Top 10 attractions in China's Sichuan

Jiuzhaigou Valley Jiuzhaigou Valley is a nature reserve and national park located in the northern part of Sichuan Province. It is part of the Minshan Mountain range on the edge of the Tibetan Himalayan Plateau, extending over 72,000 hectares. A branch of the Baihe River, the upper stream of Baishuigou Valley, Jiuzhaigou Valley was named after the nine Tibetan villages located along its length. With an elevation ranging from 2,000 m to 4,500 m, the valley is covered by primary forests and 108 lakes. It is known for its crystal lakes, multi-level waterfalls, colorful forests, snow-capped peaks and Tibetan culture. Over 140 types of birds can be found in the valley, together with many other kinds of endangered animals and plants, including pandas and Sichuan Takins. Thanks to its beautiful landscape, Jiuzhaigou Valley has been branded a "fairytale world" and a "fairyland on earth." In 1992, UNESCO put the area on its World Heritage Site List and in 1997 named it a World Biosphere Reserve. Admission: 220 yuan (US$34.77)/person (summer); 80 yuan (US$12.64)/person (winter) Mount Emei Sitting on the western rim of the Sichuan Basin, Mount Emei is a scenic area in Emei City, stretching over 15,400 hectares. Its highest peak is Wanfo Peak, with an elevation of 3,099 meters. Mt. Emei has a steep terrain and boasts some great natural scenery. It is covered by more than 3,000 kinds of plants, including a number of rare trees. Groups of monkeys are often seen by the mountain roads, looking to get some food from the travelers. As one of the Four Sacred Buddhist Mountains of China, Mt. Emei features some 26 temples, including 8 major ones, which frequently hold Buddhist ceremonies. Mt. Emei was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996. Admission: 150 yuan (US$23.7)/person (summer); 90 yuan (US$14.22)/person (winter) Leshan Giant Buddha The Leshan Giant Buddha, or Lingyun Giant Buddha, is the sculpture of a seated Maitreya Buddha located at the confluence of the Minjiang, Dadu and Qingyi rivers in southern Sichuan Province, close to the city of Leshan. The stone sculpture, carved out from a cliff, faces Mount Emei, with the rivers flowing below its feet. Built in Tang Dynasty (618–907), it is the largest stone-carved sitting Maitreya Buddha in the world as well as the tallest pre-modern statue in the world (by far). Mount Emei Scenic Area, including Leshan Giant Buddha Scenic Area, has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996. It easily rivals other famous stone carvings such as the Sphinx and the Valley of the Kings in Egypt. Admission:90 yuan (US$14.22)/person Hailuo Valley The Hailuo Valley lies at the foot of the Gongga snow-topped peak, situated on the eastern hillside of Gongga Mountain at the eastern edge of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. It is well-known for its low-elevation glacier. The crystal glacier comes down along the steep hillside and decorates the whole valley with a pure icy white coating. Its huge ice cave and bridge make the scenery resemble a crystal palace straight out of an ancient myth. More particularly, the magnificent grand ice waterfall, over 1,000 meters high and 1,100 meters wide, is 10 times larger than the famous Huangguoshu Waterfall in Guizhou Province. In this world of ice and snow, there are dozens of hot, warm and cold springs, exuding from underground. The highest temperature of the spring mouth can be up to 90℃. The ancient forest is also an important feature of the valley. Admission:72 yuan (US$11.38)/person Southern Sichuan Bamboo Forest Sixty-eight kilometers southeast of Yibin City, you find an extraordinary natural bamboo forest, covering a total area of 60,000 mu (4,000 hectares), including 500 hills. The Bamboo Forest scenic area, situated at an elevation ranging from 600 m to 1,000 m, features as many as 58 different bamboo types. Strong and dense, from a distance they seem to resemble a green ocean. The scenic area also features mountains, rivers, karst caves, lakes and falls. In the middle of the forest you find many cultural relics and historical sites, such as the Bamboo Forest Museum, the old folk residences on Mount Xijia and fish fossils. The scenic area has very enjoyable weather with a year-round average temperature of 15.5℃ (60℉). It is the perfect place to enjoy some fresh air and gaze out over the beautiful landscape. It has been described as "one of the top 10 most beautiful forests in China." Admission:85 yuan (US$13.43)/person Mount Qingcheng Located to the southwest of Dujiangyan, Sichuan Province, Mount Qingcheng can claim to have some strong roots for China's Taoism (Daoism). It is