One of the first sights we pass by is the Rhinoceros Lake, the second-largest body of water in Jiuzhaigou. Its beautiful turquoise surface draws me in. “Jiuzhaigou’s landscape is made up of karsts formed by millennia of glacial and tectonic activity,” Tang explains. “Our lakes have a high concentration of calcium carbonate, which is why the water is so blue.”

It’s a little murkier today than it has been in the past. A magnitude 7.0 earthquake hit Jiuzhaigou in August 2017. It didn’t have much of an effect to the eye – but under the surface, there was major damage. The national park was shut for repairs after the quake, and reopened in phases from March 2018. Between late 2017 and November 2020, the Sichuan government invested more than ¥3 billion (US$411 million) to repair the devastation across Jiuzhaigou county. The park didn’t fully reopen until September 2021.
Taking the time to protect this paradise was worth it, though the effects are still felt. “After yesterday’s heavy rainfall, sediments have been washed down from the mountains and into the lake. This is one of the after-effects of the earthquake, which caused the water flow to change,” says Tang. “But after a few days, the water will return to normal – that’s the wonder of nature.”

We arrive at the Nuorilang Waterfall. At 320 metres wide, it’s the country’s widest highland waterfall. More impressive, though, is the Pearl Shoal. The 112-metre-wide, 189-metre-long gentle slope is a sheet of flowing water, with gaps between the rocks of the slope forming spots that glisten like thousands of pearls under the sun. The water runs down to the Pearl Shoal Waterfall, made famous by the 1986 TV adaptation of Journey to the West. Today, visitors can rent costumes of the main characters from merchants on the crowded viewing platform and have their photos taken. A clever business idea, but perhaps a distraction to those who just want to appreciate the scenery.

As our group breaks for lunch, I follow a well-marked boardwalk and go on a solo trek to the Mirror Lake, which we had driven by earlier.

“You guys are lucky,” Tang had told our group as we pointed our cameras at the lake, which was busy casting reflections of the sky and mountains on its surface. “The wind is mild, and the water is calm. This usually only happens early in the morning.”

With clear blue skies, pine trees for miles in all directions and the tranquil lake as the backdrop, I enjoy an impromptu picnic and a moment of peace that only belongs to me.