For hundreds of years, Jiuzhaigou was tucked away in lofty and precipitous peaks in the plateau of Northwest Sichuan. 
Along with vicissitudes of a long history, human activities were almost insignificant in the area, except that, for centuries, there were only hillside horse trails, and locals led a self-sufficient life, and were enclosed away from the outside world. Due to its remote and mountainous location, and traffic inconvenience, Jiuzhaigou never attempted to be publicly known. According to the annals of nanping the Jade Sea, it describes Jiuzhaigou as “yangtong tribes inhabit in a long and narrow place, with colorful waters, verdant woods, and inverted images on the lakes surface.” In 1975, the Ministry of Agriculture, forestry and fishery sent a survey team to Jiuzhaigou, and they came back with an astonishing comment that, Jiuzhaigou not only had abundant animal and plant resources, but also was to become a world-class tourist attraction. This turned over a new chapter in the history of Jiuzhaigou.
In 1978, Jiuzhaigou was approved by the State Council as the Nature Reserve, and in 1982 as the State-Level Key Place of Scenic interest. It was formally open to tourists in January 1984, and in December 1992, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee (the 16th Ensemble) unanimous decided to include Jiuzhaigou in the World Natural Heritage list. 
In February 1993 in the Great People’s Hall, the UNESCO World Heritage credential was handed over to representatives of Jiuzhaigou. In July 1994, it was notarized by the Ministry of Forestry as the State-Level Nature Reserve. In 1997, it was included in the World Human and Biosphere Conservation Network. In May 1998, officials of UNESCo and the Academia sinica issued Jiuzhaigou the world Biosphere credential. In 2002, it was admitted into the Green Globe 21 organization, and it was the first such in China to be a member of this organization. In the past years, Jiuzhaigou has been rated as the National Outstanding Place of Scenic interest, the Top 40 tourist Attraction in China, the China AAAA Tourist Attractions, the National Civilized Demonstrative Tourist Attraction, and the National Advanced Unit for Consumer-Rights Guarantee. Since its opening to tourists, Jiuzhaigou has received over 7 million domestic and foreign visitors who are amazed at its unartificial beauty and natural wonders, claiming that, during their tour, they were so involved in the sights and forget moving ahead.