Jiuzhai Valley - Zechawa Valley

Seasonal Lake  Jiuzhaigou Pictures

Zechawa Valley, 18 kilometers (about 11 miles) in length, is the longest and highest route in Jiuzhaigou.
 

Magic Mirror Cliff, 400 meters (about 1,312 feet) in height, lies at the mouth of Zharu and stands facing the lakes. The surface of the cliff is rather even and it looks like a great mirror when seen from distance. It is said that the precious mirror was founded by the master of the mountain to suppress a devil who killed people cruelly. Therefore the cliff is also named Devil Cliff.
 

There are Lower Seasonal Lake and Upper Seasonal Lake in Zechawa Valley. Lower Seasonal Lake is near Zechawa Village and has a grove of birches at the lakeside. Strawberries and other wild fruits can be found in the grove. The upper Seasonal Lake is next to Five-Colored Pond surrounded by cliffs. All the lakes have plenty of blue water due to the ample rainfall in autumn and are at a low level of green color water in spring and winter. While in the early summer, the water dries up and turns into grassland as lots of grasses grow in the riverbeds.
 

The old Chinese legend said that there was a colorful lake, Jasper Lake, in the palace of the Queen Mother of the West. However, nobody has seen it with his own eyes. In Jiuzhai Valley you can truly appreciate the colorful lake, which is the small but exquisite Five-Colored Pond in Zechawa. The lake is 6.6 meters (about 21.7 feet) deep, 2,995 meters (about 9,826 feet) above the sea level and occupies an area of 5,645 square meters (about 6,751 square yards). On sunny days, the lake present various colors when the lake ripples, shining with red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue and purple light, as if you are in a dreamland.

Five-Colored Pond

Long Lake

The largest lake in Jiuzhaigou, Long Lake, is located at the end of Zechawa, covering an area of 930,000 square meters (about 230 acres). The source of Long Lake is melted snow from the mountains. Cedars all over the mountain encircle the lake. When looked at from afar, the lake is bathed in the sunshine, like the jade palace in the heaven. At the side of the lake there is an old tree, which is said to be the guardian of the lake. In winter, the lake is frozen 60 centimeters (about 24 inches) on the surface and is an ideal place for skating.


 Jiuzhai Valley