九寨沟自然保护区英文旅游指南手册,Jiuzhaigou Nature Reserve travel guide

Jiuzhai Valley(Jiuzhaigou)is a major feature of theSichuan Scenic Area,located100km north of Chengdu,the capital of Sichuan province.Jiuzhaigou is at thenortheastern end of this scenic area in the Min Shanmountains.It is part of the Aba Tibetan and QiangAutonomous Prefecture.The main scenic area stretches80km long in the form of a letter Y comprising of threemain valleys-Shuzheng,Rize and Zechawa covering720sq km and offering stunning views of lakes, waterfalls,and mountains.The name means"Valley of Nine Villages",derived from the9ancient Tibetan villages that call it home.Its highest point is4,700metres above sea level,with the main sightseeing areas between1,980m and3,100m.HistoryThe remote region was inhabited by variousTibetan and Qiang peoples for centuries,butwas not officially discovered by thegovernment until1972.Extensive loggingtook place until1979,when the Chinesegovernment banned such activities.The areawas made into a national park in1982.AnAdministration Bureau was established andthe site officially opened to tourism in1984.Layout of facilities and regulations werecompleted in1987.The site was inscribed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in1992and a World Biosphere Reserve in1997.Since opening,tourist activity has increased every year:from5,000in1984to170,000in1991, 160,000in1995,to200,000in1997,including approximately3,000foreigners.Visitors numbered 1,190,000in2002.In2007,over2.5million people visited Jiuzhaigou.The site averages7,000 visits per day,with a publicly reported cap of12,000(however this is never enforced).The desire to balance environmental protection and mass tourism has become an increasingly acute challenge for park management.Exploitation of natural resources for financial gain in the form of mass tourism is the utmost priority.Landscape,geology and hydrologyJiuzhaigou's landscape is made up of high-altitude karsts shaped by glacial,hydrological and tectonic activity.It lies on major fault lines on the diverging belt between the Qinghai-Tibet Plate and the Yangtze Plate,and earthquakes have also shaped the landscape.The rock strata is mostly made up of carbonate rocks such dolomite and tufa,as well as some sandstone and shales.The valley includes the catchment area of three gullies(which due to their large size are oftencalled valleys themselves),and is one of the sources of the Jialing River,part of the Yangtze River system.The area covering720sq km of the Minshan mountains provides the catchment for the water system of Jiuzhaigou.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".Originating in glacial activity,they were dammed by rockfalls and other natural phenomena,then solidified by processes of carbonate deposition(travertine).Jiuzhaigou's water has a high concentration of calcium carbonate,making it so clear that the bottom is often visible even at high depths.The lakes vary in color and aspect according to their depths,residues,and surroundings.Flora and faunaThe park is the natural habitat for two ofChina’s most treasured endangered species–the Giant Panda and the Sichuan GoldenSnub-Nosed Monkey(金丝猴).However,due to the park's size and the number oftourists,the chances of seeing them are slim.About20pandas reportedly live within theboundaries of the park.There is probablyhigher chance of seeing them in Zaru Valley,the valley dedicated to eco-tourism as ofJuly2009.In the main valleys you are morelikely to see other creatures including birds(140species have been recorded here),insects and fish.Despite all the lakes in the park,Jiuzhaigou is amazingly free of mosquitoes.Nearly300km²of the core scenic area is covered by virgin mixed forests.The flora changes greatly with altitude.In the lower regions of the valley,grasses and reeds abound.These are quickly replaced by bamboo forests which in turn give way to deciduous trees and conifers at the upper end of the valley.Beyond them the rocky slopes and snow-capped peaks of the Min Shan range dominate the view.Notable featuresJiuzhaigou is all about seeing!The colours of its lakes,trees and mountains are breathtaking and defy adequate description.The altitude changes within the valley to create continual variations of flora,which give each lake and waterfall a unique quality.Although Jiuzhaigou is a great place to visit at any time of the year Spring and autumn are best. Winter provides many magnificent sights with frozen lakes and waterfalls,but the day temperatures are very low and accessibility by road is neither easy nor guarantee-able.Summerscan be slightly crowded with beautiful sunshine in the early parts and it often rains in July and August.The fresh air and lack of humidity make it a great break from the city.Autumn is,in many opinions,the pick of the seasons.In late September through October to early November the colour contrasts of red and gold leaves set against the greys of the Bamboo forest and the dark greens of the conifers provide the perfect backdrop to the blue,cyan and vivid greens lakes.Jiuzhaigou has some114Lakes and waterfalls.Here are a selection of scenic locations to visit:*Long Lake is at the head of the Zechawa valley.At an altitude of3,060metres this is the biggest and deepest lake in Jiuzhaigou.The lake has a surface area of approximately30sq Km’sand an average depth of44metres.On clear daysits dark wooded hillsides and blue waters areviewed against the backdrop of the5000metresnow capped Min Shan mountains.This lake hasno major inflow and receives its water fromunderground sources.The local Tibetans havetheir own name for this lake,which translates,to“The Lake that never dries out.”Take the bus tothe Long Lake and Jade Colored Pool because itis too far to walk to.