The Splendor of Huanglong

HUANGLONG Scenic Area is known for its colored lakes， snow-capped mountains， forests， as well as ancient temples and folk customs.

Located in Songpan County， Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture， Sichuan Province， the Huanglong Valley， the main scenic spot of the area， is a gentle slope with a length of 7.5 kilometers and a width of 1.5 kilometers. The valley is densely covered with creamy yellow rocks and in an aerial view， it looks like a yellow dragon crawling through the valley jungle. Huanglong is rich in flora and fauna. In addition to the alpine landscape， visitors can see a variety of forest ecosystems， as well as spectacular limestone structures， waterfalls， and hot springs. There are many endangered animals in the area， including giant pandas and golden snub-nosed monkeys.

In honor of its unique features， in 1992， Huanglong was officially listed on the World Heritage List by UNESCO as a natural heritage site.

Chinas Easternmost Glacier

The total area of Huanglong is 1，340 square kilometers， including a 640-square-kilometer periphery protection zone. The area is more than 3，000 meters above sea level. There are numerous snow peaks in the area， and seven peaks 5，000 meters above sea level. The highest peak， Xuebaoding， is the main peak of the Minshan Mountains， and is also one of the seven holy mountains of the Tibetan Bon religion.

Xuebaoding is surrounded by several other mountains. There are a number of modern glaciers in this area， which is the easternmost contemporary glacial preservation area in China. From ice erosion to glacial drifts， it showcases a complete glacier process.

The section of the mountain over 4，500 meters is covered with snow all year round. The area between 4，000 and 4，500 meters is flowstone， deep gullys and cliffs. There is a hanging glacier on the southwest slope that is two kilometers long and 500 meters wide. In its many gullies， there are stone forests resembling dragons， phoenixes， lions， and tigers， accompanied by crystal stone deposits. These hover above the area at 4，000 meters and below， which is home to dense virgin forest and shrubs.

The mountain is rich in precious herbs such as snow lotus and fritillary and provides a habitat for many wild animals such as goats and deer in the for-est. In addition， giant pandas and golden monkeys can be found here. The springs on the mountains converge into numerous mountain lakes. Among them， there are 108 large lakes， four of which surround the main peak.

The area has a humid climate in general， while the dry season is from October to April and the rainy season from May to September. July and August is the ideal time for mountaineering.

Colorful Travertine Landscape

The Huanglong Scenic Area is north of the Xuebaoding Peak. Visitors have to climb over the snowy mountain pass at an altitude of 4，200 meters to reach the area. The altitude of the scenic area is between 1，700 meters and 5，000 meters. An area of contrasts， there are many karst gorges， steep cliffs， waterways， and lush vegetation.

The Huanglong Valley is worshipped by local people. The melted snow flowing down from the mountains gathers into streams， and runs along the slopes of stalactites. It rises and falls and forms numerous waterfalls along the way. These waterfalls flow down the mountainside before forming more than 3，000 beautiful and colorful pools in various shapes and sizes.

Huanglong has a typical travertine landscape. The melted snow of the surrounding snow-capped mountains dissolves a large amount of calcium carbonate from limestone， forming different shapes of calcification， namely travertine. After thousands of years of accumulation， these sediments formed travertine causeways which in turn formed the pools， waterfalls and caves in the area.

Because of the adsorption and fixation by travertine of suspended matter， there are few particles of organic matter， suspended matter， and plankton in the water， which is clean and transparent. The highly transparent water allows the ambient light to be selectively absorbed by the off-white travertine and green algae at the bottom of the pools， while the reflection is enhanced， resulting in a multi-layered color change in the pools water. Although there are travertines in other places， such large-scale examples like the Huanglong Scenic Area are rare in the world. In addition， the indigenous plants and fancy rocks in the pools create miniature gardens of natural beauty.

Folk Culture

Huanglong is a multi-ethnic area， mainly inhabited by Tibetan， Qiang， Hui， and Han ethnic groups. The area is also a region where many religions coexist. Taoism， Han Buddhism， Tibetan Buddhism， Islam， and Christianity have all been practiced here. Since 1980， 31 temples of various religious sects have been approved by the local government.

The Huanglong Immortal is the god worshipped by local Tibetan， Qiang and Han people. According to legend， in ancient times， floods brought disasters to the people in the Central Plains. It took Yu the Great 13 years to tame the water. During that period of time， a yellow dragon （Huanglong in Chinese） steered the boat for Yu the Great. It later lived on the Minshan Mountain. According to legend， the Huanglong Cave is the place where the dragon tried to make a potion to remain immortal and cultivate vital energy， before ascending to heaven. In memory of the dragon， local people also built temples there for regular worship.