| Huanglong Valley - Brief Introduction |
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 The Huanglong Valley, over 3000 meters above sea level, is located at the southern foot of Xuebaoding, summit of Minshan Mountains in the northwest of Sichuan Province, 300 km from the provincial capital Chengdu.
Lying at the eastern rim of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, the Huanglong Valley is remarkable for its karst landscapes. Linked by travertine shoals, rapids and waterfalls, and set off by snow peaks and lush green forests, over 3,400 travertine ponds glitter brilliantly in the sunshine. The entire scenery is evocative of the dwelling place of the Queen Mother of the Western Paradise, hence its nickname "jasper lake in the mundane world". As a region inhabited by various ethnic groups-the Tibetan, Qiang, Muslim and Han nationalities, it is also characterized by the exotic folk customs of these ethnic minorities.
Huanglong consists of the core scenery of the Huanglong Valley and peripheral scenic spots such as Danyunxia (the Red Cloud Canyon), Hongxingyan (the Red Star rock), Xuebaoding (the Snow-Covered Peak), and Munigou (the Muni Valley). It is best known for the "Five Wonders", namely, the travertine colored ponds, the limestone shoals, the snowy peaks, the fascinating ravines and the forests.
There are two versions about the origin of the name of Huanglong. One is that it was names after the Buddhist Temple here-the  Huanglong Temple. Legend has it that in prehistoric times, after helping King Yu to harness the rivers, Huanglong (the Yellow Dragon) settled down here as a reclusive and eventually achieved immortality. Another version attributes the name to its unique landform. Since the Huanglong Valley is in a glaciated alpine gorge gradually rising up and running from the south to the north, the spectacular travertine flow meanders its way along the golden riverbed from the summit down the slope, much like a golden giant dragon winding its way across the snowy mountains and through the dense forests. In 1993, it was inscribed on the List of World Natural Heritage by UNESCO. |
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