JIUZHAIGOU NATURE RESERVE, SICHUAN, CHINA

march 2017

 
 

I T I N E R A R Y

DAY 1: Jiuzhaigou Nature Reserve
DAY 2: Surrounding Tibetan Monastery

 

 

 

 
 

Sichuan is located in Southwestern region of China and the Sichuan that I know so well is usually damp and hot, excruciatingly so. The heat in the Summer is the sort that bludgeons you over the face. Since immigrating to the US, my parents and I have typically visited in the height of summer time because that was when I was off from school. If possible, I would recommend visiting in early Spring as I did this past trip. In late March, the cities are still quite breezy and so much more enjoyable. Up in the higher altitudes of Juizhaigou where it was still cold, we arrived just in time to fresh snowfall. This was my very first time experiencing snow in Sichuan and so needless to say, the scenery here was something unlike anything I had ever seen before in my home province.

 

 

 

 

I think some of my favorite photos have been of snow scenes. I love the way that the snowy white acts as a filter purifying the colors in a photograph. The blankets of white highlight complex detail while at the same time reduce everything to its most basic essence.

 

 

 

The Good: If you are like me traveling always with camera in hand and love exploring the grand beauty of our world, China’s natural wonders are not to be missed. Her diverse landscapes include some of the world’s highest mountains, longest rivers and hottest deserts. There are also vast areas of grassland, rolling plateaus, small regions of frozen tundra and pockets of lush tropical rainforests. Sichuan made up of two distinct geographical parts. The Eastern portion which includes my hometown, Yibin, and major city Chengdu is situated within the fertile Sichuan basin. Western Sichuan consists of the mountain ranges the make up the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. It is here that we find Juizhaigou. Sadly the horror stories of China’s polluted cities are all too real and blue skies in these urban areas are an extremely rare sight. It is only in these protected reserves where the raw landscape and the unique China of brush paintings still exist.

If possible also take the opportunity to explore the surrounding Tibetan villages. While much of the local industry in these villages has inevitably changed to focus on tourism, there are still distinct remnants of the Tibetan culture here. Before this trip, it had been 8 years since I last visited. Even back then there was a marked growth in tourism, not just foreign visitors but more and more Chinese locals traveling around the home country. When I lived in China as a young girl, it was very unusual for Chinese citizens to have the sort of income that would allow the luxury of traveling. People still mostly worked government delegated jobs and the “free” economy, such as it is now, was still very much in its infancy. Even as recent as 15 years ago, it was still quite rare to see large tour groups traveling around the country. Now this is a regular sight and as with any modernization, I have so many mixed emotions. On the one hand, it is so gratifying to see my country finally move into a time of such abundance and opportunity. But on the other hand, it is so sad and frustrating to witness this massive human flood crashing into what’s left of China’s natural tranquility.

I hope that my photos can speak to the singular beauty of this place.

The Bad: Maybe I need to work on my tolerance of large groups of people (OK, I know I need to), but even though we went during the “off season”, the number of bodies and selfie sticks was almost too much for me to tolerate. I cannot even begin to imagine what high tourism season actually looks like. Traveling around the park requires you to ride a shuttle bus up and down the mountain. While it makes sense that everyone can’t just drive a car around (can you imagine the traffic jam and pollution), for me there was a marked lack of freedom to just wander around. If felt that we all had to stay on a certain route and only within a certain boundary. I hate that. Also, most people take the shuttle bus all the way up to the higher altitudes and travel downwards. Fresh snowfall from the night before had created a wonderland of purest white brilliantly lit by the morning light and contrasted with the delicate new life of pink peach blossoms. I did not know that I could have probably requested the bus make a stop and let me off. Instead we drove all the up to the top of the mountain and by the time I made my way back down, all the snow had melted.

I hope that my honesty doesn’t deter you from traveling to this remarkable part of Sichuan. It is definitely worth a visit to see this stunning landscape. Just be aware that visiting here as well as the rest of China requires a good tolerance of large crowds.

 

 
 
As you head down the mountain to the lower elevations, the scene takes a dramatic turn with the melting snow revealing deep green forests and otherworldly lakes of the most unbelievable electric colors. On top of all this breathtaking beauty, delicate peach blossoms bloom for just a few weeks in a year. I was lucky enough to be here during this season

 

 

 

 
 

Five Flower Lake: a shallow multi-colored lake whose bottom is uniquely crisscrossed by ancient fallen trees

 

Fairies reside in these woods

 

 

 

 

 

So much of life’s joys and hardships are scribbled into each weathered line of her face.