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Huanglong
 The
fame of Huanglong stems to a large extent
from its unique travertine and limestone
landform. At the foot of the snow-clad Xuebaoding
Mountain lies a gully 400 or so metres deep
that was brought into being by ancient glaciers.
In times immemorial, large quantities of
calcium carbonate was dissolved by meltwater
and seeped through earth's surface to form
a huge travertine deposit 3.6 kilometres
long and 30-170 metres wide. The deposit
is studded with 3,400 or so pools and many
caves, and streaked by many waterfalls and
a 2.5 -kilometer-long stream. Meltwater
flowing all over the travertine deposit
tumbles down one cliff head after another,
threads through forests, feeds ponds, overflowsdykes,
rolls across shallow places until it empties
into the Fujiang River. The ponds, lying
one atop the other, assume a hundred and
one different colour and form what looks
like a terraced field. The waterfalls emit
a pleasant sound as they cascade like colored
clouds. The calcium-containing shoals are
crystal clear to the extent of being transparent.
The streams flow this way and that along
courses that look like numerous golden dragons
swimming in dense woods and between snowy
peaks and a blue sky that is filled with
blue clouds. The entire scenery is evocative
of the dwelling place of the Queen Mother
of the Western Paradise. Hence the nickname
of the place: Jasper Lake of the Mundane
World. In 1982, Huang- long was designated
as one of China's first group of key scenic
resorts. In 1990, Huanglong and Jiuzhaigou
topped China's list of forty best scenic.
In 1992,Huanglong was one of a group of
Chinese scenic zones to appearing the UNESCO
list of world natural heritages. After so
many years of oblivion and seclusion, Huanglong
today is poised for a takeoff like a real
dragon.
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