Sichuan Travel: The Fairyland on Earth – Huanglong (Photo)

As a journalist, I have always felt a sense of mystery about Huanglong and Jiuzhaigou in Sichuan. This is mainly due to hearing many friends who had visited there return and praise them endlessly. Finally, when I set foot on this magical land on June 7, 2004, my intuitive feelings differed from my imagination, but I was deeply impressed that it truly lived up to its reputation as “a wonder under heaven, a fairy pool on earth.”

Entrance to Huanglong Scenic Area (Photo by Feng Ganyong)

Most people travel to Huanglong by land, which often takes over ten hours, but flying from Chengdu to Jiuzhai Huanglong Airport takes only 45 minutes. Although missing out on the continuous scenic views along the land route is a pity, the convenience and safety of this fast travel far outweigh the bumpy and potentially unsafe overland journey.

Long March Monument (Photo by Feng Ganyong)

The altitude of Jiuhuang Airport is about 3,500 meters. Upon landing, the local temperature was only 8°C. For those arriving from hot Beijing, the cold was biting, and some even experienced discomfort from altitude sickness. From the airport, we took a bus down a winding mountain road. We passed a small town called Chuanzhusi, had lunch there, then left the town and began ascending. On a mountain not far from Chuanzhusi, a tall “Red Army Long March Monument” stood majestically. The statue of a Red Army soldier raising a gun and cheering was like a towering pillar, catching everyone’s attention. Unfortunately, the bus was moving too fast, and I missed the chance to capture it with my camera.

Distant View of Xuebaoding (Photo by Feng Ganyong)

The bus continued climbing higher. Oxygen stations lined both sides of the road. When we reached a hillside, the bus stopped. The guide told us that the high peak in the snowy mountains was Xuebaoding, one of Huanglong’s famous sights.

Journalist at Huanglong (Photo by Huang Chengyan)

Xuebaoding, meaning “Xiaxu Dongri” in Tibetan, or the Eastern Conch Mountain, stands at 5,588 meters and is the main peak of the Minshan Mountains. It is covered in snow year-round, with rocky cliffs and ravines crisscrossing its slopes. High-mountain lakes are scattered like stars, with 108 larger ones. The foothills are covered with flowers, shrubs, and towering pines. It is rich in valuable medicinal herbs such as fritillary, rhubarb, and snow lotus, and is also a habitat for blue sheep, deer, musk deer, and other wildlife. The west, north, and south faces of Xuebaoding are steep cliffs piercing the clouds, while the east face, though gentler, still inspires awe.

Huanglong Colorful Pools (Photo by Feng Ganyong)

People got off the bus and clicked away with their cameras. Even a female tourist feeling unwell bravely posed for photos. After a short stop, the bus began descending, reaching the entrance to Huanglong Scenic Area about twenty minutes later. The entrance is a wide square, with a large stone engraved with the golden characters “Huanglong” on one side. Entering Huanglong Gully, picturesque natural scenery unfolded before our eyes.

Sightseeing Boardwalk (Photo by Feng Ganyong)

There are two explanations for the name “Huanglong.” One is that it came from the Huanglong Temple, which in turn was named after the community. Legend has it that when Yu the Great controlled floods in Maozhou, a yellow dragon helped him by carrying his boat and guiding the river. Later, a temple was built to worship the dragon, hence the name Huanglong Temple. After flood control succeeded, the yellow dragon gave up its dragon palace and chose to stay here to beautify the land, creating the “Fairy Pool on Earth”—Huanglong Temple Scenic Area. Another explanation is that the main scenery of Huanglong is a yellow travertine deposit winding down from the mountaintop, layered with colorful pools, which from a distance looks like a golden dragon soaring from the snowy peaks and dense forests.

Huanglong Bonsai Pools (Photo by Feng Ganyong)

Huanglong Scenic Area is world-famous for its four wonders: colorful pools, snow-capped mountains, canyons, and forests. The giant surface travertine slope valley twists like a golden dragon through primeval forests and rocky icy peaks, creating a unique, majestic, wild environment. It is renowned as a “world wonder” and “fairy pool on earth” and is the only well-preserved plateau wetland in China.

Huanglong Scenery (Photo by Feng Ganyong)

In Huanglong Scenic Area, looking into the distance, there are endless mountains and lush green vegetation; up close, mountain streams flow beside you, birds sing and flowers fragrance. This earthly paradise makes one deeply feel the infinite charm of nature. Although the altitude is quite high, the extremely fresh air under the blue sky and white clouds somewhat relieves people’s mental pressure.

Journalist at Five-Color Pond (Photo by Huang Chengyan)

Huanglong Gully is actually located at the base of Xuebaoding, the main peak of Minshan. It shares many similarities with neighboring Jiuzhaigou in natural landscapes. The scenic area consists of two parts: Huanglong and Mouni Gully, with an altitude above 3,000 meters and an area of 700 square kilometers. It is one of China’s highest scenic spots. Surface calcification is Huanglong’s biggest characteristic. The main scenery is concentrated in Huanglong Gully, where calcium carbonate deposits spread like terraced fields, resembling a golden dragon, accompanied by snow mountains, waterfalls, primeval forests, and canyons. Tourists usually only visit Huanglong Gully.

Huanglong Lake (Photo by Feng Ganyong)

Most of the tourist boardwalks in Huanglong Gully are built of planks along the mountain terrain, with only a short section of stone path. This invisibly protects the geographical environment of Huanglong. Walking slowly up the boardwalk, starting from the entrance at over 2,000 meters, visitors trek about 3.6 kilometers through attractions such as Unnamed Calcified Stream, Welcome Colorful Pools, Bonsai Pools, Golden Sand Spread, Competing Colorful Pools, Yucui Colorful Pools, Horseshoe Sea, Huanglong Cave, Huanglong Temple, Yuwang Temple, and finally reach the Five-Color Pond and Flower-Turning Pond at the bottom of the gully, nearly 4,000 meters above sea level.

High Mountain Shrub Scenery (Photo by Feng Ganyong)

Not everyone visiting Huanglong can reach the highest bottom of the gully. I saw some tourists turn back midway due to altitude sickness. I felt sorry for them. The beauty of Huanglong Gully cannot be accurately described in words. No wonder the villagers carrying sedan chairs charge a fixed price of over 200 yuan to carry a tourist from the mouth to the bottom. It is already strenuous for an ordinary person to walk alone, let alone for them to carry a load uphill, so such a high price is reasonable.

Photo at Huanglong (Photo by Huang Chengyan)

Huanglong Scenic Area is not only famous for its unique karst landscape but also for its abundant animal and plant resources. From the bottom of Huanglong Gully at 2,000 meters to the mountaintop at 3,800 meters, you will see in sequence subtropical evergreen and deciduous broad-leaved mixed forest, coniferous and broad-leaved mixed forest, subalpine coniferous forest, and alpine shrub meadow.

Open-air Karst Landscape (Photo by Feng Ganyong)

At the same time, it is a scenic area with unique landscapes, rich resources, pristine ecology, and high scientific and aesthetic value. It features snow mountains similar to Canada, canyons like Wyoming’s, primeval forests like Colorado’s, and travertine pools like Yellowstone’s.

Huanglong Five-Color Pond (Photo by Feng Ganyong)

It is precisely because of the diverse landscapes concentrated in one place that the uniquely picturesque nature creates the wonderful Huanglong. For this reason, Huanglong was listed as a National Key Scenic Area in 1982 and inscribed on the World Natural Heritage List in 1992, truly a world wonder. (Text and photos by Feng Ganyong)