Milton Liu

Eastern Maoxian is traveled through often, in the passerby sense. The fast train station is located here, where many ride into and from Chengdu. Travelers typically arrive at the train station without spending much time in the immediate surroundings, before getting a ride to Fengyi (about a 30-minute drive). This “east wing” of Maoxian is composed of two very close neighbors: the towns of Fushun (富顺) and Tumen (土门). Suffice to say, they are down from the road from each…

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Nanxin (南新) is the town spread out over the southern “tip” of Maoxian. It is the closest Maoxian town to Wenchuan (汶川), the neighboring county that was the epicenter of the 2008 earthquake. The Minjiang and Highway 213 (G213) run alongside each other through Nanxin, going south into Wenchuan. G213 is rather noteworthy for running all the way from Inner Mongolia to Yunnan (where it reaches Laos). Over 1,700 miles through four provinces. In 2008 it was an essential route…

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The Mínjiāng (or Min River, or 岷江) is the 457-mile force which flows throughout Sichuan, and thus Chengdu… and Maoxian: the land of the Qiang people (羌族). In the town of Fengyi, which I consider the hub of Maoxian, this river separates the town in two. For maybe 5 miles here, roughly the length of Fengyi’s primary urban stretch, is a largely complete and connected promenade right by the Minjiang. Although some sections of it show their age more than…

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