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Huanglong Scenic and Historic Interest Area
Huanglong Scenic and Historic Interest Area*
UNESCO World Heritage Site
State Party	China
Type	Natural
Criteria	vii
Reference	638
Region**	Asia-Pacific
	Inscription history
Inscription	1992 (16th Session)
	* Name as inscribed on World Heritage List.; ** Region as classified by UNESCO.

For the mythological dragon, see Huang Long (mythology).

Coordinates: 32°44′22″N 103°49′39″E / 32.73944°N 103.8275°E / 32.73944; 103.8275

Huanglong (simplified Chinese: 黄龙; traditional Chinese: 黃龍; pinyin: Huánglóng) is a scenic and historic interest area in Songpan County in the northwest part of Sichuan, China. It is located in the southern part of the Minshan mountain range, 150 km north-northwest of the capital Chengdu. This area is known for its colorful pools formed by calcite deposits, especially in Huanglonggou (Yellow Dragon Gully), as well as diverse forest ecosystems, snow-capped peaks, waterfalls and hot springs. Huanglong is also home to many endangered species including the Giant Panda and the Sichuan Golden Snub-nosed Monkey. Huanglong was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1992.

[edit] Huang Long Attractions

Due to thousands of years of geological evolution, Huanglong consists of numerous unique landscapes of geological landforms. Glacial revolution, terrane structure, stratum of carbonic acid rock, tufa water and climatic conditions such as artic-alpine sun light have created this world-famous travertine landscape.

These accumulated travertine landscapes and fascinating pools are Huanglong's main attraction. The total length of the travertine is 3.6km and it is thought to look like a huge golden dragon wheeling through the snow-capped mountains of the valley. The main landscapes are travertine banks, amazingly colourful ponds and travertine waterfalls and caves.

The main body of water starts from the Ancient Buddhist/Benbo temple at the top of the valley and ends at Xishen Cave Waterfall in the north with a length of 2.5km and a width of 30 – 170m. The colours of Huanglong’s waters consist of various yellows, greens, blues and browns. The flowing water appears as golden ripples dazzling in the sun. Known to the locals as “Golden Sand on Earth” the Huanglong travertine bank is the largest and most magnificent in the world.