The amazing country of China. On its territory there are priceless monuments of ancient history and architecture, which are organically combined with unusually beautiful nature. The country occupies a vast territory with different geographical conditions, which affected its landscape.
Today in China there are about three hundred reserves and national parks. They occupy more than 2% of its entire area. China's national parks (and reserves) are created to conserve endangered species of plants, animals, and birds. In addition, they contribute to the development and promotion of tourism. We recommend everyone who wants to see the most amazing places on our planet to start acquaintance with the Middle Kingdom.
As you may have guessed, in this article we will take a virtual trip to China. The examples of nature reserves and national parks below will help you learn a little more about this mysterious country. And maybe someone decides to go on an exciting trip to see everything with their own eyes.
China Nature Reserves & National Parks
The Shuantai-Hakou Nature Reserve is one of the most striking (in the literal and figurative sense of the word) natural attractions of the country. The world famous red beach has an unusually bright color due to seaweed. They die in the Liaohe River Delta at the very beginning of autumn. They paint it in rich and bright colors.
You can admire the unusual shades of this landscape over the course of a year for several weeks: algae begin to bloom in April, in May they are green, and closer to autumn they acquire a bright scarlet color. Especially beautiful beaches at low tide.
In addition to unusual landscapes, this reserve is known for its huge number of birds. Here you can see very rare Japanese cranes. Unfortunately, they are on the verge of extinction. In total, over 236 bird species live in this reserve, with an area of 600 thousand hectares, 30 of them are under state protection. It is better to come here in early September, when algae bloom. The reserve is located near the cities of Panshan and Yingkou.
Janoda Nature Reserve
Today, a lot of tourists visit China. Nature reserves and national parks are necessarily included in excursion routes. One of the most popular and most visited of them is Yanoda Nature Reserve, which is located in the area of the Qixian Range, near Mount Wuzhishan.
On an area of 45 square kilometers, relict forests and plants have survived, whose age is hundreds, and some species, thousands of years old. The government of the country spent over 4 billion yuan to create this reserve.
The territory is divided into two zones: “Valley of Dreams” and “Valley of the Jungle”. They are united by a suspension bridge, thrown across the gorge. The reserve has several lakes, a waterfall, small mountain rivers and hot springs. Sights of Yanoda - an aquacenter, which contains two thousand species of fish, Menhuan Canyon, Jingshi Gorge, tropical plantations, Yaoshi Gorge, which is called the "Canyon of Pharmacists."
Immediately located is the scenic Shenxiao Square. This is a huge field of flowers, which is divided into twelve sectors. At its center are figures of animals from the Chinese horoscope. The reserve is located 35 kilometers from the city of Sanya. Here excursion groups are formed. Tourists overcome one part of the route by bus, and the other on foot.
Huanglong Reserve
For travelers, the country of China has always been of great interest. Nature reserves and national parks on its territory are admired by the thoughtfulness of tourist routes, as well as their well-groomed.
Huanglong is located in the north of Sichuan, near the city of Jeju (50 km). Its name translates as "Yellow Valley of the Dragon." This picturesque area is famous for tuff terraces, numerous lakes of unusual shapes and colors of water, waterfalls and caves.
The reserve area is 40 thousand hectares. A huge number of rare and endangered species of animals that are long listed in the Red Book, for example, a giant panda, feel comfortable on its territory. There is also the highest in the country Chzhaga waterfall, 93 meters high. The main attraction of the reserve are travertine terraces.
Such a landscape was formed as a result of erosion by groundwater of limestone and rocks. Limestone came to the surface and settled in the form of formations of amazing shape. For the same reason, Huanglong has many lakes, waterfalls, rapids. On the territory of this reserve, the Fujian River originates, which is known for its direct main channel and zigzag tributaries. The valley is surrounded on both sides by coniferous and deciduous forests.
What national parks are there in China?
At the beginning of this article we talked about the fact that the country has a huge number of parks and reserves. We will introduce you to the most popular of them.
Yding
The sights of this amazing country are of interest to everyone who comes to China. What nature reserves and national parks do experienced tourists recommend visiting in the first place?
In the Gardza-Tibet Autonomous Region (Sichuan Province) there is a very beautiful Yading National Park. This place is revered by Buddhists. There are three sacred mountains:
- Chan Dorje (translated from Tibetan - "Strength").
- Manjushri (means "Wisdom").
- Chenrezig (or Xian Naiji, translates as "Compassion"). Its height is 6032 meters. The Tibetan Mount Chenrezig is sacred. Around her commit bark. This is a kind of rite of purification. Tourists try to get around all the most beautiful places located on both sides of the mountain. But you can do this at least two days in advance, so if you have time left, do not give up this tour.
Snow-capped peaks formed an unusual triangular mountain landscape with forest valleys, clear lakes and rivers that formed as a result of melting glaciers. This place, like other national parks in China, is famous for its rich fauna.
