Szechuan - the Land of Heaven

Szechuan is one of the richest inland provinces in China. Geographically it is known as the great Szechuan basin, which is located in the centre of China. Two mountain ranges and two plateaus surround it and other than being the upper region of the Yangtze River it is also the origin of Yangtze's three main branches. Its area is even larger than France (more than 570,000 sq. km).

Here is the home country of our famous giant pandas (the big black and white doll like bear), and pandas (small bearlike creatures with red brown fur and a long ringed tail). And it is also the place where scientists dug out most of the fossils of dinosaurs' species in the world. This region is not only famous for its animals or the remnants of ancient animals; it is also the place of one of the civilization cradles of the Chinese culture. Szechuan is a multi-tribal province. At least ten different tribes are populated here.

But these are not the reasons that make me attracted to Szechuan. It is the heart-stopping, breathtaking, picturesque beauty that attracts me - the beautiful Jiu Jia Gou (the Valley of Nine Villages), the fairy tale land Huangloong (the Yellow Dragon), the amusing Hung Yuan (the Red Savanna), and the picturesque Three Great Gorges (part of the gorges were already submerged under water due to the new great dam). There are so many places that I like to visit again and again but my dream destination is definitely the Valley of the Nine Villages.

The Valley of the Nine Villages is the emerald of Minshan Mountains in the northern part of Szechuan. One hundred and eight lakes bearing different shades of blue and crystal clear water are in this valley. Tibetans living here believe that their handsome god Dakuor used light breezes and the brightest cloud to make a mirror for his beloved beautiful goddess Yullocemo. Unfortunately she dropped the mirror and it broke into a hundred and eight pieces. The broken pieces fell into the valley and became the beautiful 'Shui Hai' (bluish green lakes).

This valley is actually a natural preserved area with around 60,000 sq. km and with waterfalls and lakes as its belle - the Pearl Beach Waterfall, the Mirror Sea, the Long Sea and the Law Yu Long Waterfall among others. They are surrounded by the colourful mountains representing the different seasons: from various greens in spring and summer to the beautiful golden autumn to the silver white winter. Among these charming scences, there are nine Tibetan villages.

Of course the Yellow Dragon is another place that I will not miss for a second time. Have you ever been to the Cotton castle of Turkey? Right, the rock formation of the Yellow Dragon is the same as the Cotton Castle. There are more than three thousand pools varied in size and depth in Yellow Dragon. The evergreen forest of the Minshan Mountains surrounds bluish crystal clear water contained by marble-white pools and basins. When there is no wind, these pools are like pieces of aquamarine. Shallow water flowing over the golden surface of a gentle slope becomes the famous Gold Sand Waterfall, which is the highlight of the Yellow Dragon.

Yellow Dragon and the Valley of Nine Villages are so beautiful, quiet, full of colours and unforgettable that words failed me. I really don't know how to describe them so that people can know how great these two places are. You must go there to feel and see it for yourself.

Leung Kit Ting