This is an unusual ecosystem, with narrow conic karst landforms, renowned for its rolling mountains, dense forests, colorful lakes, precipitous waterfalls, and a wide variety of birds and animals.

Stretching over 600 sq km in the northern part of Sichuan Province, the jagged peaks around Jiuzhaigou Valley reach heights of more than 4,800 m. In the valley there is a series of diverse forest ecosystems. Its superb landscapes are especially interesting for their narrow conic karst landforms and spectacular waterfalls. Some 140 bird species inhabit the valley, as well as a number of endangered plant and animal species, including the giant panda and the Sichuan takin.

Physical Features

Lying on the edge of the diverging belt between the Qinghai-Tibet Plate and the Yangtze Plate, there are major faultlines running through the site. Earthquakes are not uncommon and have been a major influence on the geological landscape. Of the greatest interest, geologically, are the high altitude karst land forms which have been strongly influenced by glacial, hydrological and tectonic activity.

The main valley is 50 km long, and is where Shuzheng, Qunhai, Rize, and Zechawa valleys come together. Waterfalls and streams link 108 lakes of various sizes, many of which are classic ribbon lakes at the base of glacially formed valleys.

Also of note are a number of large and spectacular waterfalls, including Xionguashai (Panda Lake) Fall which drops 78m in three steps, and the Zhengzhutan (Pearl Shoal) Fall, which drops 28m in a broad curtain of water, 310m wide.

According to geologists, the lakes were formed by calcium carbonate in the flowing water when the earth was in the interglacial stage. The calcium carbonate could not coagulate, but flowed with the water. More than 12,000 years ago, the global climate became warmer, and the calcium carbonate became active and attached itself to obstacles in the water. As time passed, the attached matter became thicker, forming the milky white banks of barrier lakes.

The view of Five-Flower Lake in Rize Valley is majestic. Looking down from the mountain, one can see the lake hemmed in on three sides by mountains. The lake looks like a big gourd pouring colorful water endlessly. At the bottom of the lake, there are small, dark-green plum-shaped spots, and in the middle of the gourd is a light-blue figure 10 m long, shaped like the leg of a sika deer. It is said that when the Mountain God appeared on the mountain, a frightened sika seer lost a leg, which dropped into the lake.

The tranquility of the colorful mountain lakes is broken by the many roaring waterfalls downstream. The Nuorilang Waterfall, at the end of the Shuzheng Qunhai Valley, emerges from among willow trees, which seem to comb the 100-meter-wide falls into strands of crystal hair. The most magnificent waterfall in Jiuzhaigou is the Pearl Beach Waterfall in the Rize Valley, roaring down from a sheer cliff, and flying about in all directions. The drops of water reflected in the sunlight glisten like colorful pearls.

At the end of the Zechawa Valley is Changhai (Long Lake), discovered in the 1970s. It is the largest lake in Jiuzhaigou. With an elevation of 3,000 m, the Changhai area is covered in snow all year round. It is especially pleasant to boat on the lake in summer. In spring, the lake mirrors the flowers on the snow-capped mountains. In autumn, it mirrors the red and gold maple leaves. In winter, it is covered with ice.

Flora and Fauna

More than half of the scenic area is covered in virgin forests, with bamboos, flowers, and is home to such rare animals as giant pandas, golden monkeys and white-lipped deer.

Among over 500 categories of seed plant, there are about 92 full species special for their rarity, endemicity, or their ornamental or medicinal use, including 15 species of rhododendron, found between 2,000 and 4,000m, and also two species of bamboo which are important food for giant pandas.

Historic and Cultural Value

The name Jiuzhaigou means the Ravine with Nine Villages, and the area was so named because there were originally nine Tibetan villages there. The local Tibetan population maintain cultural traditions.

The numerous lakes in Jiuzhaigou Valley have evoked religious feelings in the local residents and given rise to many enchanting folktales. According to legend, the goddess Wonosmo dropped a mystical mirror, a gift of love from the god Dag here, and the broken pieces became the 108 lakes. The colorful lakes in Zechawa Valley are said to be the Jasper Lakes of the Queen Mother of the West. According to a local saying, the lake water was colored by the cosmetics of fairy maidens, although it is more likely something to do with the aquatic plants in the lakes. Legends and more recent stories abound concerning the existence of monsters in various lakes, notably Changhai (Long Lake), Jianzhuhai (Arrow-Bamboo Lake) and Nuorilang Lakes. One of these lakes, Wolonghai or Dragon Lake, has a calcareous dyke running through it clearly visible below the water surface, which, in local folklore, has been compared to a dragon lying on the bottom. These stories are a further attraction to tourists and have received some scientific interest.