How Jiuzhaigou's Lakes Recovered After the 2017 Quake

Pipeline stage: ③ English localization (native-level, non-literal) of spoke8-earthquake-zh-draft.md
Content type: 🎭 Traditional culture / scenery experience ｜ Province: Sichuan ｜ Link anchors: Jiuzhaigou hub / Why water is blue-green / Lake stories
“Useful” dimensions hit: historical thread (how disaster reshaped the landscape) + human story (resilience)
Author: Phoebe ｜ Last verified: 2026-10
Search intent: informational / curiosity (mid funnel, high-share resilience story)

Looking at Jiuzhaigou’s photos, it’s hard to imagine it just went through a major wound. On August 8, 2017, at 21:19, a 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck Jiuzhaigou; the epicenter was about 5 km west of the core scenic area. Nuorilang Waterfall, Sparkling Lake (Huohua Hai), and other landmark spots were damaged. [Source: Sichuan Release / CCTV.com Jiuzhaigou development history]

I only saw the words “Jiuzhaigou is hurt” in the news then, and my heart sank. Later I learned this quake didn’t just take old sights — it also created new ones. This is Jiuzhaigou’s story of resilience, and a key to understanding why it’s still so clean and so carefully tended today.

Nuorilang Waterfall (Tibetan for “majestic waterfall,” among China’s widest travertine waterfalls) — part of its rock layer collapsed, cracks appeared above the falls, and water flow dropped sharply for a time.
Sparkling Lake — the lake whose surface seemed to spark with fire on sunny days — had its embankment cracked by the quake; the great lake “disappeared” for a while, leaving only an empty “eye socket.” [Source: China Tourism News “Magic Jiuzhaigou, Even More Charming” 2021-09 / People’s Daily 2021-09-28 report]

Restoration followed a very restrained principle: nature-led, human-assisted.

For Sparkling Lake, they used sticky-rice lime mortar, plus the quake-damaged travertine and fallen rocks as material, to refill the lake — repairing it with “parts of itself.” [Source: China Tourism News 2021-09 / Xinhua Sichuan]
In 2019, after two years of rebuilding, about 85% of the area reopened. [Source: Aba Prefecture Government Service Network 2021-09-28]
On September 28, 2021, Jiuzhaigou held a full-reopening ceremony; Panda Lake, Arrow Bamboo Lake, Swan Lake, and the primeval forest met visitors again, and open area recovered from 85% to 100%. [Source: People’s Daily / Aba Prefecture government site 2021-09-28]

The most interesting twist: the quake collapsed Sparkling Lake’s embankment, and water rushed down toward Twin Dragon Lake (Shuanglonghai), washing away the forest vegetation — and created a brand-new waterfall: Twin Dragon Waterfall (Shuanglonghai Pubu). It became the first “new sight” to go viral in friend circles after the disaster, rekindling hope in the affected people. [Source: People’s Daily 2021-09-28 / China Tourism News 2021-09]

In other words, Jiuzhaigou didn’t just “restore the old as old” — it healed its wounds while growing new scenery.

It explains why today’s Jiuzhaigou is full of monitoring equipment, ecological protection, and visitor caps — because it was hurt, it learned to treasure itself more.
It lets you see the water not only as color, but as the power of time and nature.
It’s also a very real stroke in Jiuzhaigou’s “tradition + contemporary” narrative: nature isn’t a specimen in a museum, but a living thing that can be wounded and reborn.

→ Jiuzhaigou hub (overview)
→ Why is the water blue-green? (Spoke 2, post-quake repair also involves travertine ecology)
→ The lakes have names and stories: Rhinoceros, Panda, Pearl Shoal (Spoke 4, which lakes were rebuilt)
→ Jiuzhaigou’s Tibetan villages: a living culture (Spoke 5)

References

Sichuan Release “Open Arms to the World, Beautiful Jiuzhaigou” (Jiuzhaigou development history, 2017 earthquake)
People’s Daily 2021-09-28 “Four Years Later, Jiuzhaigou Is Back! Full Reopening”
China Tourism News “Magic Jiuzhaigou, Even More Charming” (2021-09, Sparkling Lake / Nuorilang repair details)
Aba Prefecture Government Service Network 2021-09-28 (full reopening, Twin Dragon Waterfall)

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened to Jiuzhaigou in the 2017 earthquake?

A 7.0-magnitude quake on Aug 8, 2017 damaged landmarks like Nuorilang Waterfall and Sparkling Lake; the epicenter was about 5 km west of the core scenic area.

When did Jiuzhaigou fully reopen after the earthquake?

About 85% reopened by 2019, and the full scenic area reopened on September 28, 2021.

How was Sparkling Lake repaired?

Restoration used sticky-rice lime mortar plus the quake-damaged travertine and fallen rocks as material, following a nature-led, human-assisted principle.

Did the earthquake create any new sights?

Yes — the collapsed embankment of Sparkling Lake sent water toward Twin Dragon Lake and formed a new Twin Dragon Waterfall, which became a symbol of recovery.

How Jiuzhaigou’s Lakes Recovered After the 2017 Quake