Jiuzhaigou Valley, literally “Nine Village Valley” in Chinese, gets its name from the 9 Tibetan villages along the 50km-plus valley. Situated in southwest China’s Sichuan Province, it is well-known     1     its greenish-blue lakes, beautiful waterfalls, colorful forests, snow-capped peaks     2     the local Tibetan ethnic culture.

Jiuzhaigou got     3     (it) name because there are nine Tibetan villages in the valley. For centuries Tibetan people have lived in the region, but it was not officially discovered by the government until 1972. It     4     (declare) a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1992.

The valley is a     5     (nature) habitat for two of China’s most endangered species—the giant panda and the Sichuan takin (羚牛). You are likely to see other     6     (creature) including birds, insects and fish.

Over 80 percent of the scenic area is covered by forests. In the lower regions, there are plenty of grasses and reeds. These are quickly replaced by bamboo forests,     7     in turn give way to conifers (针叶树) at the upper regions. Beyond them, snow-capped peaks of the Minshan Mountains are also very     8     (attract).

The most comfortable climate     9     (visit) Jiuzhaigou is in July. Umbrellas and wet weather clothing, as well as sun protection cream and hats are     10     (high) recommended as the weather is often changing.