Central covered Bridge on Main Street, looking south.
South Gate, looking south from central covered bridge.
Tibetan shopkeeper with amber hair decorations and turquoise and coral silver jewelry.
Red coral and amber hair decorations and a traditional friendly greeting - sticking your tongue out.
Even monks like a little walkabout to check out the action and shop a little.
Sonpgan is about 20-30% muslim.
Teahouses along the Min River are as much for drinking tea as for playing mahjong.
Bread! A delicacy in China.
On the way to school - a baozi a day keeps the doctor away.
Yinyue Bridge, renovated with kind donations from local Songpaners in 1986.
The Chinese princess Wencheng (Wénchéng Gōngzhǔ 文成公主, Tib. Mung-chang Kungco) passed through Songpan during the Tang Dynasty (ca year 640 or 641) when she was travelling to Lhasa to wed the Tibetan King Songtsen Gampo in a peace agreement between the two nations. She was a niece of Emperor Taizong and died in 680. I must admit I am not sure who is the man beside her, surely not Songtsen Gampo as Wencheng was transported to Lhasa by a high official and was rumored to actually be pregnant with his child by the time she arrived in Lhasa almost a year later.
Comment from Ingrid: Paddy tells me that this is indeed Wencheng AND Songtsen Gampo, in a mythic creation by the government to make people believe that SG actually came all the way to Songpan to meet her there. Not true...
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