Nurtured by Creation
AB3The life buffer forged by monsoon and geology — from the vertical vegetation bands of Hengduan to the Qinling north-south divide, the ultimate disaster-recovery refuge left by the Quaternary glaciation for endangered species.
Tarim Basin
AE33China's largest desert basin — bone-dry yet rich in oil and gas buried below, the most awe-inspiring forbidden zone on the ancient Silk Road.
Shennongjia
AE34The roof of central China, a mysterious realm on the thirtieth parallel north — rumored home of the Wild Man, a primeval forest preserving vast numbers of ancient relict plants.
Hengduan Mountains
AE35Several thousand meters of vertical drop compress tropical to frigid ecosystems onto a single mountain — an ultimate three-dimensional ecological corridor where one mountain holds all four seasons.
Xishuangbanna
AE36The only tropical rainforest north of the Tropic of Cancer — homeland of elephants and peacocks, China's richest terrestrial biodiversity treasury.
Changbai Forest Region
AE37The vast forest sea where the Lesser Khingan and Changbai ranges meet — abundant in Korean pine and premium timber, the lumber mother port for dynastic palaces and naval fleets.
Ejina
AE38A poplar forest belt on the edge of the Badain Jaran Desert — living a thousand years, standing dead a thousand more, the iron-blooded warrior fighting desertification at the front line.
Min Mountains / Qionglai Mountains
AE39The last home of the giant panda — the bamboo forests of the Min and Qionglai ranges provide the ultimate refuge for this low-metabolic-rate marvel of evolution.
Jiuzhaigou
AE40A fairyland of travertine pools and colorful forests — a pristine world deep in the highlands, a dazzling jewel of UNESCO World Natural Heritage.
Southern Qinling Foothills
AE41Terraced fields and streams weave a network on the southern slopes of Qinling — where the last wild crested ibis was rediscovered, scripting a miracle of species resurrection from the brink of extinction.
Junggar Wilds
AE42The vast gobi desert stretching from the Junggar Basin to the Mongolian Plateau — once the ancestral homeland where Przewalski's horses galloped free.
Hoh Xil
AE43The uninhabited zone of the Third Pole — where Tibetan antelope stage their spectacular annual migration in one of the least-touched wildernesses on Earth.
Tianshan Mountains
AE44Deep in the arid continental interior, a miracle of spruce forests clings to mountain slopes thousands of kilometers from any ocean — a high-altitude green reservoir suspended in the desert.
Yangtze Estuary Wetlands
AE45Where Yangtze sediment meets the sea, accumulating into tidal flats — the core refueling station on the East Asian-Australasian Flyway for millions of migratory birds.
South China Mangroves
AE46A green Great Wall in the intertidal zones of the southeast coast — viviparous plants rooting in salt water, a natural coastal buffer against typhoons and storm surges.
Wuyi Mountain Tea Region
AE47The birthplace of black tea and oolong — the Danxia microclimate and mineral-saturated soil of the authentic rock-tea zone perfectly transcode geology into the world's finest tea aromas.
Hainan Tropical Scrub
AE48A unique savanna-scrub ecosystem on a tropical island — shaped by long-term geographic isolation, nurturing endemic species like the Hainan Eld's deer.