National parks of China: names and photos

Awesome country China. On its territory are priceless monuments of ancient history and architecture, which are organically combined with an unusually beautiful nature. The country occupies a vast territory with different geographic conditions, which affected its landscape.

Today, China has 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 popularization of tourism. To all who want to see the most amazing places of our planet, we recommend starting acquaintance with the Celestial Empire.

As you guessed, in this article we will make a virtual trip to China. Examples of reserves and national parks, presented below, will help you learn a little more about this mysterious country. And, probably, someone will decide to go on an exciting trip to see everything with your own eyes.

China: nature reserves and national parks

The Shuantai-Hakou reserve is one of the most striking (in the literal and figurative sense of this word) natural attractions of the country. The world famous red beach has an unusually bright color due to seaweed. They die in the Liao River Delta in the very beginning of autumn. They paint it in juicy and bright colors.

The unusual shades of this landscape can be admired throughout the year for several weeks: the algae begin to blossom 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 famous due to the huge number of birds. Here you can see very rare Japanese cranes. Unfortunately, they are on the brink of extinction. In total, this reserve, with an area of 600 thousand hectares, accommodates more than 236 species of birds, 30 of them are protected by the state. Come here better in early September, when the algae blossom. The reserve is located near the cities of Panshan and Yingkou.

Sanctuary of Yanod

Today, a lot of tourists visit China. Reserves and national parks are included in the excursion routes. One of the most popular and visited ones is the Yanod Reserve, which is located in the area of the Qixian Range, near the Wu-Zhishan Mountain.

On the area of 45 square kilometers there are relict forests and plants, the age of which numbered hundreds, and some species and thousands of years. The government spent more than 4 billion yuan on the creation of this reserve.

The territory is divided into two zones: "Valley of Dreams" and "Valley of the Jungle". They are united by a pendant bridge, thrown across the gorge. In the reserve there are several lakes, a waterfall, small mountain rivers and hot springs. Attractions Yanoda - aqua center, which contains two thousand fish species, Menghuang Canyon, Jingshi Gorge, plantations of tropical plants, the gorge of Yaoshi, which is called the "Canyon of Pharmacists".

There is also the picturesque Shengxiao Square. This is a huge flower field, which is divided into twelve sectors. In 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. One part of the route tourists cross on the bus, and the other - on foot.

Huanglong Wildlife Refuge

For travelers at all times, China has been of great interest. Reserves and national parks on its territory cause admiration for the thoughtfulness of tourist routes, as well as for its well-groomed nature.

Huanglong is in the north of Sichuan Province, 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. On its territory, a huge number of rare and endangered species of animals that have long been included in the Red Book, for example, a giant panda, feel comfortable. Here is the highest in the country waterfall Zhaga, height of 93 meters. The main attraction of the reserve are the travertine terraces.

Such a landscape was formed as a result of erosion of limestone and rocks by underground waters. Limestone came to the surface and settled in the form of amazing formations. For the same reason, Huanglong has many lakes, waterfalls, rapids. On the territory of this reserve, the Fujian River originates, which is known for a direct main stream and zigzag tributaries. The valley is surrounded on two sides by coniferous and deciduous forests.

What national parks are there in China?

At the beginning of this article, we talked about the huge number of parks and reserves in the country. We will introduce you to the most popular of them.

Yading

Attractions of this amazing country are of interest to all who come to China. What reserves and national parks do experienced tourists recommend to examine first?

In the Gardze-Tibet Autonomous Region (Sichuan Province) there is a very beautiful national park Yading. This place is revered by Buddhists. There are three sacred mountains:

• Chana Dorje (in translation from Tibetan - "Force").
• Manjushri (meaning "Wisdom").
• Chenrezig (or Xian Naiji, translates as "Compassion"). Its height is 6032 meters. The Tibetan mountain of Chenrezig is sacred. Around her make bark. This is a rite of purification. Tourists try to bypass 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 refuse this excursion.

Snow-capped peaks formed an unusual triangular mountain landscape with forest valleys, clear lakes and rivers, which were formed as a result of the melting of 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. Reserves and national parks, whose names are rather complicated for the pronunciation of Europeans, are of great interest. Many of them are objects of UNESCO's cultural heritage. For example, the Lushan National Park, which covers an area of more than 300 square kilometers. It is located south of Jiujiang City, in Jiangxi Province, near Poyang Lake.

