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FUMIN CANYON
Flowing out of the western side of
Dian Lake near Kunming, the Tang Lang River (Tang Lang
Chuan) snakes west then due north eventually entering
the Jinsha (Yangtze) River. LOCATION
MAP About 25 km north of Kunming, just upstream
from the Fumin County town, it cuts through a distinct
geologic formation creating a narrow canyon bordered
by steep limestone ramparts up to 100 m high. The tall
escarpment on the east side of the canyon is known locally
as Old Red Rock (Lao Hong Yan), due to the reddish-orange
appearance of much of the face. A shrine is built into
a cave on the west side of the valley. Know as the River
Cave (He Shan Dong), it is well known locally and attracts
small groups of tourists on nice weekends. A footpath
starting near the cave entrance accesses the pavilion
on top of the cliffs above the cave. It offers great
views of the valley and the climbing terrain of Old
Red Rock, directly across the canyon. One of the trails
that made up the famous transportation network called
the Ancient Tea and Horse Path (Cha Ma Gu Dao) passes
along the base of Old Red Rock. The Ancient Tea and
Horse trails brought tea grown in southern Yunnan into
Sichuan and Tibet. The particular variation that runs
through Fumin Canyon went from Kunming north to Sichuan.
Administratively, this climbing area lies on the Kunming-Fumin
county border. An ancient inscription near the southern
end of the Old Red Rock escarpment, near Ancient Tea
and Horse Path, marks the boundary.
Twelve climbing areas have been developed in Fumin
Canyon so far, including 8 individual crags adjacent
to the Tang Lang River and four faces of the Old Red
Rock escarpment that looms high above the river to the
east. Fumin is about 200 m lower in elevation than Kunming,
meaning it can be hot here on sunny days in late spring,
summer, and early fall. The crags are oriented in all
directions of the compass, however, so shaded routes
can always be found.
ACCESS
Private Vehicle: This is the easiest
way to get to Fumin Canyon climbing. Access via public
transportation is slightly less convenient than getting
to the Western Hills. Here are the travel directions
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Head north on Kun Rui
Way through the gritty neighborhoods of northwestern
Kunming. Follow the signs to Luchuan on Highway
108, a main transportation route to Sichuan. This
highway takes you through a toll booth and a tunnel
under the hills along the northern edge of the Kunming
basin. |
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In about 25 km you come
to a traffic circle; straight (north) is Luchuan
and right (northwest) is Fumin. Head to Fumin, which
is reached after 2 km. |
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Follow the road through
downtown Fumin. Take the first left after crossing
the bridge over the Tang Lang River. |
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This paved road goes up
the west side of the Tang Lang River. You will reach
River Cave after 5 km. |
Public Transportation: Access to
Fumin Canyon climbing using public transportation is
actually not difficult and, if you hit it right, doesn't
take that much longer than driving. Here are the steps:
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Get to the Huang Tu Po
area in northwestern Kunming using bus or taxi.
All the taxi drivers seem to know this place. Huang
Tu Po is the name of a major overpass on the outer
loop road and is the location of several bus stations.
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You get the direct Fumin
busses at the mid-sized bus station (zhong ba zhan),
whose entrance is immediately south of the underpass.
Busses leave when they are reasonably full, which
is every few minutes in the morning. The ride to
Fumin takes about 40 minutes and is 4-5 RMB. Also,
you can sometimes arrange for a private micro bus
that are always hanging around the Huang Tu Po area
to take you there (all the way up river to the climbing
area) for 10 yuan/person if you fill the vehicle
with 3-5 people; negotiate the price. |
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The Fumin bus stop is
at the southeastern edge of downtown. Walk 1 km
northwest down the main street, cross the river,
and take first left (same as directions for private
vehicle). Pony carts will be lined up along this
street waiting to take passengers upriver. The price
is negotiable, but should be less than 5 yuan to
River Cave. The quicker way is to hire one of the
many three-wheeled motorcycle taxis to take you
upriver for about 8 yuan. These taxis can only handle
2-3 people, but are much faster. Sometimes a micro
bus will also take you up river for a reasonable
price. |
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To return to Kunming reverse
the steps. Catch a pony cart downriver, walk uptown
to the bus stop, and take the bus back to Huang
Tu Po in Kunming. As at Huang Tu Po, busses leave
when they are mostly full, which is about every
30 minutes in the afternoon and evening. The last
bus is at 7 PM. If you arrive in town later than
that, negotiate a price back to Kunming with one
of he many microbuses lined up around the traffic
circle near the bus station. |
LAND MANAGEMENT
The climbing at Fumin is in the countryside away
from any major population and tourist centers. Right
now there are no management and access issues, but be
considerate of the local farmers and goat herders that
use the area. For example, crop fields lie at the base
of Orange Face; do not trample these fields.
THE ROUTES
There are two general areas to climb in Fumin Canyon,
one high and one low. Down low, adjacent to the Tang
Lang River, there are eight separate crags on the east
and west sides of the valley. Looming high above the
river to the east is Old Red Rock, where four separate
walls have been developed so far.
Grade distribution
First Ascents: First Ascent (FA) information
is provided in the description of each climb. Names
of first ascentionists mentioned in this version of
the guide:
| Chong
= Zhou Chenshu |
Germek
= Blaz Germek |
| Ma = Ma Zhiyong |
WangB = Wang Bin |
| WangZ = Wang Zhiming |
LiuX = Liu Xinan |
| Moseley = Bob Moseley |
Buntaine = Mark Buntaine |
| Mullen = Renée Mullen |
Cao = Cao Rongyu |
| Zhao = Zhao Lei |
LiuC = Liu Cong |
| Duan = Duan Nan |
Yao = Tony Yao and DeAnn Masin |
| Johnson = Doug Johnson |
Colwell = Doug Colwell |
| Stover = Kelly Stover |
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