HuangLong Valley - China
It literally means "the yellow dragon park" and is
considered to be "The fairyland on earth". It is well known for its colorful
lakes, snow clad mountains, valleys and virgin forests. It is a UNESCO World
heritage site and is one of the most stunning areas of the province, covering an
area of roughly 700 sq km and consists of Huanglong and Muni George. It has been
a Tibetan holy site for centuries and includes two temples within the park. This
incredible valley undulates through the southern part of the Minshan mountain
range in the Songpan County about 155 miles away from Chengdu, the capital of
Sichuan.
Legend has it that, during the Xia Kingdom, 16th century BC, a yellow dragon
helped King Xiayu, channel floodwater into the sea, making the Minjiang River.
Huanglong Valley includes snow-clad peaks and the easternmost glaciers in China. Due to its layered calcium carbonated deposit patterns, the valley resembles a golden dragon winding its way through the virgin forest, stone mountains and glaciers. Along the valley numerous colorful ponds of different sizes and shapes are scattered, which are strewn with gold colored limestone deposit giving a shimmering golden hue to water, so in sunlight, a golden dragon seems to surge forth from the forest. Thus it was named 'Huanglong Valley' (Yellow Dragon Valley) and in later years a temple was built in honor of the yellow dragon. Along with 3,400 multicolored ponds paved with golden calcium carbonate deposits, there are five waterfalls, four stalactite caves and three ancient temples. This place is not only a treasure of china but also of the world.
HuangLong Valley Attractions:
Yellow Dragon Temple (or the Huanglong Temple)
The Huanglong Temple consists of three smaller temples, known as, the front, the middle and the rear temple, marking the head, the waist and the tail of the dragon. The front temple is almost in ruins today and the middle temple has five halls remaining to worship the goddess of mercy. The rear temple enshrines the Dragon King.
Going upward along the valley, the 2300 ponds are divided into 8 groups out of which the last five are the best of all and are perched at the higher part of the valley. The water of these ponds reflects a variety of mesmerizing colors because of the depth and the mineral pigments and other deposits at the bottom of the ponds.
Huanglong Cave (Yellow Dragon Cave)
Lying behind the rear temple, the Huanglong Cave is filled with stalactites with icicles and ice waterfalls hanging inside in the winters. In the left hall of the cave, there are three Buddha statues from the Ming Dynasty that are now coated with a thick layer of lime deposits.
