Jiuzhaigou County is a county under jurisdiction of Aba Tibetan Qiang Autonomous Prefecture. It was originally named “Nanping County” and was called “Yangdong” in ancient times.
It belonged to Di Qiang’s land from Yin and Shang Dynasty (1300 BC – 1046 BC) to Pre-Qin Dynasty ((Paleolithic period – 221 BC)). Due to Jiuzhaigou valley — the World Heritage Scenic Area is in its territory, it was renamed as “Jiuzhaigou County” on June 19th, 1998
Nanping Town, the county seat, is about 1,400 meters above sea level, 540 kilometers away from Chengdu, and 470 kilometers away from Barkham City
Jiuzhaigou County borders Wen County of Gansu Province to east, Zhouqu County and Diebu County to north, Zoige County to west, and Pingwu County and Songpan County to south
Jiuzhaigou County is about 43 kilometers away from Chukar town where Jiuzhaigou Scenic Area is located. There is Jiuzhaigou Bus Station within the county, and it is about 40 minutes’ drive from Jiuzhaigou Scenic Area.
Tibetan whom live in Jiuzhaigou believe in Bon religion, also known as “Bonpo” . It was originally a primitive religion that prevailed in ancient Tibet in the region of Ngari area, commonly known as the Black (Ben) religion. It worships natural gods such as heaven, earth, mountains, forests and waters. This sect religion had strong influence in the east Tibet of Kham, which currently known as Western Sichuan province, or Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture.
Best time to travel Throughout year
Local climate Plateau temperate climate;
Most popular sites
Jiuzhaigou is located in Zhangzha Town (Chukar town). It is named after nine Tibetan villages and is listed as a World Natural Heritage by UNESCO. It is very popular for “Six Uniqueness of Jiuzhai” – Green Lake, Stacked Waterfall, Colorful Forest, Snow Peak, Tibetan Love, Blue Ice.
Jiuzhaigou is rich in animal and plant resources, with a wide variety of species, virgin forests, and more than ten kinds of rare and precious wild animals such as giant pandas;
Looking far away, there are many snow-capped peaks and white snow, and closing up, the water is crystal clear;
The landscape composed of Tibetan wooden buildings, prayer flags, trestle bridges, mills, that makes Jiuzhaigou is beautiful in all seasons, just like fairy tales.
Jiuzhaigou is with title of “World Natural Heritage“, “World Biosphere Reserve” and “Green Global 21” . There are Giant Panda, Golden Monkey, and Jiuzhai National Forest Park. The area of nature reserves amounts to 118,000 hectares, accounting for 22.3% of the county’s total area.
The Greater Jiuzhaigou area also includes Huanglong Scenic Area, which is also a World Natural Heritage Site. The two places are about 100km apart.
Geography and climate
Jiuzhaigou County is located in transition zone from Qinghai-Tibet Plateau to Sichuan Basin. It is located on northern plateau of Sichuan Province, in the northeastern of Aba Tibetan Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, and on the eastern edge of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, with a total area of 5286 square kilometers. The forest coverage rate is 54.9%, making it the second largest forest area in Sichuan Province.
Jiuzhaigou County is high in northwest and low in southeast. It is dominated by alpine valleys. There are also some plains and flat grassland. Its altitude is from 1900 to 4500 meters and the total elevation difference is more than 2,000 meters.
Annual average temperature in Jiuzhaigou County is mostly between 9-18°C. The temperature in spring is relatively low and changes a lot.
In summer, the temperature rises and is relatively stable, with an average temperature of 19-22°C.
The climate in autumn is pleasant, with temperatures mostly between 7-18°C, but the temperature difference between day and night is large, especially in late autumn after October, frozen soil appears even in late October.
The winter is relatively cold, and the temperature is mostly below 0°C.
Annual average precipitation is 550 mm, mostly concentrated in July-August, and annual average sunshine is 1,600 hours.
Population and ethnicity
As of 2018, Jiuzhaigou County has a total population of 81,500 people, Among them, Tibetans account for 32.6% of total population. There are other ethnic group including Han, Hui, Miao, Qiang people…etc,
Folk Culture
The folk art of Jiuzhaigou County has a long history and unique style. Painting, sculpture, architecture, and folk handicrafts from Jiuzhaigou County are all with high attainments. Its main characteristics are strong color contrast and full composition. The sculptures are mainly wood and clay. The residents’ houses are mostly two-story buildings with civil structures. The monasteries were built with style of flush?gable?roof and double?eave?roof, and the internal layout is complicated. Its carved patterns are even and symmetrical, with bright lines and vigorous rhythm.
How to get Jiuzhaigou County
The nearest airport to Jiuzhaigou County is Jiuzhai Huanglong Airport in Songpan County, which is about 88 kilometers to Jiuzhaigou and 43 kilometers to Huang Long.
The quickest way to get to Jiuzhaigou county is to take the flight to Huanglong Jiuzhai airport, which has many departures from Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu…etc;
Or you may choose to take public bus from Chengdu to Jiuzhai,
Or you can choose to depart this trip from other cities near Jiuzhaigou, such as Xian, Luoyang; you are welcome to write us an email to check the possible plan according to your travel idea
Add: 48 kilometers from Hongyuan
Contact: +86 837 7735566
Airport code: AHJ
Altitude: 3,535 meter
Address: Songpan county
Contact: +86 837 7243770
Airport Code: JZH
Altitude: 3,448 meter
Add: Near Jiaotong Road, Jiuzhaigou County
Contact: +86 837 7726030
Altitude: 3,280 meter
Add: In Jiutong Hotel, by entrance of Jiuzhaigou valley
Contact: +86 837 7734087
Altitude: 3,280 meter
Add: No. 289, 3rd Ring Road (West Section 5th)
Contact: +86 28 87506610
Altitude: 460 meter
Brief History
During Shang Dynasty(1300 BC – 1046 BC) and Qing in Dynasty (221 BC-207 BC), Jiuzhaigou area belonged to “Qiang”
In Han Dynasty (202 BC-220 AD), It was included in Han dynasty
In 566 AD, Jiuzhaigou area was ruled by Northern Zhou Dynasty, and it was called “Fuzhou”, Since then, this area had been called “Fuzhou” till to Ming Dynasty.
In early Qing Dynasty (AD 1636-1912), “Fuzhou” was destroyed during war
In the 3rd year of Emperor Yongzheng of Qing Dynasty (1725 AD), Due to destruction, hence to choose another site to rebuild a new city of Fuzhou, which was named as “Nanping”, from then on, the term “Nanping” began to be widely used and the new city of Fuzhou was completed in the 7th year of Emperor Yongzheng (1729 AD)
In 1953, Nanping County was established, and was under jurisdiction of Sichuan Tibetan Autonomous Region
In 1955, Sichuan Tibetan Autonomous Region was renamed as “Aba Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture”, hence, Nanping County was under its jurisdiction
In 1978, Jiuzhaigou National Nature Reserve was established.
In 1980, Jiuzhaigou Nature Reserve Management Office was established.
In 1982, Jiuzhaigou was approved as a national-level scenic spot.
In 1984, Jiuzhaigou Scenic Area Administration Bureau was established.
In 1987, Aba Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture was renamed as “Aba Tibetan Qiang Autonomous Prefecture”, Nanping County was placed under it
In 1992, Jiuzhaigou was included in the “World Natural Heritage List.”
In 1998, Nanping County was renamed Jiuzhaigou County
