Jiuzhai Valley
It is said that if there should be wonderlands on the earth, Jiuzhaigou Valley must be one of them. There is no equal elsewhere that has sceneries and fables of dreamlike eloquence, or natural purities like a fairyland as Jiuzhaigou Valley.
Jiuzhaigou Valley is located in Nanping County, 450 kilometers (about 280 miles) to the north of Chengdu City. Its name is due to the existence of nine stockaded villages of Tibetan origin, and it is always regarded as a holy mountain and watercourse by the Tibetan people.
Jiuzhaigou Valley is a great masterpiece of nature having dreamlike scenery and abundant natural resources. It combines blue lakes, waterfalls, verdant forests, snow-covered mountains, and the folk customs of the Tibetan and Qiang peoples.
This region covers more than 600 square kilometers (about 230 square miles), and includes areas such as Shuzheng Valley, Rize Valley, Zechawa Valley and Zharu Valley, etc. The main beauty spots such as calc-sinter lake groups, waterfalls, and other waterscapes, as well as 12 summits make Jiuzhaigou Valley a wonderful appearance.
Legend has it; that long, long ago the deity of mountain named Dago had a crush on the goddess Semo, and he gave a mirror that was made from wind and cloud to the goddess. However, the devil appeared and made trouble to Semo. Inadvertently, Semo broke the mirror into 108 pieces, which fell down to the earth and then turned to 108 colorful lakes. The lake is also called Haizi by local people.
| Admission Fee: |
CNY220 in peak season (Apr.1 to Nov.15); CNY80 in low season (Nov.16 to Mar.31) |
| Opening Hours: |
07:00 to 19:00 in peak season; 08:00 to 18:00 in low season |
Transport:
By air: Direct flights are available from Chengdu, Chongqing, Kunming, Beijing, Shanghai and Hangzhou to Jiuzhaigou. Jiuzhai-Huanglong Airport is 88km, or one and a half hours' ride from Jiuzhaigou scenic area. Check www.jzairport.com for details.
By bus: Besides tourist buses operated by travel agents, Chengdu Xinnanmen Coach Station, Chadianzi Coach Station and coach stations in Mianyang and Guangyuan have buses to Jiuzhaigou everyday.