Shuzheng Valley Tour Route,

The Tour Route of Shuzheng Valley is reputed as the epitome of Jiuzhaigou, with mystic and unpredictable independent lakes and lake clusters, as well as colorful beaches, cen- tury-old grinderies, wood bridges, and powerful waterfalls. Visitors are likely to reach a consensus that Jiuzhaigou is the best of Nature's creation.

The Tour Service Center is designed for public science education which you are expected to learn, to partici- pate in and be entertained. Both the Jiuzhaigou Gate and Jiuzhaigou Administration have their offices in the Entrance which is the first stop of your full tour. Here tourists will pay for their entrance tickets and fares of special sightseeing vehicles, and ride on board lo start the tour. In busy tour seasons, people line up at the ticket office. You are advised to get up early for your tickets instead of falling in long lines and wasting your lime.

You will cover a distance of 7 kilometers from the En- trance to Heye (Lotus Leaf) Village, where a verdant stream running aside. lt is the Feicui River from which you step in a fairyland.

The first and largest Tibetan village you encounter dur- ing your tour of Jiuzhaigou, the village is noted for its rural colorings and Tibetan architecture, and particularly, its autumn scenery. Behind the village is a giant pine tree, some 100 years old, with exuberant branches. It is called the "Welcome Pine", as its twigs spreading and beckoning in the wind that seem lo await your arrival and in your respect.

Beyond the Eye Village is a stretch of travertine beaches, on which slow water blankets sweep through weeds, poplar, azaleas, pines, cypresses, willows and other shrubs. Glittering water runs through woods that stand in varied poses, as if the mountain god has placed a wonderful bonsai collection that excels the best of human ail works.

The Luwei Lake is a semi-swamp lake with thick weeds all over, where streams of verdant and glittering water run through reed stems. In spring and summer, trans- parent currents and reeds share the same green color; in autumn and winter, reeds turn eye-striking golden yellow. Soft reed flakes float in the air, attracting groups after groups of herons and wild geese that are tapping water and vitalizing life.

In 1998, one tourist discovered that, from on the cliff opposite to the Luwei Lake, he saw a low eyebrow and tender Statue of Goddess Semo. It is said that, if you can see, at the first sight, the head of the goddess, luck and contentment will befall on you in your love affair.

Going upstream from the Luwei Lake and on your right, you reach the meadow zone through a log bridge - the Heijiao Bridge, on which are religious long-narrow ban- ners that send their best blessing to all tourists.

At the farthest end of the Luwei Lake lies the Jiawu Sacred Mountain. At its Foot is a 5m Buddhist pagoda, only its base however has survived the passing of time. Local people regard it as their "sacred altar" to which they come for heaven's blessings. If your tour is on the 15th of every month of the Chinese lunar calendar or Tibetan festivals, you will observe with them their mountain- and water-worship ceremony of strong pri- mordial religion.

About 2km's hike after Heijiao Bridge, you gel lo the "Taduzha Resounding Wall". If you stand on the oppo-site hillside and shout toward the resounding wall, you will hear its echo. To whomever you shout, the call is so astonishing as if it has transcended lime and space.

Huohua Lake, featuring azure blue and tranquil ripples, lies in dense and green woods around. The glittering lake seems like a bright and transparent emerald, greet- ing the morning sun and flickering like thousands of sparks. A real good sight indeed.

On the mountain loop roadside, there are 51 steps lead- ing to the Huohua Lake Waterfalls, 50-odd meters wide and 8 meters tall. Two streams of water that never meet are pouring down, hence the name "The Lovesick Waterfalls" , As it is located against green woods, it is so wonderful a sight of poetic exquisiteness.

The small and exquisite Wo long Lake is typical of jiuzhaigou's blue lakes. Like a flat and limpid sapphire, its tranquil auspicious water is much applauded by domestic and foreign tourists alike.

