Jiuzhaigou in 1987

(These photos of Jiuzhaigou were taken in 2007)

Nowadays, visiting Jiuzhaigou is convenient and fast, and there is even an airport. But from a scenic perspective, my favorite was still the Jiuzhaigou of 1987, which was also the first time I went there.

It was a day in mid-March 1987, but with the passage of time I can no longer recall the exact date.

I probably set off from Chengdu before dawn in a Toyota minibus heading to Nanping. The entire journey took a full 17 hours. At that time, there was no Jiuzhaigou County yet, and I still have no idea whether Nanping was a county or a town.

The next morning, I entered the valley. You had to buy a ticket back then too, which cost 3 yuan. Adjusted for purchasing power, it wasn't necessarily cheaper than now. On that day and the following few days, there were only seven tourists in the entire Jiuzhaigou, including me. Two of them were from Kunming Hotel – because before this, I happened to be staying at the Kunming Hotel in Kunming as well.

(Scene just after entering the valley)

What is today a trendy activity among the hiking community – trekking – was in those days the only way to tour Jiuzhaigou. There was no public transportation within the valley.

The valley contained nine Tibetan villages, hence the name Jiuzhaigou (Nine-Village Valley). Unlike later times, the Jiuzhaigou of 1987 did not feel like a tourist attraction at all. If it weren't for the ticket, it would have been no different from any ordinary village.

Unfortunately, I had just started using a DSLR at that time and didn't know how to take good photos, let alone photograph other people. I mostly took pictures of myself – partly out of showing off, I suppose.

Back then, the only lodging for tourists inside Jiuzhaigou was the Nuorilang Hostel, aside from the nine Tibetan villages (which gave Jiuzhaigou its name). There was nothing else – no boardwalks like today, nothing.

(Nuorilang Hostel)

There were no travel guides then, and I didn't know how to find scenic viewpoints on my own, so I didn't keep or take any photos that I really liked. By today's standards, even the few remaining photos are all just waste images – they only serve as a record of my own past.

Since trekking was the only option, a one-day tour was simply not feasible. I remember staying for about three days. I must have seen some scenic spots but not all of them – including the later-famous Nuorilang Waterfall and Shuzheng Waterfall, which I either didn't see or perhaps lost the photos; I can't recall anymore. The only thing I found beautiful was the color of the lakes.

Although I didn't leave behind any masterpieces that I would cherish, these photos are still very precious to me as a record of my life journey.

(The only building in the Changhaizi Valley at that time)

These old photos are all rephotographed from prints; the actual photos were much clearer than the rephotographed versions.

The second time I went to Jiuzhaigou was on January 26, 2006.

In total, I have visited Jiuzhaigou five times. My favorite was still the original, pristine state of the first visit – a state I can never return to.