Cultural and Natural Heritage Day | Once You've Been Here, No Other Scenery Compares

Nowhere is quite like this place.

It has always been yearned for and remembered by people.

Towering mountains, azure skies, pristine Haizi (alpine lakes),

as beautiful as a fairy-tale world.

Photo by Liu Guoxing

This place is seen as a knocked-over palette.

Colorful forests, layered waterfalls, emerald seas,

harboring the most beautiful colors on earth.

Photo by Liu Guoxing

The sky is as blue as an endless ocean;

clouds wander idly across the sky.

A gentle breeze brushes past,

blowing away the gloom in one's heart,

always bringing a good mood.

Photo by Liu Guoxing

"After viewing Mount Huang, no other mountain is worth seeing; after returning from Jiuzhaigou, no other water is worth seeing."

Jiuzhaigou is China's first

nature reserve established mainly for protecting natural scenery.

It is a famous scenic spot and a national demonstration site for civilized tourism.

In 1992 it was inscribed on the UNESCO World Natural Heritage List.

This place, called a fairy-tale world,

has never disappointed us.

Spring flowers and grass, summer flowing waterfalls,

autumn red leaves, winter white snow.

The scenery varies with each season,

always astonishing people from all over the world.

Ancient plank roads, colorful forests,

blue lakes, swirling clouds,

magnificent snow-capped mountains, unique waterfalls —

these are all unique treasures of Jiuzhaigou.

Photo by Liu Guoxing

Spring brings warmth, ice and snow melt,

gurgling spring water, brilliant blooming flowers.

Summer escapes the heat, dense green trees provide shade,

waterfalls cascade down, pools of refreshing coolness.

Photo by Liu Guoxing

Autumn is crisp, the sky is high and the clouds are light,

red leaves cover the mountains, colorful forests fill the view.

Winter snow falls, everything is draped in silver,

icy lakes are like mirrors, all sounds are silent.

Photo by Yang Dongbo

Throughout the four seasons, Jiuzhaigou has six wonders.

Water is the soul of Jiuzhaigou,

and the Haizi (lakes) of Jiuzhaigou are especially distinctive.

The lake water remains blue and clear all year round;

with changing light and shifting seasons,

it presents different hues and moods.

Photo by Liu Guoxing

Waterfalls are the finest form of flowing water.

Jiuzhaigou is a world of water and a kingdom of waterfalls.

In the morning sunlight, magical rainbows often appear,

delighting the eyes and making visitors linger.

Photo by Liu Guoxing

In autumn, the mountain forests are a riot of color —

this is Jiuzhaigou's most beautiful season.

The colorful forests, the third of Jiuzhaigou's six wonders, cover

more than half of the scenic area.

More than 2,000 species of plants compete in splendor.

Photo by Liu Guoxing

Jiuzhaigou's peaks rise range upon range.

In winter, looking into the distance,

snowy peaks meet the eye.

Photo by Liu Guoxing

Jiuzhaigou has historically been a great corridor of ethnic integration.

Its culture shows strong marginal cultural characteristics

and a broad, tolerant inclusiveness.

The Tibetan people maintain their own unique cultural traditions.

Photo by Liu Guoxing

Majestic blue ice waterfalls,

huge ice pillars and ice balls hang on steep cliffs.

A dazzling world of ice crystals,

a gentle white snow land and deep blue clear waters —

together they perform the holy winter charm.

All year round it is a place of stunning beauty.

The jade pool was originally on earth;

how laughable that common people seek to become immortals.

There is a road to heaven leading to Jiuzhaigou;

here the fairyland allows you to wander freely.

Water is the spirit of Jiuzhaigou.

Springs, waterfalls, rivers, shoals — 108 Haizi form

various colorful jade basins.

Jiuzhaigou is truly the king of waterscapes!

Photo by Liu Guoxing

108 sapphires are scattered among the mountains,

becoming Jiuzhaigou's 108 most beautiful landscapes.

Photo by Liu Guoxing

Today, these 108 lakes are connected to each other,

some near, some far; some large, some small;

some shallow, some deep; some dark, some bright.

Photo by Liu Guoxing

Like strings of pearls strung together,

reflected in the lake and mountain scenery,

they radiate brilliant light.

Jiuzhaigou has been a Tibetan settlement since ancient times.

Here, both the way of life and

festival customs retain the most original state.

The unique ethnic customs have created its splendid culture.

In 1991, the state

nominated Jiuzhaigou for the World Natural Heritage List.

The strict international review experts

were ultimately conquered by Jiuzhaigou's natural beauty.

On December 14, 1992, Jiuzhaigou finally

became the world's Jiuzhaigou,

indisputably inscribed on the World Natural Heritage List.

Jiuzhaigou County is a multi-ethnic settlement,

with a special geographical location and rich historical culture.

It holds many honorary titles such as "Folk Art and Culture Township of Sichuan Province"

and is renowned as the "Hometown of Folk Songs, Hometown of Pipa, Hometown of Love Songs."

Photo by Liu Guoxing

The county has 90 items of intangible cultural heritage,

including 4 national-level intangible cultural heritage items,

4 provincial-level items,

31 prefecture-level items,

and 51 county-level items.

The unique folk culture makes this land

even more charming.

It has been passed down for hundreds of years in this area

with distinct geographical markers.

Yongfeng Township is one of the birthplaces of Nanping Quzi.

"When you strike the plates, you want to sing; when you play the pipa, you want to sing" —

this well-known folk saying among locals

aptly summarizes the characteristics of Nanping Quzi.

It is the auspicious mask dance of the Baima people,

commonly known in Chinese as "Twelve Animal Dance."

This dance full of mysterious atmosphere

originates from the Baima people's primitive period of believing in

"animism,"

and is a fusion of Di-Qiang culture and Tibetan culture.

The Baima Tibetans worship the panda as a totem.

In the Grassland Village within Jiuzhaigou County,

there is a custom of performing the panda dance on the 15th day of the first lunar month.

Every year from the 15th to the 18th of the first lunar month,

young and able young men from the clan are selected, cross-dressing as women,

to accompany and perform for "Deng Ga."

Accompanied by the sound of drums and gongs,

they imitate pandas eating arrow bamboo, drinking water, climbing trees, rolling, and playing.

Tibetan mountain songs of northwestern Sichuan

Many lyrics of Tibetan mountain songs

are closely related to production labor and the natural environment.

Horses, cattle, sheep, snowy mountains, Haizi, grassland pastures —

none are excluded from being sung about.

Thus mountain songs have become the closest companions

of Tibetan farmers and herders; in mountain songs

people pour out their emotions, worries, sorrows, and joys.

They are the key to opening the hearts of the Tibetan people.

If water is the soul of Jiuzhaigou,

and color is the clothing of Jiuzhaigou,

then the Tibetan villages in the valley must be the bones of Jiuzhaigou.

Nine Tibetan villages are scattered

like stars across Jiuzhaigou,

beautiful and mysterious, full of all kinds of charm.

The Tibetan villages here are in the most traditional wooden building style;

locals paint various protective gods on the walls

to bless their families with safety.

To this day, traditional Tibetan festivals are preserved here.

Every year in the fourth month of the Tibetan calendar,

people gather to worship mountain gods and sincerely pray for blessings.

In addition, Jiuzhaigou also preserves

splendid Tibetan intangible cultural heritage.

Guozhuang dance, mountain songs, Tibetan opera, etc.

have become integrated into their lives.

Image: Aba Prefecture Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau

Wondrous for its mountains, spiritual for its waters,

converging myriad charms,

Jiuzhaigou always captivates your heart.