Sichuan's fairyland is cold but lovely in the winter time, Xu Xiaomin discovers.

I may never forget my very first breath when I walked out of the Jiuhuang airport into the open air. The air at the third highest airport in the country "a 3,400-meter elevation" smelled like purest ice, if ice has a smell. My heavy head after flying was immediately refreshed as if it was washed by icy water. Thus, I started my winter journey to Jiuzhaigou of Sichuan province, a place called a fairyland by many travel journals. Usually, the way from airport to a scenic spot is a good opportunity to sleep or chitchat. But the road to Jiuzhaigou was full of pleasant surprises.

As our car passed a grassland with the background of seemingly endless mountains, our driver said it was considered the most beautiful place to shoot wedding photos. The temperature was close to 0 C that day, but we saw several couples posing in the wild field - the brides all wearing deep V-neck or sleeveless wedding gowns, trying to give the warmest smile in the cold wind. It was worth getting a bad cold after shooting; the great view could beat back any Hollywood studios.

The second place we stopped on the way is Jiudaoguai, or nine turns. If you are okay with nine continuous turnings of 180 degrees and won't feel dizzy, it can be a very amazing driving experience - though local people say lots of traffic accidents happen.

On one turn after another, the mountainous area showed its different faces to me with various trees and plants so close on both sides. The seventh turn was the best spot, trees in green, yellow and red formed most beautiful multiple-layered curves, it was a little bit dangerous to get off the car, but I couldn't help stopping and sitting on the roadside to enjoy the trees' whispering and breezing until a police car found us.

Jiuzhaigou has luxury hotels such as a Sheraton, a fortlike resort and the famous Inter Continental, which my wealthy friend said was so luxurious that she wouldn't like to go out of the hotel. People who like hiking or photography may prefer small hoteliers near Jiuzhaigou entrance - which are cheap - and you can be one of the earliest birds into the valley.

My hotel Grass Roots Family is just 10 minutes walk to the entrance. During the afternoon I arrived, I walked around the town and found a small street, it is called Bianbianjie, a quiet place with small restaurants, retro cafes and bars on one side and a narrow but energetic river on the other. Over the river is my destination: Jiuzhaigou National Park.

Most travelers chose to visit Jiuzhaigou during summer or early autumn as the place boasts its great waters and various plants of amazing colors. It is not a hot spot for winter tours because of the low temperature.

In the winter, Jiuzhaigou withdraws its colorful flamboyance. Instead, it becomes a silent picture of pure sapphire and white, dotted with some bright colors formed by minerals in the water to feast your eyes. With many fewer visitors than in the peak season, you will enjoy a silent world that helps you escape from the chaos beyond.

Non-pollution shuttle buses send visitors to every scenic spot if you don't want to walk. During my two-day tour, I most enjoyed exploring the right side track of the fork-shaped route, which is well-known for its beautiful pools.

Local people say pandas once liked to eat and drink near the Panda Pool, hence the name. There are white rocks with black patterns under the pool, which some say look exactly like pandas. Though pandas disappeared from here long ago, you could see visitors wearing panda-shaped caps and scarves everywhere.

No human language could express my feeling when I first saw Jianzhuhai. Light snow danced around, the water surface was as still as a mirror, snow-covered mountains in the distance wore drapes of white fog, trees and grasses had beautiful inverted images in the water. Only a wild duck swimming in the pool broke the silence and made some lovely sounds. The whole world seemed at a standstill. With only the colors of white, gray and brown, it looked exactly like a Chinese ink painting.

I walked along the road from Panda Pool for about half an hour, arriving at a small platform called Laohuzui (Tiger's Mouth), which was recommended by some travel magazines as the best spot to watch the colorful riverway from a higher level.

The amazing blue water here is caused by minerals contained in the water as well as some special water plants and the reflection of the blue sky. Local people who had never seen oceans called these pools "hai" (ocean).

With no other visitors around at the Tiger's Mouth, one could take photos undisturbed, or just stand on the platform to enjoy the view and clean air. One driver passing by reminded me not to stay there for long, as after the Wenchuan earthquake, the mountain body is a little bit unstable: Broken rocks may fall down and injure passengers.

Another walk took me to a virgin forest, the highest scenic spot in the park at an altitude of 4,136 meters, where tall trees growing wildly reminded me of Narnia. Throwing snowballs was the most interesting experience there. You could play as happily as squirrels.

The next day, I went to Changhai ("Long Ocean", 7.5 kilometers long and 500 meters wide, 3,100 meters high), the best place to enjoy the snow view. With no seat left, I stood at the front of the bus for the half-hour trip, feeling a little bit guilty - I had wonderful views along the way. The shuttle bus drove through endless snow-covered trees, I was always wondering if there would be a Santa or ice queen or other white spirit waiting at the end of the road.

Walking down to Wucaichi (Five-Color Pool) was an interesting experience. A kilometer-long passage was very slippery, snow fell down occasionally and dropped onto my neck. What a thrilling cold! The pool may be the smallest among all the "oceans" here, but it boasts the most colorful water.

If you feel yourself losing warmth, just take the shuttle bus down to Nuorilang tourism center, where a buffet, coffee and souvenirs are available.

From there on the way to the entrance, you can see many Tibetan villages as well as beautiful waterfalls. Actually, Jiuzhaigou (valley of nine villages) is named after these villages. It is forbidden for visitors to stay overnight inside the national park. But to save the second-day ticket, many visitors choose to sleep at local farmers' homes for about 100 yuan per night.

(China Daily 12/26/2010 page16)