*Five Colour Pool also known as the Jade pool,is a small lake of5,600sq metres at an altitude of2,995metres and with an average depth of6.6metres.It is fed by underground streams from Long lake.Although small this lake must be rated as having one of the most varied and intense colour ranges of Jiuzhaigou and should not be missed.The lake systems in the lower parts of Zechawa valley are seasonal and are often dry in summer.Walkways are provided from Long Lake to a bus pickup point just passed the lower seasonal lake.*Grass Lake at2,910metres is the highest lake in the Rize Valley.The valley here is narrow and steep.The lake was formed as a result of an ancient mudflow about10,000years ago and travertine sedimentation.The lake is shallow with large evergreen grassy beds.*At an elevation of2,905metres Swan Lake is surrounded by high rocky cliffs that drop vertically into the lake.The lake takes is name from large numbers of migratory swans that visit it each year.*Arrow Bamboo Lake is the first of the deep lakes.Set at an altitude of2,680metres and6 metres deep it has a surface area of170,000sq m.An unusual characteristic of this lake is that it never freezes even when the Panda Lake100metres lower is completely covered in snow and ice. The lake is surrounded by Bamboo groves and together with the Panda Lake.*Panda Lake has an average depth of14metres and as its name implies is in the heart ofpanda country.This90,00sq.metre lake at2,590metres altitude is surrounded by bamboo forests anda mix of deciduous and coniferous woodland.Thisvivid green lake becomes a feast of colour in theautumn.The lake is home to many small andcurious Songpan Naked Carp that gather in largenumbers when a leaf or pebble falls into the lake.The fish are protected and must not be fed byvisitors.*Water exits Panda Lake via the spectacular Panda Falls.These narrow falls have a drop height of120metres and cascade down to the“Five Flower Lake”over a series of travertine terraces.A well-maintained wooden walkway allows visitors to descend beside the falls providing a unique way of seeing the spectacle.*Five Flower Lake at2,472metres and just5metres deep is referred to as the soul of Jiuzhaigou.Its shallow cyan coloured waters provide the visitor with an outstanding display of is bottom sediments containing trees,bushes,and leaves in great array.Its waters drain via the peacock riverbed,claimed locally to be the shortest and most beautiful river in the world,to one of Jiuzhaigou’s most appealing waterfalls.The“Pearl Shoal Falls”*Pearl Shoal and Pearl Shoal Falls are best viewed by taking the walkway.This takes visitors across the“Golden Bell Lake”and“Pearl Shoal”down the left side of the falls then across the base of the Falls to“Mirror Lake”.The shallow waters rush over the160metre wide travertine shelf called”Pearl Shoal”creating a noisy bubbling cascade which from a distance looks like a shawl of pearls draped across the hillside.The falls have a drop height of21metres and are162 metres wide providing a spectacular display.*Mirror Lake is so named because of its ability to reflect the images of the surrounding mountains and forests.The lake at an altitude of2,410metres is in a sheltered section of the valley running east west which produces its glassy reflective surface.The Lake was featured in the Zhang Yimou movie Hero.The outflow of“Mirror Lake”is through the“Rize Gully”a travertine ramp of small ponds and natural bonsai trees and bushes that lead directly to one of the great sights of Jiuzhaigou.The Nuorilang waterfall.*The Nuorilang Falls are situated,at an altitude of2,365metres,at the junction of the Zechawa,Rize and Shuzheng valleys.Best viewed from the Shuzheng valley road the250metre wide veil of water flows out of the thick shrubs and bushes of Rize Gully to drop24metres into a small ravine below the road.*Rhinoceros Lake at2,315metres and with a surface area of some200,000sq.metres is thelargest lake in the Shuzheng valley,and also the deepest with an average depth of12metres.The lake derives its name from a legend that tells of a monk from Tibet riding a rhinoceros.When the monk came to this lake he was so entranced with the local scenery that he accidentally rode his rhinoceros directly into the lake.*Shuzheng Village bedecked with prayer flags,is one of the nine Tibetan villages that give Jiuzhaigou its name.Situated above the Shuzheng Lakes it is easily accessed from the roadway. Here you can visit a traditional Tibetan home and drink“Yak Butter tea“.The steep main street is lined with shops selling trinkets,Tibetan artifacts and souvenirs.*Shuzheng Lakes and waterfalls are at2,215metres the lowest series of lakes in Jiuzhaigou; Spread across the valley this series of small lakes and waterfalls cascade down the lower valley and drain directly into Baishui Jiang.The last three features are the Sleeping Dragon Lake,Reed Lake and Bonsai beach.Sleeping Dragon Lake contains a large travertine shelf that extends across the floor of the lake.Locals say it looks like a sleeping dragon and that the head and tail seem to move as the wind ripples the lake surface.。