TONGHAI is a small town backed by temples arrayed up the slopes of Xiu Shan , which makes for a good stopover. Marking Tonghai's centre is a drum tower , now filled by antique stalls, from where the four main streets flanked by old wood-fronted shops run off to the main compass points. Wander around and you'll come across stocky ponies pulling carts, stores selling locally made silver jewellery and copperware, Mongolians upholding their reputation for metalwork by hawking home-made knives, and back-lane markets for tobacco and bamboo pipes. Follow Nan Jie south and uphill onto Wenmiao Lu for 300m, then look for an English sign directing you to XiuShan Park (¥6, includes a map). For its size, this is one of the most charming mountain parks in China; an easy, hour-long path takes you through pine forests past half-a-dozen unpretentious temples and pavilions , all lovingly decked with bright paint, elegant screens and eaves, and set amidst tranquil gardens. Strangely, given the lack of foreign tourists, English signs along the way explain each building's significance; the best building is Yongjin Si , whose pride are 400-year-old cypress and fir trees and well-proportioned temple halls.

 

Tonghai's core is a 500-metre-wide square grid of streets defined by Huangcheng Lu , divided into north (Bei), east (Dong) and west (Xi) sections. The bus station is at the northwest corner of town on the junction of Huangcheng Bei Lu and Huangcheng Xi Lu, with an overflow of private operators in side-lanes; between them these manage at least daily runs to Hekou, and more frequent departures to Jiangchuan, Kunming and Jianshui. Find accommodation at Tonghai Government Guesthouse (¥30-75 in dingy old block; comfortable new wing ¥100-150), whose Chinese sign is 100m east of the bus station on Huangcheng Bei Lu; the better value Li Yue Fandian (tel 0877/3011651; doubles ¥75-100, triples ¥30-75), 75m south of the bus station on Huangcheng Xi Lu; or the cheaper but not as friendly Xiushan Binguan (dorm beds up to ¥30, doubles ¥75-100), just west of the drum tower. There are snack stalls throughout the centre; for more substantial meals try the cheap portions of red-cooked mutton and vegetable stir-fries at canteens opposite the bus station, or the old-style Nanjie Fandian, south of the drum tower, where crossing-the-bridge noodles come in ¥5-¥20 helpings, and a three-dish meal for two costs around ¥40. The Iceberg next door has refreshing rice jelly drinks.