Hidden among the mountains of Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture in Sichuan Province is Jiuzhaigou, a mysterious place certified by UNESCO as a ‘World Natural Heritage Site’. The 720-square-kilometre land is a symphony of water features with 114 emerald seas, 47 clear springs, 17 groups of waterfalls and 11 rapids, and an ecological epic with more than 2,000 species of higher plants and 170 species of vertebrates. When National Geographic photographer George Schaller first took aerial photographs of this land, he marvelled so much: “This is the closest chromatographic laboratory to paradise on the surface of the earth”.
I. Liquid Gems: A Visual Feast Constructed by the Rhythm of Water The
soul of Jiuzhaigou lies in the water. The alpine calcareous landscape at an altitude of 2,000-3,100 metres gives the water quality here a unique mineral optical effect. When the sunlight penetrates the 10-metre-deep water body, it will refract goose yellow, tourmaline green and peacock blue, as if God has overturned the colour palette. Norilang Waterfall, on the other hand, renders the aesthetics of the power of water with a width of 320 metres. 40 cubic metres of flowing water per second falls from the Calcium Hua dyke, and the probability of forming a rainbow in the morning mist is as high as 87%.
Even more amazing is the art of symbiosis between water and life. In Bonsai Beach, the roots of alpine willows carve natural bonsai in the turbulence, and the biological enzymes secreted by these plants combine with calcium carbonate to form “bioconcrete” that resists scouring. The shallows of the Sea of Reeds, golden yellow reeds and turquoise blue water constitute an impressionist painting, every autumn there will be more than 300 black-necked cranes stopping here, interpretation of the “Poetry” “reed reed Cangcang” of the modern version.
Second, the cycle of seasons: nature’s multi-dimensional theatre
Spring Symphony : April’s snowmelt season, the Changhai ice cracked when the roar of the earth awakened as the morning bell. At an altitude of 3,060 metres, in the primeval forest, the alpine azalea blossoms amidst the remnants of snow, its lavender petals forming a montage of colours with the dark green needles of the fir.
Summer Light Year: In July, Shuzheng Qunhai transforms into a natural air-conditioning system, and the measured temperature is 8-12℃ lower than that of Chengdu Plain. Pearl Beach Waterfall splashes in the mist often appear neon, Tibetan guides will tell you that this is the “rainbow goddess of the belt”. According to scientific research data, the negative oxygen ion content per cubic metre of air at this time reaches 30,000, which is 30 times of the WHO standard of “fresh air”.
Autumn Rhapsody: In late October, the altitude gradient creates a colour revolution that sweeps across the valley floor from the top of the mountains. The dark green of fir, the scarlet of maple and the gold of birch mingle on the surface of the Sea of Mirrors, forming a 2.8-kilometre-long gallery in the water. American photographer Ansel Adams once commented, “The autumn colours here make New England maple leaves look like children’s crayon drawings.”
Winter Silence: In December, the Rhino Sea will present the “Blue Hole under the Ice” spectacle – the surface ice is up to 30cm thick, while the deep water remains at 4℃ liquid, forming a blue liquid window. Icefall climbing enthusiasts often challenge the 30-metre-high natural ice sculpture.
III. The Ark of Life: a precision clock of the ecosystem
This three-dimensional ecosystem with a vertical height difference of 2,760 metres preserves relict species from the Quaternary glacial period. Around the Arrow Bamboo Sea, infrared cameras have captured the “drinking clock” of wild pandas for three consecutive years – they always come to replenish their minerals on the nights of the full moon. Botanists have also found a 1,200-year-old purple fruit spruce in the virgin forest, whose annual rings record the climate code of the Tang and Song dynasties.
Fangcaohai, at an altitude of 3,101 metres, is the highest reed swamp wetland in the world. In June every year, the sea of irises here attracts endangered Sichuan partridges, whose hanging nests made of ferns are called “aerial nurseries”. Underground, the rate of calcium deposition is sculpting new underwater landscapes at 0.3 millimetres per year – four times faster than the rate of reef-building on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef.
Four, the sky and people dance together: the ecological wisdom of Tibetan villages
Nine primitive Tibetan villages are like the regulating valve of the ecosystem. In Zechawa village, 70-year-old Zeren Tsom still follows the “sacred water” taboos of his ancestors: water must be taken from a copper pot, laundry must be done in the lower reaches of the river, and firewood must be taken only from dead branches. This simple ecological view makes the density of fir forests around the village 23% higher than outside the protected area.
Every year in the fifth month of the Tibetan calendar, Lotus Leaf Village holds the “Sang Smoke Ceremony” to give thanks for the gift of nature with the fragrance of cypress branches. Visitors can see monks using barley flour to draw altars in front of waterfalls at this time, a momentary art that is a metaphor for the ecological philosophy of “impermanence of all actions”. In the wooden building of Shuzheng Zhai, 75-year-old silversmith Tsering will use yak hair to weave “wind horse flag”, those blue, white, red, green and yellow streamers fluttering in the wind every time, completing a recoding of the energy of heaven and earth.
Conclusion: The Eternal Landscape Apocalypse
When Dr Lucas, an expert from the IUCN, wrote in his report: “The most complete sample of vertical ecosystems on earth is preserved here”, Jiuzhaigou has gone beyond the realm of a tourist attraction. It is like a prism that breaks down sunlight into 117 shades of blue (according to water quality spectral analyses); and like a three-dimensional ecological textbook, each calcareous sedimentary layer records the code of a thousand years of time.
For explorers from the American continent, this place is not only a place where you can shoot scenic blockbusters with more than 10,000 Instagram likes, but also a place where you can re-understand the eternal contract signed between mankind and nature in the rhythm of the old Tibetan amahs turning the scripture tube. As American nature writer Barry Lopez said, “Jiuzhaigou teaches us that true wilderness is not a place to escape civilisation, but a mirror to its essence.”
Travel Memo
Best Observation Points: Sea of Mirrors (morning mist), Sea of Flowers (midday), Pearl Beach (sunset)
Eco-code: follow the wooden walkways and disable drones to disturb the birds
Cultural Experience: join a Tibetan family visit and taste barley wine with matsutake mushrooms and stewed chicken
Scientist’s Tip: bring polarised lenses to get a better view of the structure of the water’s caliche.
