Situated in the depths of the
mountains in the border area of Nanping, Songpan and Pingwu counties in
Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture of northwestern Sichuan, is
a fairyland called Jiuzhaigou – Nine-Village Valley, which is the home
of nine Tibetan villages. The valley is 50 kilometers in length.
|
Jiuzhaigou,
Sichuan Province |
The place is dotted with
more than 100 gorgeous lakes, which differ from others by having a high
concentration of calcium carbonate, so that the lakebeds and embankments
are all covered with crystals. The water is so clear that the bottom is
visible despite depths of several dozen meters. Waterfalls are the
essence of the scenery in Jiuzhaigou. They are created between lakes on
different levels with water flowing down the cliffs covered
with trees. The water
actually oozes through the tree trunks into the falls. The trees in the
primitive forest are thick with leaves that block the sunlight. As the
height and temperature there vary, there is a distinctive distribution
of plants, with the broadleaf forest, at the foot of the mountain, and a
coniferous forest at the top. In autumn, the mountaintops are covered
with white snow while the hill slopes and the valley are a blaze of
color.
