Paradise under the Sun

jiuzhaaigou

Jiuzhaigou is a scnic gully in Jiuzhaigou County, Aba Autonomous Prefecture, upper Min River, northwest of Sichan Province. Until recent years, it had remained undisturbed in high mountains due to its inaccessibility, except by some horse trails or mountain paths. Scattered along the gully with the alpine lakes are nine Tibetan settlements, hence the name Jiuzhaigou, meaning “nine villages gully”.
Jiuzhaigou has the freshest air on the earth. Jiuzhaigou has a self complete ecological system, which provides the best habitats for wild animals. Investigation shows there are 170 kinds of vertebrates, and 141 species of birds.
The scenery of Jiuzhaigou Gully is the fantastic product of nature, which has been regarded as “holy mountains and sacred waters” in all times by Tibetan folks. After its opening to the public, the oriental call it “paradise under the sky”, and the westerners call it “fairyland”.
In December of 1992 it was inscribed on World Heritage List by UNESCO. In October of 1995 it entered reserves for Man and the Biosphere Program.