Jiuzhaigou National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, in China’s Sichuan Province is a true gem of an attraction. Meaning ‘Nine Village Valley’, Jiuzhaigou is named for the nine Tibetan villages that dot the sprawling park. According to Tibetan legend, Woluo Semo, a beautiful goddess, was gifted a magical mirror made of wind by her lover Dage. As misfortune would have it, a jealous demon forced the goddess to drop the mirror, causing it to shatter and form the 114 glittering lakes that make up Jiuzhaigou. It’s these bluer-than-blue lakes that once attracted over seven million visitors annually to the park.
The mirrored, turquoise blue waters of Jiuzhaigou National Park | Image by An Zhenyi
Then, on August 8, 2017, a 7.0-magnitude earthquake rocked Jiuzhaigou County, killing at least 24 people, injuring more than 500, and destroying much of the renowned national park. Landslides were triggered, blanketing the formerly lush forests with debris and muddying the park’s iconic crystalline, cerulean-blue lakes, or causing them to drain entirely. A shadow of its former self, Jiuzhaigou was forced to close – a gut punch to the area’s tourism industry.
Thankfully, now over two years later, Jiuzhaigou National Park is back open for visitors on a trial basis. Although a few sites have been open to the public since last March, most of the park has remained closed to allow the restoration process to continue, capping visitors to only 2,000 each day. As of September 27, 85% percent of the UNESCO World Heritage Site is ready for visitors.
Nuorilang Waterfall before the earthquake | Image by An Zhenyi
The restoration process hasn’t been easy. Sparkling Lake was marred by a chasm stretching 50 meters long, 20 meters wide, and 12 meters deep, and is still yet to reopen. Nuorilang Waterfall, one of the icons of the park, sustained significant damage but has fortunately reopened for visitors, although the view won’t be quite the same as before. As for Jiuzhaigou’s crystal-clear waters, thanks to being fed by underground rivers and the park being covered nearly entirely by forest, the lakes were able to purify themselves. And the dissolving limestone continues to provide the lakes with their signature turquoise hue.
Fall colors at Jiuzhaigou National Park
For travelers interested in visiting Jiuzhaigou, there are a few important things to note. While most of the park is open again, some areas are still off-limits. However, travelers do have access to scenic spots in all of Zezhawa Valley, most of Shuzheng Valley (except for Sparkling Lake), and some of Rize Valley. The rest of the park is set to reopen in 2020. Currently, scenic areas are only open between the hours of 8:30am and 5pm. To help manage the park’s capacity and maintain the safety of both the visitors and the delicate ecosystem, entries are capped at a max of 5,000 people each day. Additionally, all travelers must purchase tickets from designated websites prior to the visit and be part of an organized tour (like with AsiaTravel). Unfortunately, it’s still unknown if, or when, Jiuzhaigou will open its gates to independent travelers.
Needless to say, we couldn’t be happier to see this national treasure almost completely reopened and are excited to be able to share its breathtaking beauty with our travelers once again.
Laoshan Mountain is located in the east of Qingdao. It faces the Yellow Sea on both sides of the east and south. It has the reputation of “famous mountain on the sea”. The highest peak is a giant peak about 1,100 meters above sea level. Laoshan Mountain has become a famous Taoist mountain for its majestic, spectacular, peculiar and beautiful scenery. Laoshan Mountain’s Taoist temple, sunrise and sea of clouds have long been famous.
Laoshan Mountain is not very high. It is very suitable for basic mountain climbing exercise. Normally healthy people can basically climb to the top of the mountain. The scenery on the way is also very good, and you must climb to the top of the mountain. Only at the top of the mountain can you experience the feeling of overlooking Qingdao and the beautiful bay.
Confucius Temple was built in the Song Dynasty. It is located next to Gongyuan Street on the north bank of the Qinhuai River. It was originally a place where Confucius was worshipped, but was destroyed and rebuilt many times. Together with Beijing Confucius Temple, Qufu Confucius Temple, and Jilin Confucius Temple, it is known as the four major Confucius Temples in China. It is also the most important scenic spot in the Confucius Temple Qinhuai Scenic Area.
