The Serenely Beautiful Blue Moon Valley

Yunnan impresses people with a lot of beautiful mountains and rivers.

However, once in the Blue Moon Valley, its serene and pure beauty will immediately grab your heart.

The Blue Moon Valley, formerly known as the Baishui River or White Water River, is located at the foot of the Jade Dragon(Yulong) Snow Mountain in Lijiang. In the valley, the water from melted ice and snow is blocked by mountains and forms a series of lakes, such as the Yuye Lake (the Lake of Jade-like Wine), the Jingtan Lake (the Lake of Mirror), the Lanyue Lake (the Lake of Blue Moon) and the Tingtao Lake (the Lake of Murmuring Waves), which are punctuated with small waterfalls.

The valley is shaped like a crescent moon. On sunny days, the blue sky is reflected in the lakes, which are also blue in colour, reminding people of the Blue Moon Valley depicted in “Lost Horizon” by the British writer James Hilton, hence the name. Around the lakeshores is lush vegetation with snow-capped peaks standing in the distance.

The lake water is blue and clear, interspersed with green. Looking around from the middle of any lakes, you will see white clouds floating over mountains or reflected in the lake, and the dreamlike scenery will bring you peace of mind. Every step you take in the Blue Moon Valley offers different sights to make you feel as if wandering in a fairyland.  

Photos by Huang Zhechun and Yang Zheng