Stretching for several miles, with a drop of about 100 meters, it has 19 lakes of varied sizes, descending in a manner of terraces. Among these lakes grow dense groves of willows, poplars, pines, spruces and other arbors and shrubs. Water climbs over dikes and runs through groves' stems, formulating a wide and slow waterfall, as a poem has it, "Groves grow in water which runs through the stems." High and low levels of the lake cluster are clearly marked, featuring gorgeous colors, verdant woods, dark-blue lake water, overlapped splashes of waterfalls. This wonderful scenery is highly recommended as to be he "epitome of Jiuzhaigou". Overlooking at Shuzheng Lake, you will find the scenery even more enchanting.

Across the Shuzheng Lake Cluster, a long wood bridge spans over the shallow beach, on which, you may enjoy the rapids and nearby lakes below, in your slow and leisure walking. On the side of the wood bridge, a mill of Tibetan style houses a cabin where the scripture barrel keep spinning on and on, where Tibetans come for reciting and chanting scriptures. It is one of the sites for the movie production the Heroic Young Lad. Here, lakes, shallow beaches, waterfalls, mills and scripture cabin are in such a harmony that all create a scroll of landscape painting. Tourists find themselves indulged in pleasure as to forget moving ahead.

It is a round multi-level waterfall, and its surface shapes like a lotus leaf. Lake water runs slowly over the shallow beach, and branches into thousands of water streams through the woods' stems. Water branches eventually join on the top of the waterfalls, and suddenly rave down, arousing in the water mist and forming a fascinating sight of an elegant and graceful water curtain.

In the village, log houses stand one after another, and religious banners wave in gentle winds. Kitchen smokes rise from century-old houses, breathing out a peaceful Tibetan feeling. From here, you can have an overlook- ing view of the Shuzheng Lake Cluster as if you were appreciating a dynamic scroll of landscape painting.

Shuzlicng Village is the most important Tibetan food service center of Jiuzhaigou. where tourists can enjoy buttered tea, potato paste, and highland qingke barley liquor.

The abstruse and tranquil Laohu Lake is so named from three origins. First, next to it, the Shuzheng Waterfalls roars and growls like a tiger. Second, in laic autumn when forests put on colorful hues, the red Forest image is reflected from the lake water and appears spotty stripes like the ones on the tiger skin. Third, tigers in the forests often come to the lakeside to drink.

With a spacious water area, it is the second largest lake in Jiuzhaigou, next to the Chang (Long) Lake , and the one of the most changeable color scenes. It is affec- tionately called the Crown of All Lakes. In early morning, inverted reflections in water seem partly real and partly illusionary, when one is unable to tell the sky from water. Around the lakesides grow dense trees and grasses. In spring and summer, everything is green, being followed by lull autumn scenery where red leaves and green woods reflected their inverted images in water. In particular, tourists find themselves so indulged in the vast stretch of the fascinating blue lake water that they often forget moving ahead. Here is also a much- desired place for photos rap hers and painters.

This is a shallow beach with abundant grasses. On the bed are nice-looking gravels, on the sides stand elegant woods. Among grasses are small purple, blue and white flowers. At dusk, a painting of grazing seems to be completed against the background sunlight, with the assistance of several blanket of cloud, a stretch of shallow grass, a cowboy driving his cattle followed by a couple carefree yaks.

On the green slope, you will see two natural stones that look like two leaning close to each other. Hence the spot is called the lovers' beach and the stones the lovers' stones. Legend has it that this is where Dage and Semo met and dated.

It has the kind of travertine waterfalls with the widest top in the world. "Nuorilang" in Tibetan, means the Masculine God, or refers to gigantic and lofty bearing. Water dashes from the nuorilang lake pours down through woods' stems, splashing out white foams in a powerful and deafening way. Arainbow hangs on the waterfalls, adding much grace to it .In wingter, thewaterfalls become an enormous icy curtain, with countless ice sticks hanging aside that form a crystal landscape.