Jiuzhaigou Valley Scenic and Historic Interest Area
Jiuzhaigou Valley Scenic and Historic Interest Area (Nine-Village Gully) is a scenic spot tucked away in the depth of mountains at Nanping County in the northern part of Sichuan Province. Stretching over 72,000 square kilometers in the northern part of Sichuan Province, the jagged Jiuzhaigou valley reaches a height of more than 4,800 m, thus comprising a series of diverse forest ecosystems. The Jiuzhaigou scenic spot actually consists of three major gullies, which formerly was the site of nine stockade villages of Tibetans. Hence the name Jiuzhaigou came.
Jiuzhaigou is well-known for its network of alpine lakes, spectacular waterfalls and wonderful vegetation. There are, for instance, 108 terraced lakes in the midst of great mountains where the valleys echo with the roar of cataracts and Cliffside springs. The place, therefore, has always enjoyed the reputation of being a "Wonderland on Earth". It abounds in virgin forests and rare flowers and grasses. Besides, in the vast primeval forests there are all kinds of rare birds and animals. Some 140 bird species also inhabit the valley, as well as a number of endangered plant and animal species, including the panda (a tare animal not to be found elsewhere in the world) and the Sichuan takin.
The mountains, lakes, natural primeval forest and unique scenes make Jiuzhaigou a fairyland. Mountains ranging 1,980 to about 3,100 meters in height are covered by a variety of trees and plants such as green conifers, luxuriant broadleaf trees and colorful rare flowers and grasses. Scenes change according to the season and the area is particularly colorful in autumn when the wind makes kilometers of tree belt along the lake undulate like a sea wave. Waterfalls, lakes, springs, rivers and shoals add to the color and the green trees, red leaves, snowy peaks and blue skies are reflected from lakes and rivers. Trees grow in the water and flowers blossom in the middle of lakes.
