Huanglong Scenic and Historic Interest Area

Huanglong (simplified Chinese: 黄龙; traditional Chinese: 黃龍; pinyin: Huánglóng; lit. '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 travertine 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] In addition, a large population of the endemic orchid species 'Cypripedium plectrochilum' was discovered at the site [2] Huanglong was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1992 because of its outstanding travertine formations, waterfalls and limestone formations as well as its travertine terraces and lakes rating among the three most outstanding examples in the world.[1][3]

Huanglong Scenic and Historic Interest Area
UNESCO World Heritage Site
LocationSongpan County, Sichuan, People's Republic of China
CriteriaNatural: (vii)
Reference638
Inscription1992 (16th Session)
Area60,000 ha (230 sq mi)
Coordinates32°44′36″N 103°49′59″E
Huanglong Scenic and Historic Interest Area is located in Sichuan
Huanglong Scenic and Historic Interest Area
Location of Huanglong Scenic and Historic Interest Area in Sichuan

HuangLong World Heritage Natural Site

Description

Repeated glaciation events, the unique terrane structure, the formation of tufa, the stratum of carbonic acid rock, and climatic conditions such as Arctic-alpine sunlight have created this world-famous travertine landscape. 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; lit. 'red cloud gorge'): A canyon more than 1,000 meters in depth. The snow melt from the nearby Mount Xuebaoding travels through this canyon, providing much of the water for the region.[4]
  • Muni Valley (牟尼沟)
  • Xuebaoding (雪宝顶; 'snow treasure peak') – 5,588 m (18,333 ft). The highest peak in the Min Mountains
  • 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 scenic areas

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
Aerial view of Zhengyan Pools
Scenic spots in Huanglong ValleySea levelRemarks
1Guests Welcome Pond 迎宾池3230m350 pools
2Marvelous Flying Waterfall 飛瀑流輝3245m14m tall 68m wide
3Lianyan Pond 瀲灩湖3251m2000sq.m
4Flying Waterfall on Lotus Platform 蓮台飛瀑3260m45m tall 19m wide
5Washing Cave 洗身洞3280m10m tall 40m wide
6Golden Sand Pavement 金沙鋪地3305m1300m long
7Seven Mile Golden Sand 七里金沙3400m
8Bonsai Pond 盆景池3320m330 pools
9Mirror Pond 明鏡倒映池3400m180 pools
10Azalea Pond 娑蘿映彩池3415m400 pools
11Flamboyant Pond 爭豔池3414m658 pools
12Huanglong Middle Temple 黃龍中寺3470m
13Huanglong Ancient Temple 黃龍古寺3568m
14Multi-Colored Pond 五彩池3576m693 pools

See also

References
  1. "Huanglong Scenic and Historic Interest Area".
  2. Li, P.; Luo, Y.; Bernhardt, P.; Kou, Y.; Perner, H. (27 February 2008). "Pollination of Cypripedium plectrochilum (Orchidaceae) by Lasioglossum spp. (Halictidae): the roles of generalist attractants versus restrictive floral architecture". Plant Biology. 10 (2): 220–230. doi:10.1111/j.1438-8677.2007.00020.x. PMID 18304196.
  3. "Huanglong Scenic and Historic Interest Area". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved 2021-04-22.
  4. Huadong, Guo (2013). Atlas of Remote Sensing for World Heritage: China. Springer. pp. 282–287. ISBN 978-3-642-32823-7.
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