a unique natural landscape with countless gullies and fragmented terrain.

The vast Loess Plateau, seemingly monotonous in its scenery, can be discovered with careful observation, revealing many natural wonders. However, these wonders are rarely considered beautiful by locals. It's a normal phenomenon – farmers growing rapeseed won't think rapeseed flowers are beautiful. Similarly, the elderly farmers who work on the Loess Plateau every day wouldn't consider the loess beneath their feet a beautiful sight.
However, for those outside the Loess Plateau, these might be world-class wonders. Take Yan'an Ganquan's Rucha Gorge, for example; it was previously unknown for a long time.
It was only recently discovered, and people realized that Shaanxi Province has such a wonder.

The name of the gorge is Ganquan Rucha Gorge, located in the lower Baodian Village of Ganquan County, Yan'an City.

Many people, seeing photos of Rucha Gorge, ask: Is this like the American Grand Canyon?

Sorry, I haven't been to the Grand Canyon, so I can't make a comparison. Judging from the photos, there may be some similarities. The American Grand Canyon is already a world-renowned landmark, which shows that there are many people who like this kind of natural wonder.

Because Rucha Gorge was previously inaccessible due to transportation difficulties, it had few visitors. Since 2017, with increased recognition, it has gained a certain amount of popularity and stable customer base. The local government has also established the Ganquan Tourism Development Group Company to operate the scenic area. Therefore, in the past two years, visitors arriving at the tourist center must take a shuttle bus provided by the scenic area to enter. This journey feels at least ten kilometers. The shuttle bus will take you to several scattered gorge entrances, and tourists can visit on their own. The fare is 70 yuan.

Rucha Gorge has several key viewpoints, each with its own characteristics and different photo effects. However, overall, they are quite similar. I personally believe: It's better to visit a few key spots thoroughly rather than rushing to see everything.

Because of our time constraints, we only visited Rucha Sky River, Mudong Valley, and Hua tree Valley. I personally prefer Hua Tree Valley. The photos I'm sharing today are about two-thirds from Hua Tree Valley.

Many people look at the photos and feel that Rucha Gorge is not small, plus some self-media call it 'Rucha Big Canyon', which makes it seem like a very large canyon. In fact, it's not, and I must state truthfully: Each gorge is very small, about a hundred to a hundred and ten meters, and can basically only accommodate one person at a time. Therefore, the tourist reception capacity is very limited.

Most sightseeing tourists, at a normal speed, enter and exit, taking about ten minutes per gorge. For ordinary tourists, it's actually a little short. You'd better find other places to visit.

However, for photography enthusiasts, this is a good place to create. Although the gorge is small, the resulting feeling is still very large. If you're interested in photography, I don't recommend going with a team, otherwise dozens of people in the gorge will frequently enter your frame, making it difficult to avoid, or your tripod gets stuck in the road, making it impossible for others to pass.

My experience is at the end of team tours. After everyone has left, take a photo alone. You can take photos until the next batch of tourists arrive.

There's also a very important factor: time. It's said that you must enter the gorge around 10 am, and at noon, the sunlight will illuminate the gorge, which is the best time for photography.

When I went, because it was a large team, I didn't enter until 3:30 pm, which missed the best shooting time. The gorge was dark, so the photos weren't ideal.

Of course, I must honestly admit to everyone: The colors you see with your naked eyes may not be as brilliant. Photographers' edited photos are more beautiful. If you see it like this with your naked eyes, it will look better after editing.

Look up at the sky.

I took a very large number of photos to share.

Here are some tips for visiting Ganquan Rucha Gorge:

First, the temperature inside the gorge is lower than outside, and it's somewhat cold. If you walk around a loop and come back, it's best to wear thicker clothes. If you want to take photos inside, it's best to wear warmer clothes.

Second, the stream in the gorge is constantly flowing, and the road is wet and slippery, with some sections covered in water. Therefore, you must walk carefully. It's best to wear waterproof shoes.

Third, if the weather changes suddenly, don't force yourself to enter. For example, if it's raining or snowing, don't go.

Conclusion: I don't recommend the public to rush to visit.

This is the magical Loess Plateau. I believe this gorge is still worth visiting. However, I don't recommend the public to rush to visit, because the ecological environment here is very fragile.

For tourists who just want to take photos and check in, I suggest giving up this idea. First, the light inside the gorge is not easy to capture with a smartphone. Second, the scenery you see with your naked eyes is not as dazzling as the pictures on the internet. It doesn't mean the scenery is not good, just that the expectation raised by the pictures online is higher. Third, the gorge is short and damp, and many tourists in our team finished visiting in ten minutes. If you take a six-hour drive and visit for ten minutes, I don't advocate this approach. You'd better look for other places to visit.

Rucha Gorge is still for those who appreciate it.

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