Jiuzhaigou Valley

Jiuzhaigou Scenic Area lies among the Minshan Mountains in the northwest of Sichuan Province and closes to the Gansu Province. It got its name because there are nine Tibetan villages around it. As it is a remote place with unusually charming primitive scenery and few inhabitants, it is a place of fantasy and reality, hence it is known as the "World of Fairyland" and "Wonderland on Earth."

Perfect Tour Package To Jiuzhaigou  Valley 9-Day Grand Sichuan Tour

400 kilometers from Chengdu, the scenic spots in Jiuzhaigou Valley are mainly distributed over Shuzheng, Rize and Zechawa gullies, altogether covering an area of 720km2 and stretching out for a total length of over 50km. Surrounded by undulating mountains, the gullies are covered with luxuriant primitive forests. Scores of snowclad peaks piercing straight into the cloud in a distance look very splendid and crystal. From the top to the bottom, with an elevation from 3,000 m to 1,800 m, more than 100 unique lakes are scattered in a shape of ladders, among which there are many waterfalls. High mountains, snow peaks, lakes and folded waterfalls set each other off, forming wonderful natural; together scenery with the habitats of rare animals, such as grand pandas, little pandas, and golden monkeys, Jiuzhaigou Valley attracts over 5 million tourists from all over the world every year.

The nine villages and the mountain lakes, called "haizi" (son of sea), like huge crystal mirrors, dot in the depth of forests and the snow mountains. At the upper most lies the Long Lake, while the Grass Lake is the end of Rize Gully. The two gullies run down northward and join together at Nuorilang to form the beginning of Shuzheng Gully. The height drop amounts to 1000m or more from the joint of the two gullies to the outlet of Shuzheng Gully. Lining along the distance are 114 stepped lakes, between which are 17 waterfall groups, 11 torrents, and 5 calcareous tufa shoals, forming "a fairy land under the sky" that features in alpine lake groups, waterfall groups, and calcareous tufa shoals, as well as snow mountains, virgin forests, and Tibetan folklore.

Jiuzhaigou Valley is rich with flora. At present it has 30,000 hectares of natural forests, 2,576 species of higher plants as well as 400 species of lower plants. With the numerous lakes and various vegetations, Jiuzhaigou has a self complete ecological system, which provides the best habitats for wild animals. Investigation shows in the valley there are 170 kinds of vertebrates, and 141 species of birds, of which 3 are under Class I state protction, 4 under Class Two, and 10 under Class Three.

In December of 1992 it was inscribed on World Heritage List by UNESCO.

Lakes in Shuzheng Gulley
People in West Sichuan call the lake in the mountain "Haizi"(son of the sea). Calcium carbonate crystals lie at the bottom and along the bankment of the lakes in the Shuzheng Gulley. Lakes are distributed like a ladder and the layer-upon-layer filtrated water from the flowing spring is sparkling clear so that one can see fishes swimming at the bottom 10 to 20 m deep. Some lakes are called "Crystal Palace" and others "Lakes Where Dragons Hide". Around the "Group of Seas" there are exotic and rare flowers, grasses and forests, which took on a roit of color in autumn. They reflect in the mirror-like lakes, together with the blue sky, white clouds, and snowy mountains, thus from a natural beautiful picture and attract people greatly.

Waterfalls in Jiuzhaigou
Waterfalls in Jiuzhaigou are multiple, each having its own characteristics. Waters in Shuzheng fall from ladder-shaped lakes. When water is abundant, these waterfalls are of awe-inspiring sights, cascading down overwhelmingly and creating a thundering, soul-stirring boom that can be heard miles and creating a thundering, soul-stirring boom that can be heard miles away, like thousands of horses running. When there is not much water, they will hand down tenderly from the precipices like a silver belt. There are 17 waterfall groups, all of them are beautiful and full of power. Moreover, 6 of them are wider and longer than Huangguoshu waterfall (the most famous in China).The most famous is the Luorilang Waterfall. It is more than 100 meters wide and 20 meters high. It rushes from the Mirror

Lake, flows through the water-willows on the rocks, like pieces of silver cloth swoven from an enormous green loom when seen in the distance. A rainbow will appear in the sun when the waterfall bumps on the grotesque rocks and forms a vivid curtain of mist. In winter, thousands of ice-clomns stand majestically; the Pearl Beach Waterfall rushes in and out because of the obstruction of bumps and hollows; the srings and curtains of water look pretty and vigorous in the sun, like glittering pearls. Standing in front of it you will feel its strong power deeply. The Shuzheng waterfall is not so wide and about 30 meters high, water flying down to the valley just like two dragons waking up from their dream. Panda Sea Waterfall is the highest one, about 78 meters high. In Jiuzhaigou waterfalls and trees are mingled together, we call the rare scenery "forest waterfall".

Multicolored Lakes
Algae in the calcium carbonate water of the lakes present different colors because of the different pigment composition, showing blue, bright green, brown yellow and red. Very beautiful ripples of different colors can be seen, when breeze gives a gentle puff to the lake. The most picturesque lakes are the Give Flower Sea in the middle of Rize Gully and the Multicolored Pond of Zechawa. Under the sun, the former glitters with light rings, just like colorful feathers of a peacock, while the latter is a small sea, exquisite, colorful and dazzling, famous for its pretty colors and crystal purity. The Multicolored Pond never freezes all the year round, and the water in the pond does not change though there are alternate waterlongging and drought.