Jiuzhaigou's legendary beauty earned it a designation as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1992.  Every Chinese person dreams of someday witnessing the park's radiant natural colors, enormous waterfalls and pristine alpine mountain scenery.  Each season has its advantages with snowy landscapes in the winter months, flowers and vast forests taking shape in spring and summer, and vibrant foliage in autumn. Bird watchers will want to keep a keen eye out for more than 140 bird species which reside within the park. The nine Qiang Tibetan villages for which the park is named are still nestled into the mountain sides.