Camping In Jiuzhaigou Chinas Famed National Park
Camping In Jiuzhaigou Chinas Famed National Park
Autumn is perhaps Chinas most precious season a respite between sweltering summers and fatal winters. But it is only in the northern Sichuan highlands of Jiuzhaigou Chinas natural wonderland where fall can be witnessed in blazing splendor.
Approaching Nine Villages Gully near the Gansu border one may at first be daunted by the chaos of tour groups and ceaseless convoys of busses not unlike diesel prisons bullying their way through the crowds with deafening blasts of the horn. Be reassured however that anyone in a red hat following a flag and megaphone most certainly does not have the same itinerary as a more independentminded visitor.
While Jiuzhaigou is a massive 720 square meters you can feel the full force of the nature reserve on a twoday pass. Keep a keen eye out for the seldomused paths veiled in vegetation located on the opposing side of the main thoroughfare in Zaru gully near the parks entrance.
With the growl of the tour busses segueing into a score of birdsong and black exhaust becoming crisp breathable air the nature reserve quietly proceeds into a Yshaped canyon of virgin woodland that would make a ChongQing girl blush. Not unlike vertical forests the verdant broadleaf palisades dripping with lichen and turning a muted crimson and gold for the coming fall ultimately dissolve into the heavens as one is led deeper into the forest.
Drinking in the damp sweetness the dense woods of the Nuorilang gully are suddenly pierced by the regions star attraction: prismatic lakes ranging in size from small to dragonsized pools and covering a color spectrum of ice blue to fall apple green. Formed by glacial erosion and fed by underground springs the phosphorescent phenomena is attributed to algae and mineral concentration though a poet laureate might otherwise be inspired to write of the mintblue waters as the mouthwash of the gods.
As dusk approaches the park is promptly evacuated of all visitors. While most will return to the neonlit tourist circus outside the entrance the assiduous traveler can skirt the rules and security guards by staying the night with friendly locals living on the grounds. Home to the Qiang and Aba Tibetan minorities the autonomous villages of Zechawa and Schuzheng in the park center and the smaller Rexi and Heijia villages to the north are themselves a cultural draw.
Dawn before the crowds is rather like an epiphany gentle winds whispering through the lakeside reeds as revelations from nature herself. Readers with an affinity for tranquility may especially appreciate the walkways behind the seldomtraversed Swan and Grass lakes in Zangmalonghe gully though the tranquil beauty of the area is in fact no secret at all; Jet Lis Hero was filmed at Arrow Bamboo Lake.
The teal twilight of the water then disappears into placid marshland before dramatically debuting into pearly shoals cascading in a series of multilevel falls so dazzling that any passerby might exclaim wosei! without even realizing.
The resonance of the cascade becomes a murmur as the voyeur descends from the rushing waters into vivid pastures of lavender purple and yellow wildflower. Moving from Rize gully for the parks exit gate take a last breathe of JiuZhaiGous pristine autumn air.
TRAVEL TIPS
How to get there:
Connecting flights from Beijing/ShanghaiChengduJiuZhaiGou airports for RMB 24203220
Where to stay:
The Sheraton is located 1.5km from the park entrance from RMB 6001700 per night.
Where to eat:
Eat with the friendly locals living in Jiuzhaigou Tibetan yak meat is a must try.
Where to play:
The nature reserve of course! Twoday park passes cost RMB 220.
Extras:
At once subtropical and temperate there are over 2000 endemic varieties of flora including the stunningly obvious bluegreen algae vibrant rhododendron and orchid. Species of pine maple spruce and birch are especially spectacular in the autumn. JiuZhaiGous altitudinal range and rich vegetation directly contribute to the regions unique animal life with 140 species of birds and mammals such as deer the elusive golden snubnosed monkey and Ailuropoda Melanoleuca known to most as the giant panda. An innately isolated creature requiring an undisturbed habitat spotting a wild giant panda feeding in the parks bamboo groves is difficult but not impossible for anyone choosing to walk instead of taking a tour bus.
About the writer: China photographer Tom Carter is the author of ‘CHINA: Portrait of a People’ a definitive 600page book of photography coming soon from Hong Kong publisher Blacksmith Books.
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