Lushan
Today, thousands of tourists from all over the world visit China. Nature reserves and national parks, whose names are quite difficult for the pronunciation of Europeans, are of great interest. Many of them are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. For example, Lushan National Park, covering an area of more than 300 square kilometers. It is located south of the city of Jiujiang, in the province of Jiangxi, near Lake Poinhu.
This national park has about a hundred mountain peaks, among them Hanpolin, Shuangjianfeng, Shansofeng. The highest mountain is Dahanyanfeng (1474 m). There are many waterfalls here: Sandequan, Ximenjian, Kaisian. The climate is mid-mountain - summers are very warm (in July + 25.8 degrees Celsius), and winters are mild (in January the average temperature is +7.3 degrees). The park was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List back in 1996.
There are several Taoist and Buddhist temples along Mount Lushan, as well as the Zhu Xi School (Neo-Confucian). All these sights are surprisingly harmoniously combined with natural beauties. The main attractions of the park are: hermit's huts; the building of the Eighth plenum of the Central Committee of 1959; Zhushan Buddhist Temple;
- flower paths;
- holy cave;
- valley;
- waterfalls;
- mountain streams;
- lakes;
- the woods;
- sources;
- Botanical Garden.
Arshan Geopark
Not all national parks in China have hot springs on their territory. In the Arshan geopark, on an area of 814 square kilometers, there are 76 springs, in which the water is healing, and therefore tourists are happy to go on this route.
The park is located in the autonomous region of Inner Mongolia, near Arshan County, in the center of the Great Khingan mountain system. The vast territory with glacial and volcanic relief has dense forests, endless steppes, azure lakes and rivers. In addition, in the park there is a volcano of Halah, of extraordinary beauty, the mountain lake Tianchi, whose name translates as "Pond in Heaven." It is located at an altitude of 1300 meters above sea level.
Zhangjiajie Park
And finally, we want to introduce you to one of the oldest, most popular and most visited Zhangjiajie National Park (China). A unique nature reserve is located in the southeastern province of Hunan, which is located 32 km from the city of the same name. It was created to protect rare species of animals and plants, as well as amazing rocky landscapes.
The beauty of this part of the Wulingyuan mountain range was appreciated by European tourists. Travel agents recommend planning a trip to these places in spring or autumn. The exception is the beginning of May and October, when national holidays are held in China and crowds of local residents are flooding the park. At the peak of the season - in the summer - it is also crowded here: if you can still find deserted corners while walking in the park, it is difficult to squeeze into crowded buses or stay out of bed because of problems with booking - a rather dubious pleasure.
In winter, the rocky peaks look very impressive, but it is not safe to travel along the snowy mountain trails.
Name history
Chinese researchers are still arguing about the name of the park. There are several versions of its appearance. Most historians are inclined to believe that the name Zhang Liang is hidden in it. This is a disgraced aristocrat who played a major role in the formation of the Han Dynasty, but as a result was forced to hide with his family in the vicinity of the current reserve in the 2nd century BC. e. Here he died and was buried.
This information is reliable, confirmed by numerous written sources. There are legends that tell gullible tourists: they are still shown several graves of Zhang Liang, located in different parts of Hunan. The “main” of them is located at the village of Zhangjiajie at the border of the park.
Description of the park
Initially, in 1982, Zhangjiajie National Park (China), the photo of which we posted below, occupied a modest-sized territory - 4810 ha. After 10 years, the mountains of Wulingyuan, as well as Zhangjiajie, were included in the UNESCO list. Immediately after this, the size of the park was increased to 130 square kilometers.
Cliffs
On a vast territory there are 243 mountains. Their average height is 800 m, although there are giants with a height of more than three thousand meters. The popular observation deck, Huangshi, rises 1300 meters above sea level, with 3800 steps leading to it. Rocks resemble easily destroyed limestones, but this is only at first glance.
Mountains that resemble huge figured candles appeared in the process of weathering of quartz sandstones, as well as the gradual "subversive" work of plant roots, which in Zhangjiajie, due to high humidity, a huge amount. They do not miss the slightest opportunity to capture more and more new territories. The tops of the rocks are covered with dense thickets of conifers. When fog descends here (in Zhangjiajie this happens very often), it seems that giant stone fragments soar in the air.
Popular hiking trails
It should be noted that all national parks in China are very convenient for visiting tourists. Zhangjiajie is no exception. Many tourist routes have been laid here for every taste, but there are some objects that you must see if you happen to be here.
First of all, we recommend that you go up to the observation deck of Huangshi and visit the source of the Golden Whip, which stretches for 7.5 kilometers. All attractions of the park are connected by cable car. At the end of the Golden Whip is the Bilong Observation Lift.
It is located in the center of the park. Built in 2002, the Hundred Dragons elevator immediately took its rightful place in the Guinness Book of Records. It is recognized as the highest and fastest open lift in the world - the elevator is able to lift up to 50 meters to 50 tourists at a time. Its ceiling is mirrored, and the walls are made of high-strength glass. Amazing views can be enjoyed from the pedestrian walkway with glass floors. It is located at an altitude of 1430 meters.