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Jiuzhaigou fully reopens to visitors after earthquake
Source: By Bi Nan | chinadaily.com.cn | Updated: 2021-09-29 15:53
A photo taken on Sept 25 shows Five Flower Lake at Jiuzhaigou National Park in Jiuzhaigou county, Aba Tibetan and Qiang autonomous prefecture, Sichuan province. Five Flower Lake is regarded as one of the wonders of Jiuzhaigou due to its breathtaking colors, which are a result of its lake-bottom travertine and colorful algae. [Photo by Yao Jin/provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
Jiuzhaigou National Park in Southwest China’s Sichuan province fully reopened to visitors yesterday after the completion of post-earthquake restoration and reconstruction.
The park’s name, which means “Nine Village Valley”, is derived from the nine Tibetan villages there. It is located in Jiuzhaigou county of the Aba Tibetan and Qiang autonomous prefecture in Sichuan province. The scenic area is best known for its fabled blue and green lakes, spectacular waterfalls, karst land forms and its unique wildlife. It was listed as a UNESCO world heritage site in 1992.
The park is also home to 3,634 species of plants and animals, including giant pandas and golden snub-nosed monkeys, winning the reputation of an “earthly paradise”.
The national park covers an area of 720 square kilometers and ranges in elevation from 1,996 to 4,764 meters above sea level.
On Aug 8, 2017, a massive 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck Jiuzhaigou county, and the scenic area was closed due to damage. After continuous reconstruction and natural recovery, the park gradually reopened to visitors starting in March 2018.
Now, after four years of recovery, the tourist destination has regained its former glamor. Tourism support facilities have also been improved to better provide services to tourists.
A photo taken on Sept 25 shows Rhinoceros Lake at Jiuzhaigou National Park in Jiuzhaigou county, Aba Tibetan and Qiang autonomous prefecture, Sichuan province.[Photo by Bi Nan/provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
The latest areas to be reopened are above Five Flower Lake, including scenic spots such as Panda Lake, Arrow Bamboo Lake and Waterfall, Swan Lake, Grass Lake, as well as the Virgin Forest.
Now the scenic spot has a maximum of 41,000 visitors per day. Tourists have to book tickets online at least one day in advance through the website www.abatour.com.
Recently, Jiuzhaigou county has been trying to provide a more diversified tourism experience for visitors, such as the staging of musical and dance dramas themed on intangible cultural heritage and ethnic cultures, launch of modern commercial complexes and cultural creative spaces.
According to chinanews.com, the opening ceremony of the 7th China (Sichuan) International Tourism Investment Conference and Ceremony for the Full Reopening of Jiuzhaigou Valley was held on Tuesday, bringing in 263 key investment projects on culture and tourism for the province, amounting to 490.4 billion yuan ($75.8 billion).
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