Jiu Zhai Gou (Nine Villages Valley)
As the saying describes "when coming back from the Huangshan Mountains one does not want to see a mountain; when coming back from Jiuzhaigou one does not want to see water." The essence of Jiuzhaigou, known as "king of Chinese water scenes", lies in its waters: lakes, spring waters, streams, waterfalls, rivers and shoals. Jiu Zhai Gou got its name from the nine Tibetan Villages in the area. It is located at an elevation of about 9,842.5 feet in the south of Min Mountain Range, about 279 miles south to Chengdu. The area is well known both at home and abroad for its natural scenery which includes snowy peaks, double waterfalls, colorful forests and green sea. In 1992 it was listed as a world heritage site by UNESCO. There are six scenic spots: Changhai, Jianyan, Nuorilang, Shuzheng, Zharu and Heihai. Mountains ragging 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.The mountains, lakes, natural primeval forest and unique scenes make Jiuzhaigou a fairyland. 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. At the Shuzheng Scenic Spot, there are 40 lakes and they extend five kilometers along a valley. The spot is a central point in Jiuzhaigou's landscape and coversan area of three square kilometers. The lakes vary in color according to their depths, residues and scenery around them. Reed Lake is an ideal habitat for birds; Spark Lake appears to move while the jade-like Rhinoceros Lake is a good place for rowing, swimming and rafting. There are also the Shuzheng Waterfalls that have a backdrop of trees. Nuorilang Scenic Area extends from the Nuorilang Waterfalls to Zhuhai, an area of three square kilometers. The 320-meter-wide Nuorilang Waterfall drops 20 meters and is the widest highland waterfall in the country; it is the symbol of Jiuzhaigou. Other places of interest include the quiet and mirror like Jinghai Lake, the 310-meter-wide Pearl Beach Waterfall and the Five-Color Lake that has a richly colored underwater landscape. The Sword-Shaped Rock Scenic Area contains Goose Lake, Suspended Springs, Sword Rock, snow-covered Mountains and primeval forests. Sometimes you can see giant pandas. There is also the 17.8-kilometer Zechawa Ravine, the longest and highest in Jiuzhaigou. At the end of it is the eight kilometer-long Changhai Lake, the largest in the area. In Haizi there is the Five-Color Pond, the brightest lake in Jiuzhaigou
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