People often refer to Sichuan as “the heaven-endowed land”. The terrain of Sichuan provincesichuan varies in elevation, sloping from west to east and is divided into two sections－Western Plateau of Sichuan and the Sichuan Basin. The western plateau is one of the combinative sections of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, with an average altitude of more than 4,000 meters. Low hillocks and plains dominate the Sichuan Basin. Rivers in the provincesichuan mainly include the Yangtze River and its tributaries. The basin in east Sichuan belongs to subtropical and humid monsoon climate and the western part belongs to subtropical and plateau climate.
The provincesichuan is China’s third most populous provincesichuan, trailing Henan and Shandong. It is known as the “paradise in China or a land of abundance” or “heavenly-endowed land” because of the rich natural resources and beautiful scenery.

In the northern Sichuan, close to the border of Northwest China’s Gansu provincesichuan, Jiuzhaigou is a breathtaking alpine valley discovered by lumberjacks in the 1970s. It now welcomes an annual influx of nearly one million tourists from home and abroad.
About 480 kilometers north of the Sichuan provincial capital of Chengdu, the 720-aquare-kilometer valley of Jiuzhaigou, which ranges from 2,000 to 3,100 metes above sea level, is spread over a Y-shaped ravine more than 40 kilometers long. Listed on the World Heritage List by UNESCO since 1992, Jiuzhaigou offers a number of dazzling features and unparalleled natural beauty. Home to takings－large horned Tibetan wild animals－snub-nosed monkeys and giant pandas, Jiuzhaigou is a nature reserve with North American-type alpine scenes-snowy peaks, clear lakes and forests sprinkled with Tibetan prayer wheels, flags. What the tourist finds particularly fascinating is the transparent and multi-colored water in its 108 lakes-which is why local Tibetan women wear 108 braids during festivals. A local geographical record compiled in the 19th century, says: “Water here is bright green like an emerald, reflecting trees and mountain peaks.” The description is apt, indeed. Many who have been there share their view that the beauty of its water defies description

Situated at the confluence of Minjing, Qingyi and Dadu rivers, on the western slope of Lingyun Mountain east of Leshan City, the sitting giant Buddha is carved into a cliff overlooking the three rivers. Legend has it that an eminent monk Hai Tong of the Tang Dynasty often saw boats capsize in the turbulent river. Shipwrecks were a common place. Whishing to protect passing boats and tame the rough river currents, the monk vowed to build a Maitreya Buddha. He made great efforts to collect the funds for the construction. The Giant Buddha, also known as Lingyun Giant Buddha, the biggest of its kind in the world, was carved in the period 713to 803 in the Tang Dynasty, lasting as long as 90 years. A local saying goes: “The mountain is a Buddha, and the Buddha is a mountain”. It is 71 meters in height, its head being 14.7 meters high, the width of the head 10 meters and the hair coils totaling some 1,021, each being 40 centimeters in diameter. It shoulder is 28 meters in width, its eye being 3.3 meters long, eyebrow length 3.7 meters, its ear 7 meters, and its nose, 5.6 meters long. Its ear hole can accommodate two men standing abreast. Its tow length is 1.6 meters and its instep can hold over 100-seated people. For the convenience of the tourist, a Nine-Turn Path was hewn to wind up the nearby cliff, the path leads up 250 stone steps along the Maitreya’s height, a half kilometer long. When the tourist walks along, it seems dangerous but exciting. Just above the Nine-Turn Path, there is a pavilion for the tourist to relax, a wonderful place to observe the Buddha’s expressive face. UNESCO inscribed the Giant Buddha of Leshan together with Mount Emei on the World Heritage List in 1996.

Siguniang Mountains are as beautiful as their name, but uncovering their veils and appreciating their many charms can be exhausting. Located in Xiaojin County of the Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture in Western Sichuan provincesichuan, the Siguniang Mountains are about 220 kilometers away from Chengdu. The mountains stand in the remote distance, like four beautiful Tibetan girls dressed in white scarves. Legend has it that many years ago, there lived a mountain god named Balang who has four beautiful daughters, and the youngest was the tallest and has the most graceful figure. A devil admired the girl’s beauty and wanted to marry them. So the devil suggested to the mountain god that they fight a duel. If he won, he would get the four girls. The mountain god was killed by the devil. And the four girls fled and eventually died from cold weather. Their bodies became the Siguniang Mountains and their father became the Balang Mountains. But another tale holds that the four girls were later saved by a hunter and became fairies. The Siguniang Mountains resemble four graceful fairies wearing whit mantles and waving to guests from afar.