TravelMole on location in China

Kinglsey Mason continues his trek through China, with internet service interrupted by an earthquake, meaning his China reports have not appeared for a few days!  Not to worry he is back on the case and in the stunning Juizhaigou Scenic Area.

A 45 minute flight from Chengdu to Jiu Zhai Huang Long Airport, one of the highest airports in the world, allows you to access this remarkable region of China. 

The airport has been completely redeveloped, and we travelled with Sichuan Air on an A319, with the final approach to Ju Zhai Huang Long Airport through mountain peaks that are marvellously close… definitely try for a window seat on this flight – just add camera!

A road journey from Chengdu will take you approx. 10 hours and over 400km so a flight (most likely as part of a tour) is probably the best option.

The airport is situated between the two major attractions of this region, Juizhaigou and Huang Long and whilst Juizhaigou is accessible all year, unfortunately Huang Long is currently closed during winter (though like everything else in China, this is being worked on!).  This meant we spent all of our time in Juizhaigou, where a fabulous time was had by all.

Both areas have amazing landscapes, with Huang Long having ‘five wonders’, but unfortunately we did not experience Huang Long, but from what we learned at the 2007 Jiuzhaigou-Huanglong International Conference, Huang Long is as equally beautiful as Juizhaigou (Damn! I will have to go back in Summer sometime!!).   All I will say now is that Huang Long is renowned for its snowy mountains, canyons, forests, ‘beach flows’ and coloured ponds.

[Left: a frozen waterfall]

From the airport, the road descends down to the bottom of a large valley, where a left turn takes you to Huang Long and a right turn takes you to Jiuzhaigou, with the journey to Juizhaigou taking around 1 hour and 30mins along a smooth new road that twists and turns through the mountains past yaks, sheep, villages and rugged-up people on overloaded bikes and other amazing vehicles.

What stands out is the sheer number of prayer flags along the route – both in villages and around the countryside – all adds up to colourful displays and that unique delight of travelling in far places – “Have a go at that!  What’s around the next corner?!” The entrance to the Juizhaigou National Park is in the town of Juizhaigou, where we all stayed.

As to the Juizhaigou and the Juizhaigou National Park, I think Phil Hardcastle from China Holidays summed it up pretty well: “Not only is the geography unique, the sheer natural beauty of this pristine place and the real genuineness of the local Tibetan people have combined to leave me with a very emotional memory of Juizhaigou – I will definitely be back!”

The park is immaculately kept, roads again are marvellous & smooth.  Access is only by small buses and over 70k of well maintained walking trails with boardwalks all over.  The park is in the shape of the letter Y with the two upper arms separate valleys and where they meet you will find the only shopping and eating area inside the park.  The great thing is that people can hop on and off the buses at many points in the park and it is not uncommon for people to spend a week walking different sections of the trails.  When the going gets tough, er its time to catch a bus!!

[Left: Our fabulous Tibetan Guides]

Attention to detail is everywhere, even the Armco barriers and railings are covered to create a wood effect – speaking of which, Russian wood has also been used to build the trails to avoid any environmental impact.

We also visited a number of scenic spots, including waterfalls and the lakes called Arrow Bamboo, Peacock and Panda Lake.

Our group was well entertained by the local dignitaries and The Mole is of course the very picture of diplomacy, but he can reveal that many toasts occur when dining with Tibetan hosts, with the likelihood being very high that all will retire to a Karaoke room and continue the toasting – indeed, the noise level increases significantly…..as the celebration goes on!

Sadly, this may not be the same for tourists as Juizhaigou is a working town and while we did spot a sign that said ‘Disco’, nightlife I suspect may be limited. 

So, Juizhaigou is likely not to be a place for clients who want to go clubbing, but the main drawcard here is without doubt the scenery & walking! 

Pandas used to frequent the park but moved out of the area when the arrow bamboo that they eat disappeared.

Huang Long has many state-protected species of animals including the Panda. To see the Giant Pandas up close and personal, head for either the ‘Panda Base’ (Giant Panda Research & Breeding Centre) on the outskirts of Chengdu, or to Wolong, which is a little further out (138k from Chengdu).  Wolong is the largest Panda breeding base in the world.  More on Chengdu and Pandas in the next report!

[Right: a Tibetan Village]

I would like to leave you with something our guide said to us today which really sums up the mindset of modern China. 

He pointed out a statue of Chairman Mao and matter-of-factly said that all the Chairman Mao statues had gone from China except for the one in Chengdu.

Tellingly he said, “It is our history, so we should preserve it”.

The old China appears to be no more, and conservation & heritage is now very high on the agenda.

Report by Kingsley Mason on location for TravelMole in China