Yellow Dragon Scenic Area
黄龙

Natural Features
自然概况

Huanglong(Yellow Dragon)Scenic Area，also in northern Sichuan's Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture，neighbors the Jiuzhaigou Scenic Area. It was named after the ancient Huanglong Temple within the area.
黄龙风景名胜位于川北的阿坝藏族和羌族自治区，与九寨沟风景名胜区毗邻，因此处的古黄龙寺而得名。
The scenic area covers about 700k㎡ of which the Yellow Dragon Gully takes up 600k㎡，while the subdivision Mouni Gully occupies the other 100km㎡.The area has well preserved tectonic zones，glacial remains，and river source topography. It is well known for the“four wonders" of colorful ponds，snow mountains，alpine gorges，and forests. The huge travertine formation is like a golden dragon winding among the virgin forests，cliffs，and icy peaks，constituting the amazing，precipitous，majestic，and wild environmental features of Yellow Dragon scenic area.
黄龙风景名胜区面积为700平方公里，其中，黄龙本部面积600平方公里，牟尼沟部分面积100平方公里。黄龙风景名胜区的地质结构、冰川遗存、江源地貌保护完好，以彩池、雪山 ,峡谷、森林“四绝''著称于世。巨型地表钙华坡谷，如一条金色巨龙，蜿蜒于原始林海和石山冰峰之间，构成了黄龙奇、峻、雄、野的环境特色。

The most remarkable scene in the area is the Huanglong Valley noted for its unique open karst landscape.The main attraction of the valley is the 3.6-kilometer-long and 30 to 70-meter-wide pale yellow calcareous deposits. At the end of the valley，water from melting snow mixes with limestone water from underground，flowing down the mountain terraces， depositing the calcium carbonate from the limestone water on the rocks，stones，and fallen branches in its path. The calcium carbonate，in turn，develops into solid，low travertine banks and reacts chemically with organic and inorganic substances，resulting in various kinds of calcareous deposits that reflect a golden color in the sunlight in the water that flows down the slopes just like a huge yellow dragon flying down the snow mountain. When water flows into two separate streams，it naturally turns into more colorful lakes and waterfalls，forming a ladder-shaped lake group. The water is crystal clear. The mineral deposits at the lake bottom look like jadeite and agate一magnificent and beautiful.
这儿最引人注目的景色是黄龙沟。黄龙沟因其独特的开放式岩溶景观而出名。沟内的主要风景是一条长3.6千米宽30一70米的浅黄色地农钙华堆积体。在沟的，融化的雪水与来自地下的灰岩水混在一起流下梯田。沿途岩石、石头和落枝上的石灰水沉积了碳酸钙。碳酸钙反过来又凝聚成坚硬的钙华浅堰，与有机物、无机物发生化学反应，形成各种各样的钙质沉积。在阳光下，这此钙质沉积如同一条从雪山上飞泻而下的黄色巨龙般顺坡流下的水中反射出金色的光芒。这此水流人两条独立的小溪时，便很自然地变成了更加丰富多彩的湖泊和瀑布、形成了一个梯状湖群。湖水清澈见底，湖底的矿物沉积如同华丽精美的翡翠和玛瑙一般。

The altitude of the area is over 3 o00m above sea level，with snow peaks lake a forest，of which 7 are over 5 000m high，while the highest Snow Treasure Peak (Xuebaoding)is 5 588m above sea level。which is the summit of Mt Minshan and capped with snow all year round. In the area are also preserved a wealth of rare plants and animals，including t 500 species of higher plants，most of which are only found in China and 1 I of them are under Class I to Class III state protection. As for the rare animals，there are giant panda，golden snub-nosed monkey，takin， cloud leopard,white-tipped deer，brown-eared pheasant，and white-eared pheasant，all under state protection as Class I to Class III endangered animals.
黄龙海拔在3 000米以上，区内雪峰林立。5 000米以上高峰就有7座。最高峰雪宝峰为岷山主峰，海拔5 588米，终年积雪。区内有珍贵的动植物种质资源，其中，高等植物达1 500余种，多为中国特有种类，属国家一至三类保护植物的有11种;珍稀动物有大熊猫、金丝猴、牛羚、云豹、白唇鹿、红一腹角、藏马鸡等国家一至三类类保护动物。
The Huanglong Temple is situated on the top of the scenic area. South of the temple is Xuebaoding，the main peak of the snow-capped Minshan Mountain. Rising 5 588 meters above sea level，it is covered in snow all year round.
黄龙寺位于黄龙风景名胜区的顶端。寺南是雪山岷山主峰雪宝顶，海拔5588米，山上常年积雪。
The scenic area was made a world natural heritage site in 1992.
黄山风景名胜区于1992年被列入《世界自然遗产名录》。