- China 1998. Souvenir sheet from Jiuzhaigou Valley.
Jiuzhaigou Valley Scenic and
Historic Interest Area (1992)
China
Stretching over 72,000 ha in the northern part of Sichuan Province, the
jagged Jiuzhaigou valley reaches a height of more than 4,800 m, thus comprising
a series of diverse forest ecosystems. Its superb landscapes are particularly
interesting for their series of narrow conic karst land forms and spectacular
waterfalls. Some 140 bird species also inhabit the valley, as well as a number
of endangered plant and animal species, including the giant panda and the
Sichuan takin.
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The Nine-village Valley, another name for Jiuzhaigou Valley,
so named because there used to be nine Tibetan villages in the valley, is
located in Nanping County in the Aba Tibetan and Qiang Nationality
Autonomous Prefecture of Sichuan Province, which is more than 400
kilometers from Chengde City.
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| Because the nine-village Valley lies in the transition area
from the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau to the Sichuan Basin, it has developed
unique terrain features and has become a world-famous scenic area of the
mountain-water category. Entering the Nine-village Valley, one can take
into the eye such phenomena as colourful forest, green lakes, waterfalls
and snow-capped peaks.
The Nine-village Valley is beautiful because it is natural, primeval and full of unexpected changes.
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The Nine-village Valley is especially famous for its water,
which is crystal and colourful-dark blue, emerald green and indigo blue.
When sunshine falls on the water surface, it seems that the former has
lighted the ripples of the blue water, shining and dazzling.
The water of the Nine-village Valley takes various shapes: flowing silently in the bushes, meandering along the brooks, gushing over boulders and shoals and falling down from atop of rocks.
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The Nine-village Valley is more than 50 kilometers in length, sceneries as lakes, waterfalls and shoals are differentiating, and the Changhai (Long Sea), the Fangcao Lake and the Nuorilang Waterfalls are the most well-known scenic spots in the Nine-village Valley.To sum it up, The Nine-village Valley can only be described as a natural and pure fairy land with green mountains and crystal water. A primeval and simple, mysterious and yet fantastic paradise on earth.
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Central African Republic 1997. 50th anniversary of UNESCO. View of Jiuzhaigou Valley. Scan by courtesy of Miomir Zivkovic (Serbia and Montenegro).
Sources and links:
Other World Heritage Sites in China (on this site). Inactive links are not described on stamps. Please refer to the UNESCO-listing, section China for further information about the individual properties.
Revised 24 jun 2007 |
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