Most interesting point is that Jiangyou is situated on the way from the provincial capital Chengdu to the UNESCO world heritage sites JZG valley and Huanglong Scenic Area (~300 km away) as well as to Wanglang National Nature Reserve near Pingwu (~170 km away).
Established as a nature reserve in 1965, Wanglang National Nature Reserve sits on the transition zone between the Tibetan Plateau and the Sichuan basin, where elevations range between 2,300 and 4,980 m. It covers an area of 320 km2 and encloses five different ecosystems, from rocky 5,000 m snow-covered mountain peaks to alpine old-growth forest. It shelters a multitude of rare and endangered species such as black bears, brown bears, red pandas, takin, musk deer, and rare varieties of pheasants. Plants, from rare orchid species to valuable medicinal herbs, grow in abundance. The area's tall trees, thick undergrowth bamboo and flowing streams combine to make it a perfect habitat for giant pandas (Figure 5). Official counts estimate that of China's approximately 1,000 pandas remaining in the wild, 80% live in northern Sichuan, with more than 25% of them in Wanglang National Nature Reserve.
- The disaster area of the earthquake
Unfortunately, the huge earthquake (7.9 degree, Richter scale) on May 12th, 2008 caused considerable damages to Jiangyou, which is 120 km far away from the epicentre Wenchuan. The following pictures are some witness of the damaged situation in Jiangyou.