Visiting the World's Narrowest City in China S8 EP 79 | Pakistan to Japan Motorcycle Tour
You can say that the size of one storey here is 3 to 4 storeys from the ground. The bridge you see in front of you is the train bridge here. And if you look at it, it is almost built inside the river. Half a million people live in such a small area.
Assalam-o-Alaikum everyone and welcome back to the channel from Zhaotong, Yunnan Province, China. The city we are going to visit today is not only the narrowest city in China but also in the world. The name of this city is Yanjin. It is about 160 km from here. According to the navigation, it will take us 2.5 to 2.5 hours.
Mostly our journey will be on the highway. After that, when we leave the highway, we will reach this city through the mountains. Because it is a city built on the banks of the river in the mountains.
We are very excited to see this city. We could have reached here if we had taken a 50-60 km ride on the same highway. But neither I nor my tour guide told us about it. When I reached here in the evening, I thought I'd see what's to see in Zhaotong. Then I got the idea that this city is very interesting and I should definitely visit it. Actually, today was our rest day.
But when you are in such an interesting place and after such a long journey, you have to make such sacrifices. I have kept my luggage here. I have some important things with me. My plan is to reach Zhaotong by evening. So let's leave and take you to Yanjin. Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim.
Prayer for the journey May Allah make this a safe and memorable day for us. There is a fuel station nearby. Let's fill up the tank before we leave. We'll gradually get pace now. Rangeeli will also get warmed up. It's very quiet early in the morning.
It's not really morning though. It's 11 am. But it's quite lively here till 10 or 11 in the evening. So every area and province is a bit different from each other. We won't be recording much on the highway today.
Because it's similar to what we did in the last vlog. So we will try to make this ride quick. And spend more time in the city. Why did they stop me? Okay.
They are randomly checking me and telling me to go. I thought they had stopped me. They stopped me. But they stopped the car behind me.
I think they let me go after seeing my number. What a beautiful highway this is. We have covered about 100 km so far. These are huge mountains like massive walls.
They go straight up from the side of the highway. What a road this is. Bridges, tunnels, It's so difficult to make a road in such a beautiful region.
At least that's what I understand. I know a little bit. I am an engineer. But it's amazing. Only China can accomplish this.
In such regions, Germany has the best road infrastructure in the world. No doubt. I don't think it's like any other country. There are autobahns, national roads, country roads, all kinds of roads. But these bridges and tunnels... We are driving on the bridge for kilometers.
There might be a whole village beneath it. As soon as we leave the highway, you can see the high-rising buildings in the middle of the mountains. Let's see where we have to go. I entered a random address of this city. We can see the first view of Yanjin from here. Oh my God! If I had a little more speed, I would have hit it.
Let's keep going straight and then turn from there. Let's see this portion as well. Let's go to the lower road next to the river. At first glance, it looks like any other city. But of course, you can see that the houses are more congested. They are built side by side.
They are narrow. This is the main road. The whole city is built on cliffs. We have reached the river. We have to drive about 5 kilometers to reach the main city area. I think that's the old city.
The area may be small, but they have maintained it beautifully. They have also built a walking path along the river. There's a small park. The weather has just turned a bit bad. It may rain. Because this is the main road of the city, there is a lot of rush here.
Look at the houses on that side, which are built on the cliffs. I have parked the motorcycle at the back. I am now walking on an old traditional steel bridge. Which connects one side of the city to the other.
There are high-rising buildings all around. This is a very congested area. And you need high-rising buildings like this.
About 500 thousand people live in this city. I have noticed one thing. Almost the whole city is built on cliffs. Beside the cliffs or on top of them. Other than that, the buildings stand high on top of pillars. I think thats for projection against high water levels in the river during rainy season.
Otherwise, if these are built at water level, the water can go into the buildings, as soon as its levels rise. The buildings on one side are very beautiful. But the condition of the buildings on the other side is a bit rough. As I mentioned earlier, the pillars have been placed at the bottom of the buildings. You can see the buildings here.
