Fuddland
In the mountains of northern (四川) is the 720 square kilometre reserve of (九寨沟). The name means “Valley of the Nine Villages”, after the nine high-fenced Tibetan settlements that originally populated the area. The 1000-or-so permanent residents of the villages within the park’s perimeter are forbidden from agricultural activities, and must rely on subsidies and tourism to survive.
Designated a national park in 1982 — after ten years of heavy logging the government realised the value of the area’s natural beauty and banned further destruction of the environment — several of the villages are maintained to “tourist-friendly” levels of attractiveness and traditionally-dressed employees [not all of Tibetan nationality] occupy them during the park’s opening hours, showing people around the various rooms, all of which seem to magically lead to the gift shop.
Political and sociological ramifications of the region’s government-controlled status notwithstanding, the park houses some undeniably beautiful natural sights — even in the sub-freezing temperatures and baren foliage of mid-January, the landscape was impressive, and I was treated to frozen waterfalls and crystal-clear lakes of stunning cyan colours, refusing to freeze due to their mineral content.
A collection of my photos can be viewed via those of my Flickr images tagged with [the slideshow option displays them at their best, against a black background], or alternatively as part of the still-growing (成都) and photoset.
[Before anyone asks: yes, there’s been a certain — small — degree of photo-editing, but I promise that the water really was that colour. Anyone who doubts me can ask to see the originals!]
