When visiting Sichuan in China, Jiuzhaigou should be arranged as the top priority as a must-see scenic and historic area.
Fortunately, I had the opportunity to walk around and appreciated the nature beauty and amazing karst landscape of Jiuzhaigou valley.
Jiuzhaigou in Chinese means “Nine Settlement Valley”, taking its name from nine Tibetan settlements. The site was inscribed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 1992 and a World Biosphere Reserve in 1997. The tourism area is classified as a 5A scenic area by the China National Tourism Administration.
Jiuzhaigou is known for its many multi-level waterfalls, colorful lakes, and snow-capped peaks. Its elevation ranges from 2,000 to 4,500 meters. Jiuzhaigou’s best-known feature is its dozens of blue, green and turquoise-colored lakes. The local Tibetan people call them Haizi in Chinese, meaning “son of the sea”. The lakes vary in color and aspect according to their depths, residues, and surroundings.
Jiuzhaigou is composed of three valleys arranged in a Y shape. Rize Valley is the south-western branch of Jiuzhaigou containing the largest variety of sites and is typically visited first. The Zechawa Gully is the south-eastern branch of Jiuzhaigou approximately the same length as Rize gully. The Shuzheng Valley is the northern (main) branch of Jiuzhaigou. The Rize and Zechawa valleys flow from the south and meet at the centre of the site where they form the Shuzheng valley, flowing north to the mouth of the valley.
Without any words but praise and signs, I have enjoyed the almighty nature beauty in Jiuzhaigou, and one old saying is rising from my mind: 「He that travels far knows much.」
