Jiuzhaigou National Park
3 min readA Brief Introduction
If there is really a fairyland on earth，it is the Jiuzhaigou Valley，located in Nanping County of the Aba Tibet and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture in Sichuan Province, over 400 kilometers south of the provincial capital Chengdu. The spirits that haunt the fairyland are waters-lakes, springs, waterfalls, streams, rivers, andshoals, merging into a combination of motion and tranquility, of obdurateness and tenderness, and of all hues and postures. Jiuzhaigou is 47 kilometers long from the south to the north,29 kilometers wide from the east to the west, covering an area of 720 square kilometers. It is well-known for its deep valleys, shimmering lakes, magnificent waterfalls and primeval forest. In 1990 Jiuzhaigou became one of 40 best scenic spots in the country, and in 2000 Jiuzhaigou was evaluated as one of the first rated 4A-level sceneries in China.
The Deep Valleys
It is said that there were 9 stockaded villages in the valley here a long time ago.
Therefore, this park is named Jiuzhaigou meaning the 9 stockaded villages in the valley. The park contains 3 major mountain valleys-the Shuzheng Valley, the RizeValley and the Zechawa Valley. The three valleys seem to be in the shape of”Y”.
The total length of the three valleys stretches more than 60 kilometers long. There distributed 108 lakes,47 splashed waterfalls. The Shuzheng Valley is the main valley of the three. The Nuorilang(meaning”grand”in the Tibetan language) Waterfall is the most magnificent spot in it.
The Shimmering Lakes
Nestled in the terraced mountain valleys, the lakes are nature’s marvelous fretwork. The water is so clean that you can see to the bottom even at 30 meters in depth. The color of the waters in the lakes changes with the moods of the weather, and with their different depths, different sediments and water plants under them.
Their characteristic color is light blue or green-blue when winds rake their surface, and becomes a galaxy of colors in the sunlight. In the early morning and at nightfall during the sunrise and the sunset, the lakes are tinted into a striking hue by red.
When skies are clear, bright and cloudless, the lakes are mirror-like, and the blue waters of the lakes shimmer in the golden sunlight just like glittering huge golden plate. Almost each lake has its special natural or legendary feature. Some noted lakes offer more splendid view, such as the Mirror Lake, the Long Lake, the Lake of Lying-Dragon, the Lake of Five Flowers and the Swan Lake.
The Magnificent Waterfalls
The magnificent waterfalls are of another attractive sight of the Jiuzhaigou.
Gleaming blue glaciers spill down the slopes and the overflows from the alpine lakes at higher elevations rush downhill，shooting off the cliffs in dozens of leaping，dancing，splashing and crushing waterfalls.Some of them look like silver screens hanging in the air，and some others fall down in a twist way like some silvery dragons creeping on the cliffs.Some of them splash about with rain and fog，creating intensely colorful rainbows in their sprays.Some of them become frozen waterfalls in winter，offering a special sight unique to the park.The Nuorilang Waterfall in the center of the valley is a well-known waterfall in the park.
The Primeval Forests
The park is packed with dense stands of virgin forests from the bottom of thesteep raciness up to the mountain summits，forming a wonderful southern scenic landscape.Located in a transition zone between temperate zone and subtropical zone，Jiuzhaigou mingled the plant life of temperate zone and subtropics，making everlasting forests though growing in mixture.The mountain forests change the appearance of Jiuzhaigou with the seasons.The forests are in emerald-green in spring and darkgreen in summer.Autumn pours out a riotous color of yellow，red and orange from the leaves of ash，aspen，oak and birch，offering an incomparably beautiful diversity of sights.