Look at the pillars below them. You can say by judging the size of one floor in a building, each building is about 3 to 4 floors above the ground level. The water level is fine now. But the water level may get a bit high. in the rainy season. The buildings on this side are built almost on top of the cliff.
But these are built on the side of the cliff, along the river. The bridge you see is the train bridge. As you can see, it is built almost inside the river. Similarly, this area here is their walking path. I have also seen this in some sections.
Even the pillars are built inside the river because there is not enough space. There are so many EV scooters here. Every city has huge showrooms. I think this is the bridge. We can finally cross this bridge and go to the other side.
Half a million people live in such a small area. But you can see that they have maintained it very well. My plan is to park the motorcycle somewhere here. I am a bit hungry as well.
Let's walk around a bit. Let's look for a restaurant or a cafe. I can see a lot of cafes here. Not cafes but restaurants actually. Let's take a round of this market anyway.
This is the main market here. This will do. I mean a bus is likely to get stuck on this road for sure. I have never seen a road smaller than this in China. You can see that these are cliffs. It looks like they have been excavated to build these houses.
There houses are up to 5 or 6 floors. There are buildings with even 25 floors as well. This is their shopping street. It's a lively city overall. There is a lot of bling bling on both sides of the road. It doesn't look like we are in the same city.
It's a total change in this area. I think this street ends here. Let's park here and look for a Muslim restaurant. If I find one, I will go there.
This is the halal restaurant. We have walked about 700-800 meters to reach here. Only to find the restaurant closed.
It could be the off time of the restaurant. But when I search for some place in A-map, I can at least figure out the location. Still cant read the language though. So I don't know much about the on or off timings. It happens to me a lot.
As I go to a restaurant or cafe, mostly they are closed by then. It's okay. We weren't destined to eat noodles here today. But there are cafes and a bakery.
Let's get some food from there and have a light lunch. Might as well get some fruits. This is the main shopping mall. Our favorite Luckin coffee is right next to it.
We can get coffee from here. It's time to go back. It will take us at least 2.5 hours from here.
It's 5 pm now. I am hoping to reach by 7.30 pm. It has started to rain a little. Don't wanna get into any trouble.
Overall, I love this city. I wish we could spend a night here. So that we could see the city in the evening as well. But overall, it's just a normal city.
The location and the landscape around it makes it unique. When you are on this road, you have no idea... It's great to be in such a small and congested city where the area is so narrow. It's rush hour and people are going back to their homes. There are two or three roads.
This is the main road that connects this part of the city and the other one is that way. And there are some small alleys that lead to their homes. It's a good life here. You can say that it's a vibrant city. We are finally back on this bridge.
Let's say goodbye. One of the unique cities that we have visited in China. O Lord... It's a traffic jam.
So we have finally reached Zhaotong. It's almost 7.30 here. I think it's 7.15 now. We had a good ride. We have covered 150 km in 2 hours.
It's quite comfortable on the highway. There wasn't much traffic on this highway. We have reached the city now. I can see a lot of Halal restaurants here.
I think there are a lot of Muslims in this city. Almost all the restaurants that I see are Halal. Despite the fact that it's a small city. Be careful. Let's park the motorcycle at the hotel.
And then we will leave for dinner. I am very hungry. You must be wondering why I get hungry so often. But I haven't eaten properly. Alhamdulillah. As I mentioned earlier, you can find good Halal restaurants in almost every street.
We have come to a restaurant. I have ordered garlic beef rice. And some soup. But it's a little different. It's a cold soup. It's not a soup I guess. I don't know what it is either.
Let's try it. It's spicy. It's spicy radish.
So Yasin, we found a good restaurant for you. I would like to get some noodles or something. It will be easier to eat. I ate a lot, but it's spicy radish. I mean, come on. The food was very good.
We paid 15 yuan for it. That's about $2.25. Very cheap. I hope you liked today's vlog. It was an amazing city. And I really liked its landscape. I tried to show it to you.
I am very tired now. Let's go and rest. We will travel again in the morning. Remember us in your prayers.
Don't forget to Like, Subscribe and Share. Allah Hafiz
2025-03-18 22:40