a famous historical mountain and one of the nation's major scenic areas. The mountain faces the Chengdu Plain, at the back sporting the Minjiang River, and stretches over an area of 200 square kilometers (20,000 hectares). It has 36 peaks, 8 large caves and 72 small caves. Its main peak, Laoxiao Peak, rises up to 1,260 meters. Many temples can be found in the area. In 2000, UNESCO included Mount Qingcheng, together with the Dujiangyan Irrigation System, on its World Heritage List. Admission:90 yuan (US$14.22)/person Dujiangyan  Irrigation System Dujiangyan is an irrigation infrastructure built by Governor Li Bing of the Qin State in 256 BC, during China's Warring States Period (476-221BC). It is situated on the Min River in Sichuan Province, near its capital Chengdu. Dujiangyan is the only existing ancient hydro-power project, featuring diversions without a dam, in the world. It is widely regarded as the "ancestor" of the world's hydro-power culture, with a history dating back over 2,200 years. It also functions as a means for preventing floods and plain shipping. It is still in use today, irrigating over 5,300 square kilometers of the region's land. Dujiangyan is known as one of the "three great hydraulic engineering projects of the Qin Dynasty." The other two are the Zhengguo Canal in Shaanxi Province and the Lingqu Canal in Guangxi Province. Dujiangyan is also one of China's better-known touristic spots, with many historic sites surrounding the area. Admission:90 yuan (US$14.22)/person Huanglong Located in the southern part of the Minshan Mountain range, Huanglong is a scenic and historic area in northwestern Sichuan, extending over an area of 700 square kilometers (70,000 hectares). This area is known for its colorful pools created by calcite deposits, especially in Huanglonggou (Yellow Dragon Gully), as well as for its diversity in forest ecosystems, snow-capped peaks, waterfalls and hotsprings. Its highest peak, or Xuebao Peak, measures a height of 5,588 meters and is covered with eternal snow. It is located at the eastern end of China's currently remaining glaciers. Huanglong is also home to many endangered species, including the Giant Panda and the Sichuan Golden Snub-nosed Monkey. Huanglong was declared a World Heritage Site by the UNESCO in 1992 and listed in the World Human and Biosphere Reserve by the UN in 2000. Admission: 200 yuan (US$31.6)/person (summer); 60 yuan (US$9.48)/person (winter) Four Girls Mountain Located in the Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province, the Four Girls Mountain consists of four adjacent peaks, covered with eternal snow. Its name stems from a local legend that the place was once slammed by chilling northern winds and in order to protect the local residents, four beautiful girls turned into four peaks to shield the place from the blows. Just like four girls, the charming peaks are white as ice and pearly colored as jade, spanning an area of over 2,000 square kilometers (200,000 hectares) and earning it the nickname of the "Eastern Alps." The 6,250-meter-high fourth peak is the highest as well as the most captivating one. The heights of the first, second, and third peaks are 5,355 meters, 5,454 meters, and 5,664 meters respectively. As a nation-level nature reserve, the mountain is home to many species, including golden monkeys and black bears. It flaunts a group of scenic areas where people can go to enjoy some sightseeing, mountain climbing and other recreational outings. Admission: Changping Valley: 70 yuan (US$11.06)/person (summer); 50 yuan (US$7.9)/person (winter) Shuangqiao Valley: 80 yuan (US$12.64)/person (summer); 50 yuan (US$7.9)/person (winter) Haizi Valley: 60 yuan (US$9.48)/person (summer); 40 yuan (US$6.32)/person (winter) Yading Yading is a nation-level reserve in Daocheng County, in the southwest of Sichuan Province. Located in the eastern part of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, it boasts a beautiful alpine valley scenery. The reserve covers an area of 1,344 square kilometers (134,400 hectares), with Chenrezig being its highest peak at 6,032 meters above sea level. It is known as one of China's oldest and best-preserved alpine ecosystems. The reserve's particular geographical environment, in addition to its alpine springs, carries with it a rather humid climate with rich vergetation covering the land, creating unique scenic sights. Yading's amazing scenery has won itself the titles of "the last Shangri-La" and "the last pure land on the blue planet." Admission:150 yuan (US$23.7)/person Source: Xinhua from China Travel & Tourism News http://www.chinatraveltourismnews.com/

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