This national park has about a hundred mountain peaks, among them Hanpolin, Shuangjianfeng, Shansofeng. The highest mountain is Dahanyanfen (1474 m). There are many waterfalls here: Sandecuan, Shimenjian, Kaixian. The climate is average - the summer is very warm (in July + 25.8 degrees Celsius), and the winter is mild (in January the average temperature is +7.3 degrees). In the UNESCO heritage list the park was included in 1996.

Lushan Mountain has several Taoist and Buddhist temples, as well as the Zhu Si school (Neo-Confucian). All these attractions are surprisingly in harmony with natural beauty. The main attractions of the park are: huts of hermits; The building of the Eighth Plenum of the Central Committee of 1959; Buddhist Temple of Zhushan;

• Flower paths;
• Holy cave;
• valley;
• Waterfalls;
• Mountain streams;
• Lakes;
• forests;
• Sources;
• Botanical Garden.

Geopark Arshan

Not all national parks in China have hot springs on their territory. In the geopark of Arshan, in an area of 814 square kilometers there are 76 springs, the water in which is curative, and therefore tourists are happy to go on this route.

The park is located in the autonomous region of Inner Mongolia, near the Arshan county, in the center of the Great Khingan mountain system. A huge area with glacial and volcanic relief has dense forests, boundless steppes, azure lakes and rivers. In addition, the park is a volcano Halacha, an extraordinary beauty of 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 to you one of the oldest, most popular and most visited National Park Zhangjiajie (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 mountain massif of Ulinguan was appreciated by European tourists. Agents of travel companies recommend to plan a trip to these places for the spring or autumn. The exception is the beginning of May and October, when China hosts national holidays and the park is flooded with crowds of vacationing local residents. In the peak season - in the summer - it's also crowded: if you find uninhabited corners during walks in the park is still possible, then it's difficult to squeeze into overcrowded buses or stay without a place to sleep due to problems with booking - the pleasure is rather doubtful.

In winter, rocky peaks look very impressive, but it's not safe to travel on snow-covered mountain paths.

Title History

Chinese researchers are still arguing about the name of the park. There are several versions of his appearance. Most historians tend to believe that the name of Zhang Liang lies in it. This 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 present reserve in the II 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 being shown several graves of Zhang Liang, located in different parts of Hunan. The "main" one is located at the village of Zhangjiajie near the border of the park.

Description of the park

Initially, in 1982, the Zhangjiajie National Park (China), the photo of which we placed below, occupied a modest size of 4810 hectares. After 10 years, Wulingyuan mountains, as well as Zhangjiajie, were included in the UNESCO list. Immediately thereafter, the size of the park was increased to 130 square kilometers.

Rocks

On a vast territory there are 243 mountains. Their average height is 800 m, although there are also giants, the height of more than three thousand meters. The popular viewing platform, Huangshi, rises above sea level at 1300 meters, 3800 steps lead to it. The rocks resemble easily collapsing limestones, but this is only, at first glance.

Mountains that resemble huge figured candles appeared during the 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 seize new territories. The tops of the rocks cover dense thickets of coniferous species. When fog comes down here (in Zhangjiajie it happens very often), it seems that giant stone fragments are floating in the air.

Popular tourist routes

It should be noted that all national parks in China are very convenient for visiting tourists. Zhangjiajie is no exception. There are many tourist routes laid for every taste, but there are some facilities that you should see if you are here.

First of all, we recommend that you climb the observation platform of Huangshi and visit the Golden Whip, which stretches for 7.5 kilometers. All the attractions of the park are connected by a cable car. At the end of the Golden Whip is the Baileong Survey Lift.

It is located in the center of the park. Built in 2002, the "St Dragons" lift 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 lift is able to raise to a height of 330 meters to 50 tourists at a time. Its ceiling is mirrored, and the walls are made of high-strength glass. Delightful scenery can be admired from the pedestrian walkway with a glass floor. It is located at an altitude of 1430 meters.