Jiu Zhai Gou UNESCO World Heritage

Recently I visited Jiu Zhai Gou (九寨沟), beautiful valley located on the northern part of Si Chuan (四川) province China where the big earthquake struck in the early 2008. Si Chuan province is also the home of the giant pandas, but because of the earthquake the pandas were moved to other areas in China. Jiu Zhai Gou Valley is located in Nanping County, 450 kilometers (about 280 miles) to the north of Chengdu City. Its ...
...In order to go to Jiu Zhai Gou, you have to go to Cheng Du (成都) which is the capital city of Si Chuan province then catch a plane to Jiu Zhai Gou, travel by land was possible before the earthquake struck Si Chuan, but now it's unlikely passable. Si Chuan is famous for its opera and extremely spicy hot pot (try it if you dare he..he..he..he). Most of Cheng Du people can speak quite reasonable English, but having knowledge of some basic ... more

Recently I visited Jiu Zhai Gou (九寨沟), beautiful valley located on the northern part of Si Chuan (四川) province China where the big earthquake struck in the early 2008. Si Chuan province is also the home of the giant pandas, but because of the earthquake the pandas were moved to other areas in China. Jiu Zhai Gou Valley is located in Nanping County, 450 kilometers (about 280 miles) to the north of Chengdu City. Its name is because of the existence of nine stockaded villages of Tibetan origin, and it is always regarded as a holy mountain and watercourse by the Tibetan people. This region covers more than 600 square kilometers of area.

In order to go to Jiu Zhai Gou, you have to go to Cheng Du (成都) which is the capital city of Si Chuan province then catch a plane to Jiu Zhai Gou, travel by land was possible before the earthquake struck Si Chuan, but now it's unlikely passable. Si Chuan is famous for its opera and extremely spicy hot pot (try it if you dare he..he..he..he). Most of Cheng Du people can speak quite reasonable English, but having knowledge of some basic Chinese wouldn't hurt. There are some nice places to see around Cheng Du city itself.

There are two airports in Cheng Du, the old one and the new one, so be sure to confirm which airport that you need to go to. And most likely that you will land at Jiu Zhai Huang Long (九寨黄龙) airport which is about more than 3000 meter above sea level. Can be very misty which causing your plane got delayed.

Jiu Zhai Gou has two famous scenic spots :

Huang Long (黄龙) : which literally means Yellow Dragon. Located about 3.500 meters above sea level and visitors are given options to hike all the way up which takes about 3 hours non-stop hike, or take the cable car for an extra 80 RMB which will take you near the top of the place. Huang Long has a set of colorful travertine ponds from dark green to light blue which are caused because of different mineral deposits they say, the water is amazingly clear and the air is still pure and clean. You can see the pollution sensitive moss that can not grow in even slight polluted areas still growing amongst the trees here. The weather is below 20 C during cloudy days and it's quite windy, best to wear extra layer of clothing. Why is it called Huang Long, well it's because the river that flows from the top looks like a yellow dragon from above the air. It is because the rock sediment under the river is yellow. Some people who aren't used to high altitude may having insufficient oxygen problems, and there are small posts scattered all along the path to take a break and breathe oxygen from oxygen tanks for free. There is nothing much I can say about this place, aside from "It's truly a beautiful place that's worth a visit".

Jiu Zhai Gou (九寨沟) : About few hours bus ride from Huang Long lies the Jiu Zhai Gou valley, there's a small town here just outside the Jiu Zhai Gou national park. It is said that if there should be paradise on the earth, Jiu Zhai Gou must be one of them. There is no equal elsewhere that has sceneries and fables of dreamlike eloquence, or natural purities like a fairyland as this valley. Legend says that long-long ago the deity of mountain named Dago had a crush on the goddess Semo, and he gave a mirror that was made from wind and cloud to the goddess. However, the devil appeared and made trouble to Semo. Inadvertently, Semo broke the mirror into 108 pieces, which fell down to the earth and then turned to 108 colorful lakes. The lake is also called Haizi by local people. The park itself is divided into several places :

1. Shuzheng Valley (树正沟) : It is about 14 kilometers (about nine miles) in length with over 40 lakes. The main scenic spots in Shuzheng Valley are :

Twin Ｄｒａｇｏｎ Lake (双龙海) : It got its name from the two travertine reefs hidden in the bottom of the lake, which are just like two dragons. It is said that in ancient times, two evil dragons brought disasters by making hailstones or rainstorms to the Tibetan people in Jiu Zhai Gou Valley. Afterwards, they were faced down by King Gesar (a hero in Tibetan legend) and were locked with chains in the lake.

Reed Lake (芦苇海) : As the name implies, reed grows in this lake. In spring and summer, the water is flourishing with reeds. In autumn and winter, golden reeds is everywhere.

Spark Lake (火花海) : Nine meters deep, and covers an area of 36,352 square meters. The azure and wide lake is hidden by surrounding luxuriant woods, like a glittering emerald plate or a jade mirror. At dawn when the sun rises and hits the water, the crystalline waters waves ripple, ring upon ring, resembling millions of burning and dancing sparks. In summer, wild flowers with dewdrops glisten on the lakesides, creating a phantasm of 'sparks' in the lake.

