World Natural Heritage: Jiuzhaigou Valley Scenic and Historic Interest Area (2)

The Jiuzhaigou Valley is on the northern foot of the Gaerna Peak in the southern part of the Minshan Mountains. It is a branch of the Jialing River at its source, and the Jialing River is a tributary of the Yangtze River. The valley belongs to the transitional zone between the Sichuan Basin and the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, and has very complex geological structures. It is a place with different altitudes and climates, but beautiful mountains and waterscapes.

The main part of the Jiuzhaigou Valley is shaped like a “Y,” and is over 50 kilometers long in total. There are a lot of lakes, waterfalls and golden sand beaches in the valley. The waterscape is the leading star of Jiuzhaigou. The green and crystal-clear streams flow through forests and shallow beaches like necklaces, and the colorful lakes and majestic waterfalls always keeps your eyes busy.

Over one half of the Jiuzhaigou Valley is covered by virgin forests where various plants grow. Currently, the total area of the natural forests is about 30,000 hectares and the number of the plant species is over 2,000. Many kinds of wildlife also live there as well, including 170 kinds of vertebrates and 141 kinds of birds, of which, 17 are under national-level protection. The ground of the forests is covered by a thick layer of mosses, and you may also see animal feathers and furs. The primeval forest gives tourists a feeling that they are walking in a dream world.

Natural heritage value:

The unique waterscapes

The Jiuzhaigou Valley, judging from its unique landforms (chart 1) which is based on the calc-sinter lakes, calc-sinter waterfalls, and calc-sinter beaches, as well as the scale, type, number, shape, appearance and environment of its waterscapes, ranks first in China’s scenic and historic interest areas.

The graceful integrated environment

The Jiuzhaigou Valley takes the bright plateau scenery as its keynote characteristic and integrates it with the emerald lakes, layers of waterfalls, autumn forests, and snow peaks. It is called “heaven on earth,” and local Tibetans view it as “mystic hills and holy water.” They also adore and protect the mountains, bodies of water, forests and stones in the valley. After the Jiuzhaigou Valley Scenic and Historic Interest Area opened to the public, oriental people called the Jiuzhaigou Valley “heaven on earth,” while westerners called it a “fairy tale world.”

Various geomorphologic landscapes

The Jiuzhaigou Valley is located at the transition belt between the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and Sichuan Basin, which has a complex geologic setting and wide distributed carbonate. The various landforms were created as a result of folding and faulting in the earth’s crust and strong neotectonic movements as well as the rising crust. At the same time, a large scale of calc-sinter deposits with karstification was also cultivated, and the deposits are mainly phytokarstic. The calc-sinter and karstification have jointly created the beautiful lakes, rapid streams, spectacular waterfalls, primeval forests, and rolling snowy peaks. These harmonious geomorphologic landscapes form the unique Jiuzhaigou Valley Scenic and Historic Interest Area.

Well preserved vestiges of glaciers

The peaks in Jiuzhaigou are lofty and steep and the arêtes are precipitous. The cirque and U-valley are very typical. Moreover, the suspended valley and the aulacogen are charming. The aulacogen extends to 2,800 meters above sea level. The Jiuzhaigou Valley is one of the few places in China where the vestiges of glaciers dating from the Quaternary glaciations are best protected.