Jiuzhaigou Facts, Culture & Custom

Jiuzhaigou, with its magical and scenic landscapes, is commonly regarded as the heaven on earth. Indeed, once you step on this fairy land, you are the luckiest person who is in the paradise of emerald and colorful lakes, spectacular waterfalls and pristine forests.

Jiuzhaigou is commonly regarded as the heaven on earth.

With the name of Jiuzhai Valley, it boasts nine Tibetan villages spreading around the valley within the scenic region. Jiuzhaigou locates on the north Sichuan Province of the southwestern China, and lies on the world's highest tableland which is on the edge of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. The high altitude and changeable climate present Jiuzhaigou these unique and gorgeous sights of lakes, waterfalls and forest which attract thousands of tourists come to here to appreciate this treasure land every day.

More than the beautiful scenery, the culture and custom of Jiuzhaigou are also bright pearls in the Chinese treasure house of culture. Here we will introduce the fact of Jiuzhaigou to you before your Jiuzhaigou tour.

The History of Jiuzhaigou

Jiuzhaigou is a place replete with mythical charmand got its name because there are nine villages dispersed over the alpine lakes. Goddess accidently drops and breaks the jeweled mirror into 108 pieces, and makes them into 108 colorful lakes, which is another saying of the origin. Each scenic spot here has a story behind it, and myth is revealed in its history and culture.

There are nine villages dispersed over the alpine lakes.

The development of local tourism has also experienced a long history. In 1978, Jiuzhaigou was zone as the Jiuzhaigou National Nature Reserve according to the file issued by the State Council of the People's Republic of China.

In 1992, Jiuzhaigou was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site on the 16th UN commission on natural heritage.

In 1997, Jiuzhaigou was listed in to the World Network of Biosphere Reserves.

In 2001, Jiuzhaigou was received the certificate of qualification by the Green globe 21.

The Culture of Jiuzhaigou

The total population of the nine Tibetan Villages in Jiuzhai Valley is about 1,000 of over 110 families. It was officially discovered by the government in 1972, but the record of earliest human activities can be dated back as early as to the Yin-Shang Period, about 16th - 11th Century B.C. Before 1960s, the Tibetans in Jiuzhaigou lived self-sufficient life and were almost completely cut off from the outside world. In 1970s, loggers found this wonderland by accident, thus it brought here popular fame in China.

The nine Tibetan Villages

The Tibetans in Jiuzhaigou mainly believe in the pre-Buddhism Bon or Benbo-Sec religion, which was introduced to the Aba Prefecture in the 2nd Century. About in 6th Century, the dominant religion in Jiuzhaigou was the integration of the primitive local wizardry and the Benbo Sec, which is originated in the Xiangxiong region of ancient Tibet and believes in animism. Then in 7th Century, the Tibetan Buddhism was introduced to the region, which won in numerous conflicts against the Benbo. However, the Benbo still survives and develops into one of the five sects of Tibetan Buddhism.

There are over 60 Benbo monasteries in the Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture.

Under the influence of these religions, activities and tokens with powerful religious overtones are common sights in Jiuzhaigou. Longda is a manner of expressionof worshipping nature and offering sacrifices to gods, which is also one of the main contents of Tibetan Buddhism worshipping various gods. Longda can be made of paper or pieces of cloth with scriptures written on them. The paper longda are thrown in the wind, while the cloth longda are stringed with a rope and hanged on bridges, sacred mountains and Yaze sites.

Nowadys, it is believed that the prayer who made those longdawill be set free by the nature.The mantra written on longda is believed representing the boundless supernatural power.

The Benbo and Tibetan Buddhists worship and make sacrifices to natural Gods.

Religious banner or Jingfan is another common totem in Jiuzhaigou, and it is called “Geda” in Tibetan which means the banner on the gate. It is implicated religious meaning and the integration of Mizong religious culture and that of in the central plains of China. Praying for good luck and peace, the religious banners are ubiquitous along the road to Jiuzhaigou.

The banners vary in length from seven to dozens of meters for different purposes and are made in blue, white, red, green and yellow each representing the sky, cloud, life, the natural world (plants, trees, grass) and soil according the five element theory.The banners hung by the side of the road pray for the passerby, and the banners hung by field pray for a bumper grain harvest. It is believed that it is a kind of reciting scriptures when the banners are affected by wind.

It is a kind of reciting scriptures when the religious banners are affected by wind.

Another totem is prayer wheel. Prayer wheels can be seen everywhere within the region. Some are turned by hand and some are turned by water. It is the evidence of the local belief that the soul is inherent in all things and it is the way to accumulate the merits and virtues of the believers.

The Custom of Jiuzhaigou

About five hundred years ago, the forefather of Jiuzhaigou migrated to here from Ngari of Tibet. They have lived and established friendly relationship with local Qiang, Huis and Hans. Today, the simple and primitive Tibetan traditions are still exist in their life, including marriages, funeral arrangement and mode of production; their delicate costume, sweet highland barley wine, better tea, hada (white silk scarf), lively tap dance ,ect. There are several folk customs in Jiuzhaigou, including resorting to God of Mountain, Fetching Holy Water, lighting the aromatic plants for smoke and etc.

Lively Tap Dance

Guozhuang is the homonymic of the Tibetan word Guozhuo, which means that people meet in a circle, singing and dancing in a circle. Guozhuang is usually divided into the temple, pastoral and agricultural areas Guozhuang, which is popular in the Tibetan areas of Tibet, Sichuan, Qinghai and Yunnan province.

The temple guozhaung is filled with a solemn silence, while the others kinds are enthusiastic and unrestrained. Held by local Tibetan guesthouse, pastoral and agricultural guozhuang are aimed at welcoming friends from afar or a harvest, including indoor performance and banquet, outdoor bonfire and Guozhuang party.

Bonfire party is a traditional celebration form of grassland people.

Bonfire party is a traditional celebration form of grassland people. It is said that when people go hunting and return with their arms full, they will dance round the fire, hand in hand, to express their congratulations, waiting for the cooking of foods. The form of celebration has become a kind of bonfire party and Guozhuang party until today. Surrounding and dancing by the bonfire, the character of Tibetan custom unfolds poignantly.

The local Tibetans have the custom of greeting Tibetan New Year by fetching water from lakes. The people of the villages will arrive at the lakes before the first cock crewing, and after burning incense and water sprinkling, they will bring home the earliest saint water of the New Year for whole family drinking.

Butter tea

There is also a series of customs of food in Jiuzhaigou. The foods used to entertain visitors by local Tibetans are traditional food, such as Butter tea, Roast Lamb, Qingke Barley Liquor and so on.To some formal occasion, the guest needs to dip the wine and bounces into the air for three times with the ring finger, which means scarifying the heaven, the earth, and the ancestors.

After taking a sip, host will fill it up. Until the fourth times of filling up, the guest needs to empty his glass at one draught.The customs like this are too numerous to mention, but all of them are closely related to the everyday life and express their aspirations for a better life.