Rhinoceros Lake (犀牛海) : The largest lake in Shuzheng Valley. The story goes that in olden days, a lama came here on a rhinoceros. He was seriously ill and was on the verge of death. After he drank some water of the lake, he miraculously recovered. He was reluctant to leave, therefore, he came into the lake riding on the rhinoceros and dwelled in the lake forever.

Tiger Lake (老虎海) : It is peaceful and tranquil, yet the vigor and enthusiasm cannot be hidden in the silence. There are three sayings concerning where the name came from. One is that the sound of Shuzheng Waterfall is like the roar of tigers, the second is that in late autumn, the reflections of Five-Colored Pond forests shine upon the lake which resembles lines of tigers, the third saying is that the tigers in the mountain are fond of this lake and used to drinking the water of the lake.

Shuzheng Village (树正寨) : Shuzheng Village offers one of the main accommodation centers in Jiuzhaigou Valley. In front of the village stands a golden dagoba where the Tibetans worship Buddha. Hotels of Tibetan style and Prayer Flags can be found all over the village.

Shuzheng Waterfall (树正瀑布) : Shuzheng Waterfall is the first waterfall you will encounter in the valley. It is 62 meters wide and 15 meters tall. It is the smallest of the four main waterfalls in Jiu Zhai Gou Valley.

Nuorilang Waterfall (诺日朗瀑布) : Nuorilang Waterfall is 32 meters wide and 25 meters tall, and it is the widest waterfall in Jiu Zhai Gou Valley. Nuorilang means 'grand and magnificent' in Tibetan, so it is a gorgeous waterfall. When the sun shines in the morning, flowery rainbows can be seen in the sky, which make the waterfall more charming and splendid.

Walking south forward from the Nuorilang Waterfall, Jiu Zhai Gou Valley is divided into two main routes: to the south is Zechawa Valley (则查洼沟) and to the southwest is Rize Valley (日则沟).

2. Rize Valley (日则沟) :

Mirror Lake (镜海) : Is a narrow and long lake about 1,000 meters in length. The mountain on the opposite side is like a huge stone screen. At dawn, the lake is as smooth as a mirror and blue sky, white clouds, the mountains far away and trees nearby can all be seen reflected in the lake.

Peacock River (孔雀河) : The water appears in a cacophony of varietous colors: dark green, golden, and sapphire blue. When seen from above, the bright and clear water flows in a colorful world and it is like a peacock displaying its fine tail feathers.

Five-Flower Lake (五花海) : The pride of Jiu Zhai Gou Valley. The water that contains calcium carbonate as well as hydrophytes with different colors presents a versicolor sight, azure blue, blackish green and light yellow, etc, thus it is called Five-Flower Lake.

Panda Lake (熊猫海) : It is said that pandas in Jiu Zhai Gou Valley like to drink water and play in this lake, so the lake is called Panda Lake. The water is clear and transparent. On fine clear days, the blue sky and white cloud are mirrored in the lake.

3. Zechawa Valley (则查洼沟) :

Magic Mirror Cliff (宝镜崖) : The surface of the cliff is rather even and it looks like a great mirror when seen from distance. It is said that the precious mirror was founded by the master of the mountain to suppress a devil who killed people cruelly. Therefore the cliff is also named Devil Cliff.

Seasonal Lakes (下季节海) : There are Lower Seasonal Lake and Upper Seasonal Lake in Zechawa Valley. Lower Seasonal Lake is near Zechawa Village and the upper Seasonal Lake is next to Five-Colored Pond surrounded by cliffs. All the lakes are filled with blue water in autumn and green color water in spring and winter.

Five-Colored Pond (五彩池) : Small but exquisite Five-Colored Pond in Zechawa Valley. On sunny days, the lake present various colors when the lake ripples, shining with red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue and purple light>

Long Lake (长海) : The largest lake in Jiu Zhai Gou Valley. The source of Long Lake is melted snow from the mountains. Cedar trees all over the mountain encircle the lake. When looked at from afar, the lake is bathed in the sunshine, like the jade palace in the heaven. At the side of the lake there is an old tree, which is said to be the guardian of the lake.

The people who lives in Jiu Zhai Gou is the Zang and Qiang minorities (藏族，羌族). Basically it's the same like the Tibetan people, same culture and same dishes. You can get various kind of Yak meat (牦牛肉, pronounce as "mao niu rou") dishes here which are their main meat resource, you can still find chicken, lamb, beef, etc. Somehow I got the impression that they love eating bean sprouts too. They drink barley beer (青稞酒, pronounce as "qing ke jiu"), and also butter tea (酥油茶, pronounce as "su you cha") just like the Tibetan people do. And you will be given a scarf like thingy as a warm welcome which is called Ha Da (哈达).

Jiu Zhai Gou is a place to see nature, don't expect to see big shopping malls or shopping district or clubs and the like. You can still buy the local handicrafts and try the local dishes of course. Tourist buses and local taxis are available, but you may experience vacation season rip off when it's in high season. There is a performance building where they do the local culture performances wearing their traditional costumes which are very colorful and pretty while performing.

Since the beauty there is almost describable by words, you have to experience it yourself, and this is a bit of Jiu Zhai Gou experience that I can share with everyone. Every friends that I know, local or foreigner who had been to Jiu Zhai Gou all said that it's a beautiful place, none said the opposite, so come and visit Jiu Zhai Gou. 

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