Huanglong Scenic and Historic Interest Area World Heritage Site

Description

Coordinates: 32°44′22″N 103°49′39″E / 32.73944°N 103.8275°E / 32.73944; 103.8275

Huanglong (simplified Chinese: 黄龙; traditional Chinese: 黃龍; pinyin: Huánglóng) is a scenic and historic interest area in Songpan County in the northwest part of Sichuan, China. It is located in the southern part of the Minshan mountain range, 150 km north-northwest of the capital Chengdu. This area is known for its colorful 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. Huanglong was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1992.

Due to thousands of years of geological evolution, Huanglong consists of numerous unique landscapes of geological landforms. Glacial revolution, terrane structure, stratum of carbonic acid rock, tufa water and climatic conditions such as artic-alpine sun light have created this world-famous travertine landscape.

These accumulated travertine landscapes and fascinating pools are Huanglong's main attraction. The total length of the travertine is 3.6km 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, amazingly colourful 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 Xishen Cave Waterfall in the north with a length of 2.5km and a width of 30 – 170m. The colours of Huanglong’s waters consist of yellows, greens, blues and browns. The flowing water appears golden in the sun. Known to the locals as “Golden Sand on Earth,” the Huanglong travertine bank is the largest in the world.[citation needed]

Waterfalls in Huanglong

Natural scenery in Huanglong

Colorful limestone pools

The entrance

Calcific ponds in Huanglong

Capital Cities and Tombs of the Ancient Koguryo Kingdom