Zequ River Water Conservancy Scenic Area

Zequ River Water Conservancy Scenic Area

The Zequ River Water Conservancy Scenic Area is a national water conservancy scenic area.

The Zequ River Water Conservancy Scenic Area is located in Rangtang County, Aba Prefecture, Sichuan Province, approximately 20 km northeast of Rangtang County. It encompasses most areas of five townships—Shangrangtang, Zhongrangtang, Gaduo, Nanmuda, and Rongmuda—and serves as a key route from Rangtang to Qinghai Province and Aba County, boasting a uniquely strategic location.

The scenic area is developed along the Zequ River and its adjacent embankment projects, classifying it as a natural river-lake type water conservancy scenic area. Covering a total area of about 1,003 square kilometers, it includes 38.27 square kilometers of water surface. Its core highlight is an ecological-cultural wetland that integrates both cultural and natural landscapes. Natural features mainly consist of the highland river—the Zequ River, a cluster of alpine lakes—Haizi Mountain, and the Nanmo’qe Provincial Nature Reserve, while cultural attractions include the Jonang Cultural Center (the world’s only and a national cultural heritage site), the stone-carved Kangyur scriptures at Bangtuo Monastery (also a national cultural heritage site), and typical new Tibetan villages. The stunning natural scenery and profound cultural heritage blend harmoniously within the Zequ River Water Conservancy Scenic Area, creating a picturesque scene of “harmony between humanity and water.”

In line with the tourism development needs of Rangtang County, and using the Zequ River as the central axis, green ecology as the environmental foundation, market and low-carbon economic development as guiding principles, and the construction of a “water conservancy scenic area” as the driving force, the project aims to organically integrate water resource protection, aquatic ecological restoration, environmental improvement, hydraulic engineering maintenance, water culture promotion, and regional social, economic, and cultural development. Through ecological construction measures, the spatial layout is rationally planned, infrastructure is strengthened, village and town distribution and related industries are coordinated, responding to Rangtang County’s vision of building “The Pure Land Hanging in the Sky, Sacred Rangtang.” This creates an overall framework where “water serves people, and people protect water,” striving to develop a nationally significant water conservancy scenic area with distinctive characteristics of western China. The area will feature a spatial layout of “one axis, one center, and three zones”: the Zequ River Landscape Recreation Axis, the Nanmuda Tourism Distribution Center, the Alpine Wetland Exploration Zone, the Water Culture Exhibition & Experience Zone, and the Ecological Restoration & Canyon Recreation Zone.