Lacime Architects has renovated the Ritz-Carlton Reserve Rissai Valley hotel, located in Jiuzhaigou County, China. After the Jiuzhai Valley earthquake, the original structure and site of the hotel ...

This story appears in the March 2009 issue of National Geographic magazine. Jiuzhaigou means "valley of nine villages," because it once harbored nine, but other numbers are more significant now.

Jiuzhaigou, which translates to “Nine Settlement Valley”, refers to the nine Tibetan settlements along its length. Amidst approximately 280 square miles (725 sq km) of forest, it hosts many ...