History
Jiuzhaigou was first found by woodcutters in the 1900s by accident, and then was established as a national natural reserve in 1978. In 1992 Jiuzhaigou was declared as the world natural heritage by UNESCO.

Jiuzhaigou is a world of lakes and waterfalls with shocking beauty. There is a legend about how it came into being. Once upon a time, a Goddess dropped the shatter-broken mirror into the human world so that it became the numerous lakes in Jiuzhaigou nowadays.

Location and Population
Jiuzhaigou means "Valley of Nine Villages", which is the hometown of nine Tibetan villages, covering a total area of 5290 square km, with a population of 50,000. It is situated in Nanping County in Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, about 450 km north of Chengdu, the capital city of Sichuan Province.
Geography and Climate of Jiuzhaigou
Jiuzhaigou is a mountainous city which is surrounded by high mountains and deep valleys. Therefore, it enjoys a favorable climate; the climate is cool, the weather is mild and the precipitation is proper, and the pleasant makes the city a popular summer resort. The annual average temperature in Jiuzhaigou area is 8 degrees Celsius.

Ecological Environment and Tourism Resources
Located between Sichuan Basin and the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, Jiuzhaigou is geologically in the high altitude area characterized by karst landforms. As a tributary of the source of the Jialing River, part of the Yangtze River system, Jiuzhaigou is a magnificent valley extending over 60 kilometers with breathtaking landscape. Along the valley, there are 108 plateau lakes of different sizes and shapes, among which the Nuorilang Lake is most famous. For this reason, local people there also call Jiuzhaigou "haizi", which means "sons of the sea".

Jiuzhaigou is well-known for its magnificent waterfalls and colorful lakes. Hundreds of lakes scatter in this place and the water is so clear that you can see the lovely stones at the bottom. Moreover, the most attractive scenery is waterfalls which lie between lakes and rocks covered by thick trees.