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01. Perpetually White ‘Changbai’ Mountains
Located in the northeast of China, the Changbai Mountains is named after its iconic scenery of being perpetually white almost all year long. These mountains were formed around 2.77 million years ago after volcano eruptions due to the movement of the earth crust. At the top of the main mountain there is a craterlake with an altitude of 2100 meters. It is called “Tian Chi” in Chinese, literally meaning Heaven Lake. Its latest eruption happened around 300 years ago. Tianchi is the largest crater lake in China, and it is the deepest mountain lake around the world as well. The average depth of water is 204 meters. It has stored over 2 billion tons of freshwater, which is able to supply the population in Beijing downtown for 22 months. The winter lasts for 9 months in the Changbai Mountains. Thus, the crest of the mountain is covered by snow most of the time. The depth of the snow is 50 centimeters on average. It is extremely difficult to visit the mountain during the winter. Lake Tianchi only melts in Mid-July due to the cold weather and the water in the lake is flowing for only 30 days every year. It is always misty and cloudy. According to the locals, people could only see the most imposing scenery here if they have a special mysterious connection with this ‘magical mountain’.
02. Four Sisters Await for Adventurers 东方阿尔卑斯
Mount Siguniang or Mount Four Sisters is located in southwestern China’s Sichuan province. The mountain gets its name from its four peaks adjacent to each other. Local legend says that the mountain god’s four beautiful daughters defeated the devil and turned into four snow mountains to guard the local people. The snowy mountains offer one of the toughest challenges for those who would like to conquer them. Out of the four sisters, the youngest one - the Yaomei Peak is the highest and the steepest of them all, with the altitude of 6250 meters. Only the bravest climbers around the world dare to take the challenge. There are glaciers hanging on the southern slope and extending to the foot of the mountain. The western and the northern slope are formed by the daunting steep rocks. So far, the summit record for the Yaomei Peak is only 11 times. The Japanese and the American made it twice each. The British, the French and the Russian teams made it once each, and Chinese team reached top for four times. Besides the four remarkable peaks, Mount Siguniang also has lots of other mountains and valleys that are ready for exploration. The 5484-meters high Camel Peak is formed by two connected peaks. Between them there is a glacial plain. But right behind these glaciers, it is a vertical cliff. And we have the Pomiu Peak that looks like a pyramid, Five Colours Mountain with an altitude of 5500 meters, and the Hunter Mountain with an altitude of 5182 meters. Thanks for its breath-take it and wide landscape, Mount Siguniang is also known as “The Oriental Alps”. For the bravest adventurers worldwide, The Four Sisters will continue to lure them and wait for the next one to stand on top of them.
03. Lake with Amazing Colours-Jiuzhaigou
Hidden deep in the mountains of western China’s Sichuan province, there is a primitive and dreamy valley called Jiuzhaigou. It has preserved one of the most stunning view of nature that it could be called China’s Garden of Eden. It’s signature landscape is the crystal lakes with turquoise and many other colours of whites, blue, green, or emerald. The secrets of coloring the lake is the spirogyra, charophyte, and other kinds of ferns that grow in the water. They contain chlorophyll, which helps creat various colors. These colors vary according to the season, light and the viewing angle. There are 108 lakes like this dotted around the three major valleys in Jiuzhaigou. Each of these valleys has an altitude higher than 2000 meters and altogether the valleys are 49 kilometers long. Besides these magical lakes, Jiuzhaigou also has China’s widest waterfall Nuorilang Waterfall, with width of 270 meters. If you visit Jiuzhaigou during the right time, you may even experience the rotation of four seasons in one day. From the colorful scene to the white appearance, Jiuzhaigou could do it in very short time. It is perhaps the ultimate fairyland in China.
04. A Land Fromed by the Blowing Dust’ Loess Plateau 吹来的大地 黄土高原
The earth is a place of endless wonder where landscapes are often created from mere dust. The LoessPlateau is such a place. It is located in the north of central China, and contains 70% of the loess on the planet. It is hard to imagine a time when it did not exist. But this yellow land was created by particles carried by the wind. The entire mega landscape has a total area of 620,000 square kilometers. Even seen from above, it’s hard to comprehend the sheer size of it. The loess dune is dozens of meters high, and 300 meters at its thickest. Eight million years ago, super strong winds blew sand and dust here. The entire process of dust carrying and stacking took more than 2.6 million years. Scientists can tell the wind direction by the thickness of the loess. Because tiny dust particles are carried the furthest, they came to rest in the southeastern most part of the plateau. The sand in the northwest part of the plateau is much rougher. Where the river crossed, an alluvial plain was deposited. People gradually started to settle around these fertile areas. They farmed in the valley, and built roads between the ravines. Finally, they made this ancient land their home and prospered generation after generation.
05. A Mysterious Place in the South China Sea 三沙
Starting from Hainan Island, the southernmost province of China, you can reach Sasha City at the southern tip, by this transportation supply ship. Sansha is made of 280 islands, sandbars, reefs and other sea areas. April to May are the most beautiful seasons in this part of China. The sea is colorful, with an average visibility of more than 30 meters. Looking down from a high altitude, the islands in front of us do not seem to be connected with each other, but they are known as the Seven Connected Islets. That’s because beneath the sea, there is a huge reef holding them together, forming a common foundation for the little islands. As the tide rises and falls, they display a variety of features. Most of the islets here are made up of coral remains. Coral secretes limestone , which becomes their living shells. They gather together and grow and multiply from generation to generation. Layer upon layer of limestone is added and then compacted to form the coral reef we see today. This reef is still growing, towards the sea, at a rate of about 2.5 centimeters per year.
