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Huanglong Scenic and Historic Interest Area

UNESCO World Heritage Site
Location	Songpan County, Sichuan, People's Republic of China
Criteria	Natural: (vii)
Reference	[http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/638 103.833028 638 103.833028]
Inscription	1992 (16th Session)
Area	60,000 ha (230 sq mi)
Coordinates	32°44′36″N 103°49′59″E / 32.7432°N 103.8330°E / 32.7432; 103.8330Coordinates: 32°44′36″N 103°49′59″E / 32.7432°N 103.8330°E / 32.7432; 103.8330
Location of Huanglong Scenic and Historic Interest Area in Sichuan

Huanglong (simplified Chinese: 黄龙; traditional Chinese: 黃龍; pinyin: Huánglóng; literally: 'yellow dragon') is a scenic and historic interest area in the northwest part of Sichuan, China. It is located in the southern part of the Minshan mountain range, 370 kilometres (230 mi) north-northwest of the capital Chengdu.^[1] This area is known for its colorful pools formed by calcite deposits, especially in Huanglonggou (Yellow Dragon Gully), as well as diverse forest ecosystems, snow-capped peaks, waterfalls and hot springs. Huanglong is also home to many endangered species including the giant panda and the Sichuan golden snub-nosed monkey.^[1] Huanglong was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1992.

Attractions

Due to thousands of years of geological evolution, Huanglong consists of numerous unique landscapes of geological landforms. Glacial revolution, terrane structure, stratum of carbonic acid rock, tufa water and climatic conditions such as Arctic-alpine sun light have created this world-famous travertine landscape. These accumulated travertine landscapes and pools are Huanglong's main attraction.

Huanglong covers an area of 700 km² at an altitude between 1700m and 5588m. Major scenic areas include:

• Huanglong Valley (黄龙沟)


• Danyun Gorge (Chinese: 丹云峽; literally: 'red cloud gorge')


• Muni Valley (牟尼沟)


• Xuebaoding (雪宝顶; 'snow treasure peak') – 5,588 m (18,333 ft)


• Xueshan Ridge (雪山梁; 'snow mountain ridge') – 4,007 m (13,146 ft), the highest point on the road from Jiuhuang Airport to Huanglong Valley.


• Red Star Rock (红星岩)


• Sigou (四沟; 'fourth gully')

Huanglong Valley

The total length of the travertine in Huanglong Valley is 3.6 km and it is thought to look like a huge golden dragon wheeling through the snow-capped mountains of the valley. The main landscapes are travertine banks, colorful ponds and travertine waterfalls and caves. The main body of water starts from the ancient Buddhist/Benbo temple at the top of the valley and ends at the Guests Welcome Pond in the north with a length of 2.5 km and a width of 30–170m. The colours of Huanglong’s waters consist of yellows, greens, blues and browns.

Map of Huanglong Valley Scenic Spots

	Scenic spots in Huanglong Valley	Sea level	Remarks
1	Guests Welcome Pond 迎宾池	3230m	350 pools
2	Marvelous Flying Waterfall 飛瀑流輝	3245m	14m tall 68m wide
3	Lianyan Pond 瀲灩湖	3251m	2000sq.m
4	Flying Waterfall on Lotus Platform 蓮台飛瀑	3260m	45m tall 19m wide
5	Washing Cave 洗身洞	3280m	10m tall 40m wide
6	Golden Sand Pavement 金沙鋪地	3305m	1300m long
7	Seven Mile Golden Sand 七里金沙	3400m
8	Bonsai Pond 盆景池	3320m	330 pools
9	Mirror Pond 明鏡倒映池	3400m	180 pools
10	Azalea Pond 娑蘿映彩池	3415m	400 pools
11	Flamboyant Pond 爭豔池	3414m	658 pools
12	Huanglong Middle Temple 黃龍中寺	3470m
13	Huanglong Ancient Temple 黃龍古寺	3568m
14	Multi-Colored Pond 五彩池	3576m	693 pools

Gallery

See also

• 
  Baishuitai, Yunnan, China


• 
  Badab-e Surt in Iran


• 
  Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone Park, United States


• 
  Band-e Amir in Afghanistan


• 
  Semuc Champey in Guatemala


• 
  Pamukkale in Turkey


• Travertine

References

External links

• http://www.huanglong.com/

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