Penzhou Bailu Town 白鹿镇

Penzhou Bailu Town 白鹿镇

Bailu Town 白鹿镇  is around two hours from Chengdu in Pengzhou, one of the small mountain towns where people with vehicles like to take day trips. The place was the destination of French missionaries in the late 19^th to early 20^th century, and this connection to Europe is reflected in the place names and architecture. Though most of the remaining original European style architecture, including a large church, was destroyed in the earthquake of 2008, there is still half an arch from an ancient bridge. The previous middle school is now the site of a small earthquake memorial site, with sculptures of students fleeing the building. Visitors can see how the landscape was modified by the earthquake and look at some student art. Though very few of the original European style buildings in the small town are left, the architectural style and width of the newly constructed streets pay tribute to the European connection to history, including a new large church and town gate.

Bailu’s main attraction is the shallow river that runs through the town. Several foot bridges cross spots where families play with water guns and have splash fights. It’s a very refreshing place to spend a warm day. There is a place to go rafting and several areas where the current is gentle enough to set teahouse chairs in. Hao anyile!

Near the town are spots for hiking, a wildflower ‘sea’ and a few other interesting historic spots. The restaurants serve typical simple dishes that feature preserved meat like la rou, smoked duck, bamboo dishes and the purple wild vegetable known as jue cai stir fried with the local preserved pork. The guesthouses we asked at are in the range of 40-100 per night, but the spot is an easy day trip from town.