Tianchi Lake
It’s perfect day at Tianchi Lake—a crater lake that straddles China’s Jilin province and North Korea. Photo: Han Feng
A Mutton Seller at the Livestock Market in Kashgar
A mutton seller at the livestock market in Kashgar. Every Sunday, this ancient Silk Road city is abuzz with buyers and sellers from all across Central Asia. Photo: Jeffrey Kong
A Popular Tourist Attraction in Xinjiang
A popular tourist attraction in Xinjiang, the Tianchi (“Heavenly”) Lake lies around 100 kilometers from ürümqi and 2,000 meters high in the Tianshan Mountains. There are two lakes known as “Tianchi” in China—the other one is found in Jilin province, on the border with North Korea (for the Tianchi Lake in Jilin, see page 144). Photo: Ang Siang Lee
A Snow Leopard
A snow leopard (Uncia uncia) in a wildlife reserve in northern China. It is estimated that fewer than 7,000 of this endangered species remain in the wild. Photo: Keren Su / Corbis
A Typical Marshland in Northeast China
A typical marshland in Northeast China. photo: Sun Jingwen
It's Lunchtime at a Factory in Northeast China
It’s lunchtime at a factory in Northeast China, where the size of the canteen is often a good gauge of the number of workers employed. Photo: Wang Tong
These Frost-Covered Trees
This is a sight that can only be seen on a cold January morning. These frost-covered trees are found on the island of Wusong, which lies in the Songhua River in Jilin province. Photo: Li Xiaoming
The “Forest Frog” of Northeast China
The “forest frog” of Northeast China really refers to the Chinese brown frog (Rana chensinensis) and Amur brown frog (Rana amurensis). The Chinese delicacy hasma is made from the dried fallopian tubes of these frogs, which spawn in early spring. Photo: Xu Jian
A Splendid Autumn Day
It's a splendid autumn day at 4,500 meters in the Ngari (Ali) region in Tibet, which is also known as the "Roof of the Roof of the World". Photo: Tan Ming
Little Wonders
At the Beijing International Art School, students rehearse for a performance in the school hall. A subsidiary of Circus China, the country’s largest circus, the school has a popular acrobatic course that includes daily 14-hour training schedules and hookups with circuses worldwide. Photo: Jean Qingwen Loo / logue.sg
Scorpions on a Skewer
Feeling hungry? In Beijing you can get a snack of scorpions for 20 yuan (US$3), which are freshly grilled with a generous sprinkling of spices. Seahorses and silkworm pupae are also available, but the less adventurous can still enjoy a juicy stick of mutton for 5 yuan (US$0.75). Photo: Keren Su / Corbis
A Seasonal Corridor
A yak roams across a riverbed by the Karakoram Highway, around 150 kilometers from the city of Kashgar in Xinjiang. It’s now mid-April—a few weeks later the channel will be rejuvenated by meltwater from the surrounding mountains. Photo: Jeffrey Kong
An Idyllic Bay in Ningde
After a long day of fishing, fishermen lay out their nets on this idyllic bay in Ningde, Fujian province. Photo: Li Bolin
A Man Transporting Bricks in a Port
Years of hard labor have left their mark—literally—on this man transporting bricks in a port at Shenzhen, Guangdong province. Photo: Zhang Guofang & Zhang Yanjun / CFP
A Pair of Cranes
A pair of red-crowned cranes performs a courtship dance in the Zhalong Nature Reserve,a 2,175-square-kilometer protected area 26 kilometers southeast of Qiqihar, Heilongjiang province. More than 260 species of birds, including 35 protected species, are found in this vast marshland in northern China. Photo: Mu Xiang Bin / Redlink / Corbis
Dunhuang
Severe sandstorms in late spring this year have caused much damage in Dunhuang, a city in Gansu province in northwestern China. The government has spent billions of dollars to reduce the threat of sandstorms. Photo: Lu Jianrong / CFP
Ridge of the Earth
Called the "ridge of the earth" by the ancient Chinese, the Taihang Mountains stand tall at the Guanshan National Geopark in Huixian city, Henan province. Photo: Wang Shuzhou
Piece(s) of History
Bricks are still made by hand in this kiln at Ganyao town in Jiashan county, Zhejiang province. The kilns of Ganyao used to produce bricks for the Forbidden City and other imperial buildings. In June 2009, traditional brick-making was earmarked for preservation in an attempt to revive this disappearing art. Photo: CFP
Juvenile Fossils
Newly-hatched Chinese sturgeon (Acipenser sinensis) at Yichang, Hubei province. Now an endangered species, the Chinese sturgeon is a living fossil that has been around for 140 million years. Photo: Li Ming / CFP
Cascade of Clouds
This rare sight of cascading clouds at Mount Lushan, Jiangxi province took place on February 25 this year. The peaks of this UNESCO World Heritage Site are shrouded in mist for some 191 days every year. Photo: Yan Ping / CFP
The seven lakes of Bamu in Sichuan province
The seven lakes of Bamu in Sichuan province. For more stunning photos like this, go to www.cngint.com. Photo: Lü Linglong
Thousands throng
Thousands throng to the Longmen Grott oes during its World Heritage Day, when the public can get to see these ancient Buddhist treasures-for free. Photo: Zhang Xiaoli
A group of monkeys
A group of monkeys huddle for warmth amidst the January snow, as they take an afternoon nap in Qianling Park, Guizhou province. Photo: Qin Gang / CFP
Sunset over the Funiu Mountains
At 1,800 to 2,200 meters, these magnificent mountains in southwestern Henan province witnessed the dawn of dinosaurs that lived during the Cretaceous period around 145-65 million years ago. Photo: Pu Shi
Lake Kanas
Lake Kanas,XinJiang province, China
Lake Sayram
The area around the serence Lake Sayram,snug in the embrace of the West Tianshan Mountains, is a pasture that receives 400 milimeters of rain every year. The Tianshan Mountains trap moisture-laden winds from the Atlantic Ocean, releasing all this water on the mountain's western flank. Lake Sayram is thus also known as "The last Teardrop of the Atlantic". Photo:Hao Pei
Taklamakan Desert
One cold morning in January 2006,photographers in the Taklamakan Desert were treated to a rare sight:soft rime, an opaque coating of supercooled fog droplets frozen on the desert vegetation. Experts were baffled by this occurrence,which hinted at an unusually high humidity in the desert. Whether or not this was just an anomaly - or a telling sign of climate change - remains to be seen. Photo:Wang Zhensheng
Qilian Mountains
Lying to the north of the Qilian Mountains,Jiayu Pass is a true icon in China's history. Since it was built in 11372, the mighty fort has borne witness to years of confluence between China's interior, the Central Plains and the Northwest - and the exchange of cultures between Europe and Asia. Photo: Wang Jin
