In my mind, the Aba Autonomous Prefecture in Sichuan Province will always be a Shangri-la.

I paid my first visit to Aba ten years ago, and its enchanting landscapes left me a great number of romantic memories. When I once again visited that place recently, I was astonished to see that in spite of the passage of ten years, no change had taken place here, and everything was as peaceful as before.

Departing from Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan, our car traveled westward toward Aba. As the torrential Minjiang River passed by on one side, our vehicle climbed to a higher elevation and then, even higher. Gradually, I suffered from altitude sickness, but the view before my eyes became different from that in the Han-inhabited places of the Sichuan Basin.

I can't really explain why, but I cherish a special passion for Aba.

Whenever Aba is mentioned, romantic scenarios pop into my mind: a resounding drum over the vast grassland, the radiant smiles of the young lamas, the feather-like snowflakes that drift in October, and the color-dyed mountains of the fall.

It is my hope to travel around the prefecture on foot, so as to remember the beauty of each inch of the land, to remember a dense forest, a snow-capped mountain, or the site of a car slowly moving along the fringe of a deep valley, a turbulent river, a tranquil lake, an iron-chain bridge embellished with colorful prayer flags, or a water mill turning unceasingly.

I arrived at Aba in September, the same month as I had ten years ago.

We set off from Chengdu at noon and reached Jiuzhaigou (Nine Villages Ravine) at night, after more than ten hours of travel. Early the next day, we began our trip into the ravine. Our guide was a Tibetan girl, who made a detailed introduction of the scenic area in fluent, standard Chinese. The ravine is located in the central-southern part of Jiuzhai County in Aba, and consists of nine Tibetan-inhabited villages; hence its name. Embracing alpine lakes, waterfall complexes, and other beautiful natural scenes, all between 2,000 to 3,100 meters above sea level, the ravine enjoys a reputation as a "Paradise on Earth." All of the scenic spots are scattered in the Y-shaped ravine, and visitors can travel around it on foot within a single day.

Water is the soul of Jiuzhaigou. Known as "Haizi" to Tibetans, the lakes and ponds amaze visitors with their purity.

After departing from Jiuzhaigou in the afternoon, we advanced toward Songpan County. The road was well constructed, lined with well-off Tibetan villages and satellite signal towers standing on the summits of the hills. The newly completed Jiuhuang Airport had been put into service. That night, we stayed at Chuanzhusi Township in Songpan. Our next destination was the Huanglong (Yellow Dragon) Nature Reserve, another scenic attraction in Aba.

Huanglong is famous for its colored ponds with shallow shoals and its snowy mountains and deep valleys. A spectacular calcified belt meandering among a virgin forest looks like a golden dragon, giving the place its name. More than 3,000 colored ponds in eight complexes on a terraced landform are like the scales of a golden dragon, radiating mysterious luster. It was raining, unfortunately, so we missed the scene of the colored ponds in the sunshine. Nevertheless, we still marveled at the fantastic view of the calcified earth surface-a wonder of nature. At the summit of the mountain, we had a panoramic view of the connected ponds in yellow, green, blue, and other colors, despite the overcast weather.

Leaving Huanglong, we headed for Maerkang, the capital of Aba.

To visit Maerkang, we had to cross Zhegu Mountain, which is enshrouded with fog all year round. The mountain's dangerous road has frightened off many drivers with no experience on it. Our driver, however, was quite familiar with this road, for he crossed the mountain more than once a year. While in some sections he drove slowly and carefully, in the others, he geared up our car to gallop along the way. At times, I was so afraid I began to sweat. That trip was thrilling, but safe. (Just two months after my visit, a tunnel was completed through the mountain, which will save two hours of drive on the mountain.)

As I reached the summit, I was indulged in the enchanting view of the mountain, picturing for myself a carefree life with my own house built on the grass slope and cattle and sheep grazing outside while a few dogs played around.

The horn of our car brought me back to reality. From the foot of the mountain, we drove west toward Maerkang.

On the way to Maerkang, there was a three-way junction, and had we chosen the road leading to Shuajingsi Township, we could have stopped at a vast grassland to experience the local ethnic customs. But because of a tight schedule, we missed the trip to the grassland. That's OK. It gave me an excuse for visiting Aba another time.

Basic facts:

The Aba Tibetan-Qiang Autonomous Prefecture is located on the southeastern rim of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and the northwestern part of Sichuan Province. It is mainly inhabited by the Tibetan and Qiang ethnic groups.

The prefecture covers 83,426 square kilometers and has a population of 790,000. Under its jurisdiction, there are 13 counties: Wenchuan, Lixian, Maoxian, Jinchuan, Xiaojin, Maerkang, Aba, Ruoergai, Hongyuan, Rangtang, Songpan, Jiuzhaigou, and Heishui.

Aba is famous for its beautiful scenery, distinctive ethnic customs, and abundant tourist resources. Famous scenic attractions include the Nine Villages Ravine (Jiuzhaigou), which has been listed as a World Natural Heritage; Huanglong, a state-class scenic zone; the Wolong Nature Reserve, China's largest natural habitat for giant pandas; Siguniang (Four Girls) Mountain, a state-class scenic zone; the Miyaluo Scenic Zone, which is famous for its red leaves and hot springs; Kalonggou Scenic Zone in Heishui; and the Hongyuan Grassland. Aba is also home to many precious and rare wildlife, including giant pandas, golden monkeys, deer, roe deer, bear, and leopards.

(China Pictorial February 18, 2004)