There are two parts to the Huanglong Scenic Area in Songpan County, Sichuan Province-Huanglong and Maonigou.

The special character of the area, which extends over 700 square kilometers results from formations of talpatate, which give a special color to ponds and beaches. With a background of high mountains, snow covered peaks, valleys, waterfalls, lakes and forests, these talpatate scenes are quite spectacular.

The scenic area provides a variety of unique and wild scenery such as the Huanglong (Yellow Dragon) Ravine, at the foot of the Xuebao Peak in the Minshan Mountain; it is 3.6 kilometers long and 30-170 meters wide. The section from the Fuyuan Bridge at the entrance to the Yuyu Pond is 3,160-3,574 meters above sea level and its surface is a thick layer of light yellow talpatate. In the sunshine, the ravine looks like a golden dragon winding its way through the forest.

In the ravine there are a variety of talpatate scenes, talpatate ponds, beaches, waterfalls, caves and dykes but the colorful talpatate ponds are the most attractive; they come in different shapes, sizes and colors and there are 3,400 of them in eight groups. Huanglong Scenic Area is an important scenic spot and was listed as a world heritage site in 1992. It is included in the UNESCO world heritage list in 1992.

Source: http://old.cnta.gov.cn