Shuzheng Waterfall (树正瀑布 [Shùzhēng Pùbù])

Jiuzhaigou Nature Reserve, Sichuan, China

About Shuzheng Waterfall (树正瀑布 [Shùzhēng Pùbù])


Hiking Distance: 0.5km shuttle
Suggested Time: 15 minutes

Date first visited: 2009-05-01
Date last visited: 2009-05-01

Waterfall Latitude: 33.19412
Waterfall Longitude: 103.89534

Waterfall Safety and Common Sense

The Shuzheng Waterfall (树正瀑布 [Shùzhēng Pùbù]) may not have had the width and size of its more famous counterparts like Nuorilang Waterfall and Pearl Shoal Waterfall (both in the Jiuzhaigou Nature Reserve).

However, we thought it certainly had the grace and beauty that the others possessed.

Jiuzhaigou_307_04302009 - The Shuzheng Waterfall
The Shuzheng Waterfall

Moreover, the Shuzheng Waterfall flowed on the Zechawa River which flowed from south to north in the park, and was further downstream (north) of the Nuorilang Waterfall (making it have a more voluminous flow as you can see in the photo above).

Julie and I were told that Shuzheng was actually derived from a Tibetan name.

We were not quite sure what the meaning was about, but for sure it didn’t have to do with being “a proper or upright tree” or something like that.

Thus, from my limited ability to read Chinese, this waterfall’s name was did not directly glean any meaning from using the literal word-for-word translation.

Experiencing the Shuzheng Waterfall

Jiuzhaigou_280_04302009 - The stop at Tiger Lake, which preceded our short walk alongside the Shuzheng Waterfall
The stop at Tiger Lake, which preceded our short walk alongside the Shuzheng Waterfall

In any case, we did this waterfall as part of an enjoyable one-way walk that started from the Tiger Lake stop and ended up near the Shuzheng Lake stop where right across the road was a Tibetan village full of shops and exhibits.

That boardwalk skirted the Zechawa River as it meandered through thick foliage leaving behind travertine formations amongst the foliage.

Within a few minutes of the walk, we were face-to-face with parts of the Shuzheng Waterfall.

Of the three major waterfalls we saw on our trip to Jiuzhaigou, we’d have to say this one was the easiest to photograph.

Jiuzhaigou_314_04302009 - Looking up at the Shuzheng Waterfall from a highly sought-after photo spot that the mega tours tended to hijack
Looking up at the Shuzheng Waterfall from a highly sought-after photo spot that the mega tours tended to hijack

That was because given its percolating characteristic with all the foliage checking the flow of the river, the Shuzheng Waterfall was especially conducive to taking those long exposure photographs.

However, setting up for such photographs was a different story given the mega tour crowds.

The lesson learned from our visit was that instead of taking time to set up a tripod amidst a large group of impatient people itching to barge in and get their shots, we were better off using the railing as an impromptu tripod.

The crowds also further conspired to mess up long exposure photos because all that foot traffic resulted in the boardwalks constantly trembling.

As a result, we had to exercise lots of patience in order to take a photo of the Shuzheng Waterfall that wasn’t so blurry.

Jiuzhaigou_334_04302009 - Downstream of the Shuzheng Waterfall were historical-looking Tibetan millhouses built above the river and tiny cascades on the Zechawa River
Downstream of the Shuzheng Waterfall were historical-looking Tibetan millhouses built above the river and tiny cascades on the Zechawa River

Further downstream was what appeared to be the main part of the waterfall.

There was even a small pillar that was popular with the tourists for having that “I was there” photograph.

It was a long and pressure-filled queue, where I hastily got our photograph and then left.

Again, I didn’t find this experience particularly peaceful, especially given how much of an excruciatingly long wait it became when the mega tours showed up and hijacked that spot.

Continuing downstream of the Shuzheng Waterfall, the Zechawa River widened and formed ponds in the middle of forests with majestic mountains flanking them, ultimately feeding Shuzheng Lake.

Jiuzhaigou_376_05012009 - Looking across the Shuzheng Lakes downstream of the Shuzheng Waterfall
Looking across the Shuzheng Lakes downstream of the Shuzheng Waterfall

It was as if the scenery here wouldn’t let us put the camera down because the hits just kept coming.

