Ecotourism at Jiuzhaigou

There aren’t many things left in China that only a handful of tourists have done. Trekking a Tibetan Buddhist pilgrimage trail around a sacred mountain is one of them, but thanks to a new ecotourism push in the Jiuzhaigou National Park, the unique experience is open for all with a bit of extra stamina.

It’s hard to decide which is more spectacular - the fact that our 737 from Shanghai has literally landed on a mountaintop or the spectacular 360 degree view of jagged peaks and verdant valleys below. We’ve landed at 3,500 meters, and my breath is already quickening on the way to pick up my bag.

An hour later, I’m at a hotel at the entrance of Jiuzhaigou National Park near the Sichuan and Tibet borders. After more than four years of working and negotiating with officials to allow overnight camping and other ‘officially banned’ activities, more adventurous visitors who want to see the less travelled side of the park finally have a viable option.

Park guides plan on offering small groups a three day, two night ecotourism trek during next year’s summer season (June – September). Our group has come to hike the trail for a preview, something that fewer than 10 tourists have ever done.

What makes the hike surreal is the blend of spirituality and scenery that permeates each step. At each small waterfall and treacherous bend in the trail, locals have hung colourful Tibetan prayer flags to help guide their ancestors’ spirits as they make the same spiritual journey. Strewn about are loose vibrant squares of thin paper called long da that represent the prayers that are to be carried away. They flit in the wind and land amongst the towering trees.

In the summer, the park attracts upwards of 15,000 tourists daily looking to snap photos in front of spectacular waterfalls, lakes and reflecting pools that shimmer in breathtaking shades of blue and emerald. We skip the main tourist area and head to the Zharu Valley, where virtually no tourists venture. Once we begin our hike, our group doesn’t see another soul for the entire three days.

Despite the quiet solitude of the area, our path is clearly marked and well worn, as the locals have used it for years as a yak-herding trail and for their spiritual trek near the peak of Zhayi Zhaga. We start off around 2,500 meters, and make the arduous trek to above 4,000 meters at the mountaintop about 24 hours later, after a night of spectacular camping above the tree line. We take our time to enjoy the scenery and catch our breath every few hours in the thin mountain air. While locals generally make our three-day trek in just one day, we settle for a decidedly more leisurely pace.

Like any good ecotourist, we do our part and pick up the bits of plastic and cans we see. It’s hard to imagine a Buddhist pilgrimage fuelled by Red Bull and individually packaged sweet rolls, but that’s what we find ourselves mostly collecting from alongside the trail. We’re trekking just after the last pilgrimage made on the 15th of the lunar calendar month, so the evidence is all still fresh.

It doesn’t detract much from the absolutely spectacular scenery of the three main park valleys surrounding us, but it highlights one of the difficult aspects of executing ecotourism in China. In a country with an often less than picture perfect environmental record, finding a sustainable approach to ecotourism – a concept that is often little more than an abused buzzword – has proved challenging.

On the third day as we near one of the nine Tibetan villages that make up the park and mark the end of the path, we pass through an area where each family has a golden, covered prayer wheel. Standing several metres high, these religious artefacts are powered by a water wheel in the stream running directly underneath it. Locals believe that if the prayer wheel keeps turning, then their prayers are continually repeated, even if they’re off working in the field or tending to daily chores. They are a spectacular, shimmering sight.

The park residents have turned away from farming, as their historical livelihood is now banned in the national park. Instead, they receive a portion of each entrance ticket sold and are the only people allowed to sell snacks and souvenirs to the tourists within the park. The days of traditional hard labour and hour-long treks to fetch water are clearly long gone.

What makes the trek particularly appealing for anyone with an interest in Tibetan culture is the ease with which one can travel to experience it firsthand. With tourist permits to Tibet often scarce or impossible to book at the last minute, Jiuzhaigou offers a convenient airport with seasonal direct flights from Shanghai, Chengdu and more, so visitors can experience Tibetan culture on a whim.

Tel: (0837) 773781. Web: www.jiuzhai.com/language/english/ecotourism.html. Email: [email protected]

Getting There:
As the magazine went to press, Shanghai to Jiuzhaigou flights for a long weekend in December started at RMB 2,360 return through Air China, with a transfer in Chengdu. During the summer tourist season, Air China will likely restart the popular direct route between Shanghai and Jiuzhaigou.