Huanglong Scenic and Historic Interest Area – Ticket Price, Opening Hours, Location, and Highlights

Huanglong Valley is renowned for its accumulation of calcium carbonate deposits from flowing water, resulting in over 3,400 calcified colorful ponds, an 80,000-square-meter calcified streambed, five karst waterfalls, and four karst caves. In the 3.6-kilometer-long Huanglong Valley, which is 1-2 kilometers wide, facing the Yucui Mountain, pristine forests surround the area. The calcified emerald pools and golden-colored streambed resemble a giant yellow dragon lying amidst the dense woods. The water in these pools is crystal clear, exhibiting a dazzling array of colors when illuminated by sunlight. Walking through this scenic landscape feels like stepping into a painting, earning it the moniker “Heavenly Pond on Earth.”

The Five-Color Ponds cover an area of 21,000 square meters, comprising 693 individual colorful ponds. This pond group is the largest within Huanglong Valley and holds the record as the world’s most extensive open-air travertine-colored pond group at the highest altitude. The ponds have low, scattered embankments, and their waters overflow, creating a picturesque scene. When viewed from a distance, these patches of colorful ponds resemble jade plates in various shades of white, purple, blue, and green. Under the sunlight, the colors display a vibrant spectrum. The ever-changing play of light creates a stunning “five-color spectacle,” making it one of the most captivating landscapes in the Huanglong Scenic Area.

Huanglong Temple covers an area of approximately 500 square meters and dates back to the Ming Dynasty. It is a Tibetan Buddhist temple affiliated with the Bön tradition. The temple showcases impressive and ancient architecture, with finely crafted statues inside, reflecting the cultural fusion of Tibetan and Han ethnicities in the Huanglong Scenic Area. Situated between the Splendid Mirror Pond and the Five-Color Ponds, the temple is surrounded by lush red pine and needle-leaf forests, creating an elegant and serene environment. The harmonious coexistence of religious and natural elements makes Huanglong Temple a cultural gem within the scenic landscape.

The Huanglong region, situated at an altitude above 3000 meters, boasts well-preserved remnants of Quaternary glaciers, with the Snow Treasure Peak area on the main peak of Mount Min being the most typical. This area features towering peaks, with seven peaks exceeding 5000 meters, including the prominent Snow Treasure Peak (5588 meters), Snow Column Mountain (5440 meters), and Mendoong Peak (5058 meters). Notably, it harbors three modern glaciers, establishing this region as China’s easternmost preserved area for modern glaciers. The landscape showcases a remarkable collection of snow-capped peaks, adding to the scenic beauty and geological significance of Huanglong.

The Huanglong Scenic and Historic Interest Area showcases a diverse range of vegetation, spanning from the bottom of Huanglong Valley (2000 meters above sea level) to its summit (3800 meters above sea level). The vegetation zones include subtropical evergreen and deciduous broad-leaved mixed forests, coniferous and broad-leaved mixed forests, subalpine coniferous forests, and alpine shrub meadows. With a lush and extensive coverage of 88.9%, it stands as a haven for diverse plant life. Noteworthy among the flora are nationally protected species like the Fragrant Rosewood, Taxus chinensis, Sichuan Redwood, Fir, and Yew. Additionally, unique and endemic species such as the Snow Lotus, Abies fargesii, Magnolia officinalis, Picea brachytyla, and Tsuga chinensis var. tchekiangensis can be found in the area. The conservation area is rich in diverse species of spruce and fir, and bamboo species like Arrow Bamboo are widespread.

Spanning 2 kilometers and boasting 16 distinct attractions, Zaga Waterfall is renowned for its diverse array of cascades, each with its own unique characteristics in size, height, width, and shape. Nestled amidst lush forests, the centerpiece of this area is the breathtaking Zaga Waterfall, which plunges an impressive 104 meters with a width ranging from 35 to 40 meters, making it the world’s largest cascading calcified waterfall. Originating from lakes upstream, the waterfall cascades down a series of terraced steps, creating immense water sprays and a thunderous roar that can be heard from miles away. Below the waterfall lies a cavern, flanked by two smaller caves resembling skylights, into which the cascading water flows.

Situated at the foothills of Yuanbao Mountain in Songpan County’s Chuanzhushi Town, the Red Army Long March Memorial Park comprises the “Unity and Victory” main monument atop Yuanbao Mountain and a complex of buildings including sculptures, reliefs, pavilions, exhibition halls, as well as lakes, gardens, and squares. Designated as a provincial-level cultural relic protection unit by the Sichuan Provincial People’s Government in 1991, it was later established as a provincial patriotism education base in 1994. The name of the park was inscribed by the late Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping.

The exhibition hall within the memorial park covers an area of approximately 700 square meters, featuring display rooms, reception areas, corridors, and office spaces. The main exhibition room, spanning over 140 square meters in an octagonal shape, is compact yet exquisite. Adorning its walls are “The Long March of the Chinese Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Army” and nearly 40 photographs depicting the entire journey of the Red First, Second, and Fourth Front Armies, as well as the Red 25th Army during the Long March. These historical records showcase major battles, significant conferences, and calligraphic masterpieces inscribed by central leaders and veteran Red Army soldiers.

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