Three Parallel Rivers National Park: Sacred Area of Yunnan

#nationalparks In the northwestern part of Yunnan Province, there are three rivers flowing parallel to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau to the south, but never converging. This is the 29th World Cultural and Natural Heritage project in China "Three Parallel Yunnan Rivers", National Park. Originating in the Tanggul Mountains on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the Jinsha, Lancang and Nu Rivers flow parallel along the Hengduan Mountains for several hundred kilometers. It is a very rare phenomenon that the shortest distance between the Lancang and Jinsha Rivers is only 66 kilometers, and between the Lancang and Nu Rivers is less than 19 kilometers. Interestingly, their entrances to different seas are thousands of kilometers apart from each other. This National Park covers the autonomous Prefecture of Nu Jiang-Lisu, the Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Diqing and the Lijiang Region. Three parallel rivers have a spectacular landscape that consists of rivers, mountains, rare plants, animals and habitats of 16 ethnic groups. In this rotected area, you can see a typical topographical feature of Yunnan, consisting of beautiful views of parallel rivers, high mountains and deep gorges. The height of the snow-capped mountains in this area ranges from 2,000 meters to 6,000 meters, and there are more than 100 snow-capped mountains over 5,000 meters high. Among them, the most famous is the Snowy Meili Mountain, which is considered a Sacred Mountain by the local Tibetan people. Accordingly, the gorges are very deep. The gorges of the Nu River, the Lancang River and the Jinsha River are especially famous. The average depth of the Nu River Gorge is 2,000 meters, and it has been named the "Eastern Great Gorge". The famous Jumping Tiger Gorge, which is part of the Jinsha River Gorge, is the deepest gorge in the world. The climate at the bottom of the gorge is subtropical, dry and hot, while halfway to the top of the mountain it is cool and pleasant. The peaks of the mountains are covered with snow all year round. At an altitude of several thousand meters, the climate and the natural landscape change greatly.