Published : 2022-10-24
Huanglong (黃龍), which means "Yellow Dragon" in Chinese, is located in the Min Mountains of Sichuan, is a surface of calcium deposited over thousands of years.
Above 3,000 metres altitude within the scenic area, over a thousand coloured pools are scattered, resembling multicoloured pearls embedded in the deep mountains. Here is the Huanglong Valley.
These flashy and beautiful pools led to its nickname as the "Fairyland on Earth". The most fantastic part is that the water in these pools of Huanglong is actually just clear water, but it presents different colours. Why is that?
China's most intact wetland on plateau
Do you know where is China's most well-preserved wetland on a plateau? It's not in Xizang (previously known as "Tibet"), it's actually in Sichuan.
The Huanglong Scenic Area, nestled in the southern foothills of the Min Mountains in Sichuan, is the only well-preserved, complete wetland on a plateau in China.
With an altitude of over 3,000 metres and covering an area of around 1,400 square kilometres, it is internationally renowned for its "Four Wonders" of coloured pools, snow mountains, canyons, and forests.
Later, together with beach streams, ancient temples, and folklore, they are known as "The Seven Wonders".
Read more: Explore Jiuzhaigou's silver snow in Sichuan
Huanglong is actually a surface of calcium that has settled over thousands of years. The winding terrain looks like a huge yellow dragon lying in the snow mountain canyon, hence the name.
In addition to the magnificent mountains, glaciers, waterfalls and other alpine scenery, many rare animals can be found in the Huanglong Scenic Area, such as giant pandas, golden snub-nosed monkey, clouded leopards, and wildebeests.
It's like a paradise on a snowy mountain, a world apart.
How is the colourful water in Huanglong Valley formed?
There is a very poetic alias for Huanglong Scenic Area, called "Fairyland on Earth", which actually refers to the colourful calcified pools located at the highest point of the main scenic area, Huanglong Valley.
There are more than 3,000 colourful pools in different sizes. The snow water from the main peak of Min Mountains, starting from the 5,500-metre-high peak, flows along the stone stalactite slope to the middle of the mountain. After scattering, they accumulate and form a type of dammed lake.
These colourful pools come in various sizes and forms, looking like colour palettes on the earth, displaying pale blue, milky white, sea blue, emerald...
Different colours appear under different angles of sunlight, creating a magical scene, which always make people marvel at nature's masterpiece.
Read more: "The Soul of Shangri-La" Sichuan Daocheng Yading: A fairyland under the snow mountain
The pools of water in the colourful pools are vivid and radiant, but are they genuinely coloured water?
In fact, there is no difference between the water in the colourful pools and ordinary clear water, there are no colours at all. The reason for this is the sediment at the bottom of the pool.
The bottom of the colourful pools contains a large amount of grey-white calcium deposits and yellow-green algae.
Whenever sunlight strikes, these substances absorb and reflect light, causing the colour of the pool water to change, thereby presenting a colourful visual effect.
The clearer the water in the pool, the brighter the colour it presents, and this is how the layers of colour are created, which truly makes people marvel at nature's craftsmanship.
Read more: White Water Terrace: The forgotten secret area in Yunnan
Read more: "China's Dead Sea" Yuncheng Salt Lake: A fascinating colourful world
