Being the only Chinese scenic spot listed as both the World Heritage Site and the World Biosphere Reserve, the Jiuzhaigou Scenic Area lies in Nanping County of Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture of Aba in Sichuan Province, at the foot of south Minshan Mountain. As a source branch of the Jialing River belonging to the Yangtze River system, Jiuzhaigou covers 720 square kilometers, and is some 400 kilometers south of Chengdu. With a development area of 140 square kilometers, the Jiuzhaigou Scenic Area gains its name from its nine Tibetan villages, centering in Nuorilang and comprising three valleys, namely Shuzhenggou, Rizegou and Zezhawagou. The three valleys are 14km, 17km and 18km in length, respectively. Jiuzhaigou is famous for its ancient and mysterious scenery, encompassing snow-capped mountains, forest, grasslands, waterfalls, streams, and lakes. Colorful lakes and various waterfalls are special scenes in Jiuzhaigou, with the first scene as the Pearl Shoal, the most beautiful lake as the Five Flower Lake, also known as the Peacock Lake, the largest lake as the Long Lake and the smallest lake as the Five Color Pool. These four scenes are the most splendid ones in Jiuzhaigou.

The Pearl Shoal Waterfall

Reputed as the first scenery in Jiuzhaigou, the Pearl Shoal Waterfall is located above Jinghai (Mirror Sea) and beneath Jinlinghai (Gold Bell Sea) in Rizegou. It is the most beautiful site in Jiuzhaigou, with an altitude of 2,433 meters and a height of 21 meters. On the top of the waterfall, it measures 162.5 meters in width. With a fall of 40 meters, the waterfall has a shape of the crescent. It surges down from the Pearl Shoal with a thunderous sound, splashing up sprays of waves. The Pearl Shoal Waterfall is one of the distinctive waterfalls in China.

Nuorilang Waterfall

The Nuorilang Waterfall is located at the end of the Shuzhenggou, with an altitude of 2,365 meters, 270 in width and 24.5 in height. It is the widest waterfall in China, and also one of China′s largest calcium ones. The name of Nuorilang means magnificent and splendid in Tibetan language. The grand waterfall turns into gorgeous rainbows in the sunshine.

Shuzheng Waterfall

The Shuzheng Waterfall is located in Shuzhenggou, above Shuzheng Lakes and beneath the Tiger Sea, with an altitude of 2,295 meters, a height of 25 meters and a width of 72 meters at the top. Blocked by trees in the upper lake, it turns into streams of water dashing against protruding rocks midway and exploding into millions of petal-shaped falls. Viewed from the distance, it looks like a water lily bursting in the blue sky.

Xiongmaohai Waterfall (Panda Lake Waterfall)

With an altitude of 2,592 meters and a height of 78 meters, the Panda Lake Waterfall has its source in the Panda Lake and is linked to the Five Flower Lake through a 3-kilometer-long plank road built along cliffs. It has the greatest fall among waterfalls in Jiuzhaigou, with the top 50 meters water in three curves. In winter, the waterfall turns into an ice curtain. In the world of ice and snow, huge icicles and various ice stalactites hang here and there in the valley and water-eroded caves.

Source: http://www.chinaculture.org