In central China, on a vast territory, there is a beautiful valley – the Jiuzhaigou Nature Reserve, in the north of Sichuan Province, whose name means “Valley of Nine Villages”. However, now only seven of the nine villages are inhabited by the local population. The area has been inhabited for centuries by Tibetans and representatives of the Qiang people. The national park was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1992 and a World Biosphere Reserve in 1997.
Spread over 720 square kilometers of mountainous terrain, the landscape of the reserve is known for its beautiful cascading waterfalls and clear, clean lakes, virgin forests.
The valley was declared a national park in 1982, deforestation was stopped to ensure the preservation of the reserve, and work was done to open the park for tourism. Local residents, unable to cultivate the land, because of the ban, sell their own handmade products, which are also of great interest to tourists.
Rich vegetation, beautiful scenery, unique wildlife attract more and more tourists to the Jiuzhaigou Valley every year to admire and enjoy the splendor of wildlife.
It is impossible to describe the beauty of the national park, being in a mountainous area, here the vegetation of the mountainous and temperate zones is combined. The deciduous forests are indescribably beautiful, especially in the fall.
The leaves are transformed and cast in all the colors of autumn – yellow, red, orange, green. It is this time of year that is most visited by tourists and artists. It is impossible to describe in words or with a brush the fabulous, untouched purity of the nature of this picturesque corner, which captures and creates a feeling of an unreal world. Unique species of trees and plants can be found here, including varieties of bamboo and rhododendrons. The great panda and the golden snub-nosed monkey, whose number is rapidly declining, are under special protection. The valley also attracts many species of birds – their number reaches about 140.
The landscape of the valley was formed as a result of glacial, hydrological and tectonic activity. No less important are the changes that have occurred in the earth’s crust due to earthquakes. Fractures in the mountain chain were formed, and rock layers consisting of carbonate rocks formed three gorges, which are called valleys because of their large size. Together, they form a Y-shaped figure, with the Zijie and Jiechawa gorges converging from the south and forming the Shuzheng Gorge in the center, which stretches north to the mouth of the valley. The valley is a part of the Yangtze River system and one of its sources, the Jialingjiang.
The rock strata consist of dolomite, limestone, shale and sandstone, the composition of which affects the quality of the park’s more than 108 beautiful lakes. The Tibetans call them “haizi”, which means “son of the sea” in the local language. Many lakes stretch throughout the park, they are very vulnerable, formed as a result of the accumulation of rock fragments held together by carbonate sediments, and have acquired original shapes. The water in the lakes has a high content of calcium carbonate, which is the reason for the purity and transparency of the water, the naked eye can see the bottom sediments in shallow lakes, The most unique feature is the color of the lakes, they shimmer with green, blue and blue colors, each lake has its own unique color.
All the nature that surrounds the lake is reflected in its mirror-like surface. In some places, the lakes are interconnected by beautiful cascades of waterfalls, where a stream of water flows between the trees and then falls down with pearl splashes. In some places, it is so calm that all nature is clearly reflected as in a mirror.
Nature has painted this fabulous place like a magician. To see these beautiful places, tourists travel quite a long way, crossing the gorge on tourist buses. But since the lakes are located between dense forests, part of the way is covered on foot, along trodden paths or on gatyas (log decks). In each of the gorges you can find lakes of different shapes, colors, and depths.
In the Zhijie Valley, among the virgin forest, there is a favorite lake of swans and ducks, which is called Swan Lake. It is followed by a small Grass Lake with intricate plants woven into various patterns. The surprisingly shallow Bamboo Lake, up to 6 meters deep, became famous thanks to cinema in 2002. The original Panda Lake, with its unique combination of green and blue water color, from which a stream flows with a beautiful three-stage waterfall from 78 meters high. Lake of Five Flowers with a transparent bottom, so clean that you can see the branches and trunks of trees that have fallen into the lake.
The surprisingly calm Mirror Lake, which reflects all of nature. And finally, the sloping, wide, stepped Pearl Shoal, with calcite deposits, over which water flows in a thin layer, which then turns into a waterfall. Falling from a height of 28 meters, it was named the Pearl Falls.
In the second valley of Tsechava, the gorge has high walls and by going down the paths, you can see the deepest (up to 103 m) and largest Long Lake, 7.5 km long, in the palm of your hand. In contrast, the lake, which was named Five-Color Pond because of its small size, is characterized by rich, colorful underwater vegetation and is one of the most remarkable of all the lakes in the valley. There are also lakes here that fill and empty depending on the time of year. These are three consecutive lakes called the Seasonal Lakes.
In the third valley of Shuzhen, tourists can admire the most beautiful, widest mountain waterfalls – Nozhilan Waterfalls, which fall at the junction of gorges from a height of 20 meters and have a width of 320 m. Also, a chain of 18 and 19 lakes formed by glaciers separated by natural dams that have formed over time looks great. Some of them have received names such as Tiger, Rhino, etc. The Sleeping Dragon Lake, with a depth of 20 meters, is one of those transparent, shallow lakes that is notable for its lime deposits, which are shaped like a reclining dragon. The Reed Lake is especially beautiful in the fall, when the reeds growing in the water turn yellow and a turquoise stream of water zigzags through them. And finally, the Beautiful Pool, which stands out for its original travertine pools.