Authorities

The Shuzheng Waterfall resides in the Jiuzhaigou Nature Reserve near Jiuzhaigou in the Sichuan Province, China. To my knowledge, I have not found a reliable official government authority administering this area, but it has been gazetted as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Thus, in order to inquire about the current conditions, while I can’t recommend a particular government website, you might want to give the UNESCO website a try.

Jiuzhaigou_276_04302009 - Tiger Lake, which was the lake preceding our short walk to the Shuzheng Waterfall
Jiuzhaigou_296_04302009 - Top down view of the Shuzheng Waterfall from the boardwalk
Jiuzhaigou_302_04302009 - Some white wildflowers were in bloom at the Shuzheng Waterfalls during our late April 2009 visit
Jiuzhaigou_312_04302009 - Looking up at what I thought was the main section of the Shuzheng Waterfall, which also happened to be from a viewpoint that was very well-sought-after from the mega tour groups wishing to get their people shots here
Jiuzhaigou_320_04302009 - Looking back towards the remainder of the Shuzheng Waterfalls with Julie closer to the falls for a sense of context and scale
Jiuzhaigou_325_04302009 - Looking downstream from the end of the Shuzheng Waterfall
Jiuzhaigou_327_04302009 - Looking back upstream towards the Shuzheng Waterfall backed by tall snowy mountains and flanked by the boardwalk on the right
Jiuzhaigou_329_04302009 - Looking back up towards the Shuzheng Waterfall over the colorful water of the Zechawa River
Jiuzhaigou_331_04302009 - Looking across the colorful Zechawa River fronted by a calcified log
Jiuzhaigou_335_04302009 - Checking out more of the Tibetan millhouse
Jiuzhaigou_337_04302009 - Looking downstream at the Shuzheng Lakes
Jiuzhaigou_343_04302009 - Frontal look at the entrance to the Tibetan Shuzheng Village
Jiuzhaigou_351_04302009 - This was the colorful interior of one of the Tibetan residences in the Shuzheng Village
Jiuzhaigou_357_05012009 - Contextual view of the Tibetan Shuzheng Village in Jiuzhaigou Nature Reserve
Jiuzhaigou_359_05012009 - Another Contextual look of the Tibetan Village near Shuzheng Lake
Jiuzhaigou_362_05012009 - Shopping within the Tibetan Village
Jiuzhaigou_368_05012009 - About to leave the Shuzheng Village
Jiuzhaigou_381_05012009 - After leaving the Shuzheng Village, we continued to check out the beautiful Shuzheng Lakes
Jiuzhaigou_397_05012009 - Looking back upstream towards some minor cascades and rapids from the base of the Shuzheng Lakes
Jiuzhaigou_016_jx_05012009 - Some people picnicking on the lawn fronting the Shuzheng Village


As mentioned earlier, we took the mandatory shuttle north of the main tourist area by Nuorilang Waterfall to the stop by Tiger Lake (one stop north of the Rhinoceros Lake).

At the end of our walk, the Shuzheng Lake and Village also has another shuttle stop.

The drive from the Jiuzhai Airport to the Jiuzhaigou Nature Reserve was probably between 90-120 minutes.

However, we couldn’t give exact directions since we were on an escorted tour.

The village of Jiuzhaigou, which was right at the reserve entrance, was where we overnighted.

We arrived at the Jiuzhai Airport from Chengdu, which was 424km away (a 1-hour flight or 7.5-hour drive). Chengdu was a 2.5-hour flight from Hong Kong, 1,963km (21 hours drive or over 3 hours flight) west of Shanghai, and 1,818km (20 hours drive or over 3 hours flight) southwest of Beijing.

Find A Place To Stay

The falls along with the walkway alongside it


Sweep in front of the falls showing a good portion of its width

Tagged with: jiuzhaigou, tibetan plateau, sichuan, szechuan, chengdu, jiuzhai, lakes, nature reserve, tibetan village



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Johnny Cheng

About Johnny Cheng

Johnny Cheng is the founder of the World of Waterfalls and author of the award-winning A Guide to New Zealand Waterfalls. Over the last 2 decades, he has visited thousands of waterfalls in over 40 countries around the world and nearly 40 states in the USA.
Read More About Johnny | A Guide to New Zealand Waterfalls.