Dardo, called Kangding by Han Chinese, is a little more than 200 km west of Chengdu as the crow flies. And about six hours by bus over winding mountain roads and an amazing pass. Another 200 km to the west lies the border between Sichuan Province and the Tibet Autonomous Region. So called. Dardo is on the border of what it considered the Tibetan cultural area of China - to the west is primarily Tibetan culture, to the east primarily Chinese. Encouraged by government policy, many Han Chinese have migrated to Dardo and now make up a significant part of the population. I went to this part of China seeking mountains and clean air. I found both. In addition Dardo was both beautiful and fascinating.