GUANGYUAN, Sichuan, June 7 (China News Service) —“Ah, how perilous and towering it is! The road to Shu is harder than climbing to the heavens.” More than a thousand years ago, Tang Dynasty poet BaiLi; immortalized the hardships of the Ancient Shu Roads in his famous poem The Hard Road to Shu. A millennium later, overseas Chinese-language media representatives found themselves tracing that same historic route, winding through steep mountain passes and dramatic cliffs that once linked China's heartland with the Bashu region.

On June 7, participants in the “2026 Overseas Chinese Media Tour of Sichuan and Chongqing — Focusing on the Chengdu-Chongqing Twin-City Economic Circle” visited Jianmen Pass Scenic Area in Guangyuan, Sichuan Province.

Standing before the towering cliffs and looking out over the rugged landscape, YumeiSun, associate publisher of the Romanian Chinese-language newspaper European Overseas Chinese News, expressed her admiration.“I had heard of Jianmen Pass before, but I never imagined it would be this magnificent and awe-inspiring,” she said.

“Steep and lofty stands Jian'ge; one man guards the pass while ten thousand cannot break through.”Xue Yang, a staff member of Jianmen Pass Tourism Development Co., explained that Jianmen Pass was a strategic gateway along the Jinniu Route of the Ancient Shu Roads. Known as “the most formidable pass under heaven” and “the gateway to Shu,” it served for centuries as a vital corridor connecting central China with the southwest, facilitating trade and cultural exchange while also holding immense military significance.

Speaking about heritage preservation, Yang noted that efforts to protect the area's cultural relics and ancient trees have continued to intensify in recent years.“Our goal is to preserve these ancient sites and trees in their entirety and pass this invaluable heritage on to future generations,” she said.

On June 7, overseas Chinese-language media representatives receive an introduction to Jianmen Pass during the 2026 Overseas Chinese Media Tour of Sichuan and Chongqing. Photo by Zhang Lang.

“For people in ancient times, without modern technology, carving a road through such steep mountains must have required unimaginable wisdom and effort,” said Mao’e Li, editor-in-chief of The World Overseas Chinese Weekly in South Korea. “I was just telling my friends that this is truly one of the great transportation achievements of ancient China.”

Not far from Jianmen Pass lies the Cuiyun Corridor, where ancient cypress trees line the historic road, their canopies forming a continuous blanket of green. Stretching approximately 150 kilometers, the corridor is famous for its vast collection of ancient cypresses, many of them more than a thousand years old. It is often described as both a national treasure and a world wonder.

Unlike the dramatic cliffs of Jianmen Pass, the Cuiyun Corridor reveals another dimension of the Ancient Shu Roads. Beyond transportation and commerce, it reflects a longstanding tradition of planting trees to protect roads, respecting nature, and preserving civilization through ecological stewardship.

On June 7, overseas Chinese-language media representatives visit the Shidonggou section of the Cuiyun Corridor during the 2026 Overseas Chinese Media Tour of Sichuan and Chongqing. Photo by Zhang Lang.

Yang explained that the Cuiyun Corridor is home to 7,778 ancient cypress trees.“Each tree has its own identification plaque and unique number beginning with ‘5108,’” she said. “Interestingly, the ID numbers of Guangyuan residents also begin with ‘5108.’ In a sense, the ancient cypresses have their own electronic identity cards, just like local people.”

She added that conservation efforts now follow the principles of “one tree, one file; one tree, one protection plan; and one tree, one caretaker,” ensuring that every ancient tree receives individualized management and protection.

Walking among the ancient cypresses in the Shidonggou section of the Cuiyun Corridor, PingWang, deputy editor-in-chief of French Overseas Chinese News, gently placed her hand on the trunk of a towering tree.“Encountering these ancient cypresses in the misty rain feels like a gift from nature,” she said. “It is remarkable that such majestic trees have survived for more than a thousand years. I hope that through today's scientific conservation efforts, they will still be standing here a thousand years from now.”