All posts tagged: nature
Saturday Feature: Tree Planting Day
Spring has arrived. And every year in early spring the Chinese people (at least in this area) celebrate a special event: Tree Planting Day. Special ceremonies take place, and regularly, the foreign faculty of our university is invited to participate in the activities. Our university has its own tree planting day, which took place yesterday. I joined some of my students who participated – each equipped with their wash bowl (for watering), and was surprised at the number of students who had showed up for the occasion. Hundreds of them crowded the place, eager to contribute their “good deed of the year,” making me wonder how – with all those people – they’d still be able to plant the trees. I was more amazed to see how smooth things unfolded as groups of students gathered around to plant their trees. Fortunately, there was a whole forest of trees waiting to be planted, so there was plenty of opportunities to do some digging. And now, our campus has a new forest in the backyard!
Beijing Botanical Garden
Places to Go: Beijing Botanical Garden
Situated in the northwestern outskirts of Beijing, the Beijing Botanical Garden covers an area of 564,000 square meters. While the garden is counted among the major tourist attractions of the city, it also is an important base for science education and research. The Botanical Garden features many different areas, including a lake, the Perennial Garden, Peony Garden, Ornamental Peach Garden, and various other gardens featuring camellias, bamboo, tree peonies, ornamental cherries and many others. The most important attraction within the Garden probably is the Conservatory, a greenhouse, about 10.000 square meters in size. It holds the Rain Forest House, the Orchid House, Desert Garden House, and other various exhibitions. Several thousand differing plant species can be found throughout the gardens, some of them famous or very rare specimen. The metasequoia, for example, is one of these rare species. Discovered in the 1940s, these fast-growing, large trees that belong to the same family as the famous Californian Giant Sequoia, have been cultivated in one area of the Botanical Garden.
Saturday Feature: Winter Rhapsody
We finally had our winter’s rhapsody – a couple days of snow. Unfortunately, there was not as much snow as some of us had hoped for. Still, I didn’t want to miss out on the chance, so I got my camera out and went on a short walk around campus. Want to take a look?
Places To Go: Mt. Jigongshan (Xinyang)
Not far from Xinyang, about 40 km south of the city, Mt. Jigongshan is located. Jigongshan literally means “Rooster Mountain.” It’s been said that looking at the peak, it gives the impression of a crying rooster, and that’s how the mountain got its name. With its peak rising about 814m above sea level, Jigongshan borders in a transitional region between the subtropical and the warm moderate zone, making it an ideal getaway for summer. The constant cooling breeze has made Rooster Mountain such a comfortable place to be in the heat of summer, that it was discovered as a perfect summer resort early in the last century already. Such illustrious people as Sun Yat-sen (the first president of the Republic of China), Chiang Kai-shek and other former high ranking government officials have sought refuge on this mountain. As a result, there are a number of villas and lodgings in various architectural styles which were built on top of the mountain and can be visited today. Some of the buildings have even been turned into museums …
Places to Go: Nan Wan Lake (Xinyang)
West of the city of Xinyang, the Nan Wan Reservoir spreads about 20 miles wide and 50 miles long – a beautiful nature retreat. Surrounded by mountains and woods, and strewn with countless little islands, Nan Wan has much to offer to the visitor – cruises on the lake, cultural insights into the traditions of tea drinking – after all, Xinyang is famous for its tea – and for those who love to get out into nature, the lake is a perfect escape. The most popular pastime for visitors is the cruise to different islands: the bird island, monkey island and the tea island. Each island in itself has its own attractions. The bird island is spanned with a large canopy holding quite a variety of birds, local and foreign. The monkey island hosts dozens of “wild” monkeys, and the tea island with its beautifully landscaped gardens, tea plantations and pagodas has its own charms. Visitors can stroll all over the island and watch tea drinking ceremonies performed in one of the exhibition centers.
Around Town: To the Mountain
It’s our favorite retreat: the mountain about 30 km from our town. It’s not really anything special, not even the place the majority of Chinese around us would choose for a hike – they prefer the neighboring highest peak in the area that has stairs leading all the way up to the top. But when it comes to hiking, we like the “non-stairy” business, the natural trails. While everyone in this area knows about the neighbor peak, hardly anyone knows about the gorge that leads just past said peak between the mountains. We just found this place early in spring last year, but it was our first time to go there since the beginning of winter. And with all the undergrowth gone, we found a lot of new trails that we’ll definitely explore in the future.
Places to Go: Yuntai Mountain
Mighty mountain ranges, deep gorges, hidden valleys, countless springs, waterfalls and lakes – all this is Yuntai Mountain. Situated in the northern part of Henan Province right near Jiao Zuo, the spectacular scenery of this area draws people from near and far. Corel Peak, the highest point, rises about 1308 m above sea level, but it’s not only those who like to climb mountains who get their money’s worth. Since Yuntai Mountain was turned into a national park, the area has been greatly developed and is now conducive to lots of outdoor activities. The park offers countless opportunities for tourists, and visitors who like to spend more than one day exploring the scenery can stay in one of the various accommodations on site. Those planning on visiting Yuntai Mountain, should know about the two downsides involved, though: On the weekends and during the main season, the park is really crowded, requiring visitors to spend long hours waiting in line in some areas; Admission fees tend to be on the higher end of the scale (at …
Places to Go: Taishi Mountain
A place well worth a visit is Dengfeng, a comparatively small city in the heart of China. Dengfeng is most famous for the widely renowned Shaolin Temple – the birth place of both Kong Fu and Zen Buddhism. Surrounded by impressive mountain ranges, Dengfeng is not only a place for those interested in culture, it also offers great opportunities for outdoor activities, especially hiking and mountain climbing. Probably the more well-known mountain in the area is Songshan (shan = mountain), which is accessible via the Shaolin Temple grounds. However, another mountain worth climbing is Taishi Mountain, with an altitude of about 1440 m one of the highest peaks in the area. Not far from the city center, it’s easy to access and takes you right into a beautiful landscape of bizarre rock formations and untouched nature. The only downside to hiking up Taishi Mountain: you have to be willing and able to climb lots of stairs. And – like many other scenic spots in China – accessing the mountain isn’t free, unless you can find …