The entire Confucius Temple complex is in front of the Confucian Temple, and in the back, it is the Academic Palace. The layout is symmetrical, forming a Confucian cultural axis from south to north. Dacheng Hall is the main hall of the Confucius Temple. A portrait of Confucius over 6 meters high hangs in it. It is known as a masterpiece of the Chinese Confucius Temple. On the four walls of the main hall are 38 colored stone inlaid murals “The Sacred Relics of Confucius”, reflecting the life deeds of Confucius. Walk out from the back door of Dacheng Hall to the Xuegong, there includes Mingde Hall and Zunjing Pavilion (that is, the Folk Art Grand View Garden). Four stone monuments stand on the south side of the Academic Palace.
The architectural layout of Ta’er Lamasery and the Han Buddhist temples in the mainland is obviously different as the complex of Ta’er Lamasery is not axially symmetrical. Ta’er Lamasery is an ancient building group composed of numerous halls, scripture halls, pagodas, and colleges. The scriptures, halls and pagodas are irregularly distributed on a small hill. When tourists are playing there, the route is more casual, instead of going all the way along the central axis.
There is a tour guide service at the ticket office of Ta’er Lamasery. It is recommended to hire a tour guide because Ta’er Lamasery has a very deep historical connotation. Without a guide’s explanation, you will miss many interesting stories.
Wucai Beach is located on the north bank of the Irtysh River, 24 kilometers northwest of Burqin County, Xinjiang. It is a river beach famous for Yadan landforms. The hills here are peculiarly geological and show a variety of colors. When the sunset shines in the evening, the colors are gorgeous and fantastic, and very spectacular. On the other side of the Wucai Beach, it is a lush Populus euphratica forest, which is beautifully reflected in the river water. Here in autumn, it becomes a fairy tale with the brilliant yellow leaves.
Entering the scenic spot, you can descend along the plank road to the end, and then return along the plank road to enjoy the beautiful scenery. Along the plank road all the way up, the rocks on the riverbank in the evening show a colorful color of red, brown, yellow and white. After walking on all the boardwalks, climb to the highest level of the observation deck and look into the distance. The light of the sunset sprinkled on the rocks of the Wucai Beach, is dazzling and extremely beautiful.
In many cities in China, there are roads or memorial buildings that are named after the word “liberation” for the purpose of commemoration. Chongqing’s Jiefangbei Pedestrian Street is located in the center of Yuzhong District, surrounded by tall buildings. Especially at night when the lights are first released, the bright and colorful neon lights flash, making Jiefangbei “a city without darkness”.
Jiefangbei Pedestrian Street is a prosperous commercial street in Chongqing and even western China. Whether you are a local or a tourist in Chongqing, you can find your own happiness in the pedestrian street.
Qingcheng Mountain is a famous Taoist mountain, which is divided into the front mountain and back mountain. The front mountain is the core there. The main Taoist buildings there include Jianfu Palace, Tianshi Cave, Chaoyang Cave, Patriarch Hall, Shangqing Palace, etc. The natural landscape of the Qingcheng Mountain is also very beautiful, with green trees, and winding paths. Quietness is a major feature of Qingcheng Mountain. The amount of climbing the mountain is moderate and you can play there for half a day or a day.
There is a tea house on Qingcheng Mountain where you can enjoy the tea while enjoying the scenery; the mountain road is crooked and twisted, the steps are high and steep, and the elderly need to pay attention to safety when climbing the mountain; there are many precious ancient trees in the mountain, some are even hundreds of thousands of years old, which can see that the mountain is historical!
Mudu Ancient Town, in the southeast of Jiangsu Province and west of Suzhou Ancient City, is also located in the Taihu Lake Basin. It is a famous scenic spot in the south of the Yangtze River. Mudu Ancient Town is an ancient cultural town of the Han nationality of the same age as Suzhou City, with a history of more than 2,500 years. In August 2008, it was rated as a national AAAA scenic spot and one of the 13 scenic spots in Taihu Scenic Area.
There are many famous ancient towns in Suzhou, and Mudu Ancient Town is relatively close to the urban area. It can be reached by subway and bus. Entering the ancient town is free, but some of the ancient gardens require tickets, and you can buy a joint ticket. Feel the charm of Suzhou gardens in various yards in Mudu Ancient Town. Many of the houses here are the former residences of the ancients. Don’t forget to come to see the lotus