This picture shows a part of the Nujiang Valley, Yunnan, China, about halfway up north. Coined the Grand Canyon of the East, by Jim Goodman, the gorge is well off the beaten track as the road leading North from its entry point leads to a place where one can only travel back, or hike over the mountain ranges rising up on both sides.

This picture shows a part of the Nujiang Valley, Yunnan, China, about halfway up north. Coined the Grand Canyon of the East, by Jim Goodman, the gorge is well off the beaten track as the road leading North from its entry point leads to a place where one can only travel back, or hike over the mountain ranges rising up on both sides. Bridges these days are plentiful and many new are being built. Traditionally the local population traveled by rope bridges (zip lines), but the local government in recent years have been building many suspension bridges. This is an older example, broken and no longer in use.

This picture shows a part of the Nujiang Valley, Yunnan, China, about halfway up north. Coined the Grand Canyon of the East, by Jim Goodman, the gorge is well off the beaten track as the road leading North from its entry point leads to a place where one can only travel back, or hike over the mountain ranges rising up on both sides. Local people these days mostly use simple concrete bricks to build their houses, as opposed to wood and bamboo, used in older times. This man is on his way down the rice terraces where a new house is being built.

This picture shows a part of the Nujiang Valley, Yunnan, China, about halfway up north. Coined the Grand Canyon of the East, by Jim Goodman, the gorge is well off the beaten track as the road leading North from its entry point leads to a place where one can only travel back, or hike over the mountain ranges rising up on both sides. Rope bridges (ziplines) such as these were the traditional means to cross the Nujiang before the construction of modern bridges (mostly suspension bridges). These days, most Rope bridges have been taken down and those that are left are no longer made of rope, but replaced by steel cables. This Lisu woman is crossing the river to go to a local market at Lishadi village.

This picture shows a part of the Nujiang Valley, Yunnan, China, about halfway up north. Coined the Grand Canyon of the East, by Jim Goodman, the gorge is well off the beaten track as the road leading North from its entry point leads to a place where one can only travel back, or hike over the mountain ranges rising up on both sides. Rope bridges (ziplines) such as these were the traditional means to cross the Nujiang before the construction of modern bridges (mostly suspension bridges). These days, most Rope bridges have been taken down and those that are left are no longer made of rope, but replaced by steel cables. This Lisu man is crossing the river to go to a local market at Lishadi village.

This picture shows a part of the Nujiang Valley, Yunnan, China, about halfway up north. Coined the Grand Canyon of the East, by Jim Goodman, the gorge is well off the beaten track as the road leading North from its entry point leads to a place where one can only travel back, or hike over the mountain ranges rising up on both sides. A few kilometers south of Lishadi village, halfway up the gorge, the most famous mountain of the area becomes visible. The Stone Moon (Shiyueliang) lies on the Gaoligong Mountains and is a large hole in one of the peaks. The picture shows one of the Nu river's bends from which the Stone Moon is visible.

This picture shows a part of the Nujiang Valley, Yunnan, China, about halfway up north. Coined the Grand Canyon of the East, by Jim Goodman, the gorge is well off the beaten track as the road leading North from its entry point leads to a place where one can only travel back, or hike over the mountain ranges rising up on both sides. In the valley a lot of the available land is cultivated and rice terraces can be found throughout the valley. Here local Lisu people are at work in the paddy fields.

This picture shows a part of the Nujiang Valley, Yunnan, China, about halfway up north. Coined the Grand Canyon of the East, by Jim Goodman, the gorge is well off the beaten track as the road leading North from its entry point leads to a place where one can only travel back, or hike over the mountain ranges rising up on both sides. Rope bridges (ziplines) such as these were the traditional means to cross the Nujiang before the construction of modern bridges (mostly suspension bridges). These days, most Rope bridges have been taken down and those that are left are no longer made of rope, but replaced by steel cables. This Lisu woman is crossing the river to go to a local market at Lishadi village.

This picture shows a part of the Nujiang Valley, Yunnan, China, about halfway up north. Coined the Grand Canyon of the East, by Jim Goodman, the gorge is well off the beaten track as the road leading North from its entry point leads to a place where one can only travel back, or hike over the mountain ranges rising up on both sides. This old Lisu women carries part of the harvest back to her village.

This picture shows a part of the Nujiang Valley, Yunnan, China, about halfway up north. Coined the Grand Canyon of the East, by Jim Goodman, the gorge is well off the beaten track as the road leading North from its entry point leads to a place where one can only travel back, or hike over the mountain ranges rising up on both sides. Rope bridges (ziplines) such as these were the traditional means to cross the Nujiang before the construction of modern bridges (mostly suspension bridges). These days, most Rope bridges have been taken down and those that are left are no longer made of rope, but replaced by steel cables. This Lisu man is crossing the river to go to a local market at Lishadi village.