自然景观 黄山。黄山古称黟山，传说轩辕黄帝在此得道升天，唐玄宗下令改名为黄山。它今属安徽南部的黄山市，横亘于黄山区、徽州区、歙县、黟县和休宁县之间，南北约40公里，东西约30公里，风景区方圆154平方公里，总面积约1 200平方公里，号称五百里黄山。黄山在1982年被国务院列为首批国家重点风景名胜区，1990年被联合国教科文组织列入“世界文化与自然遗产”名录。 黄山呈东北—西南走向，山脉延绵250公里，素有“中国第一奇山”之美誉。山势险峻，千峰竞秀，有奇峰72座，其中天都峰、莲花峰、光明顶三大主峰海拔都在1 800米以上。黄山分温泉、云谷寺、北海、西海、玉屏楼、松谷庵六大景区，以光明顶以南为前山，巍峨峥嵘，以雄伟著称；光明顶以北为后山，陡峭险峻，以瑰丽闻名。 黄山以奇松、怪石、云海、温泉为“四绝”。黄山松被定为安徽省省树。其中迎客松、送客松、蒲团松、凤凰松、麟麟松、探海松、接引松、连理松、黑虎松、棋盘松等，古称“十大名松”。玉屏楼前的迎客松一臂伸出，似在欢迎远方宾客，已成为中华民族热情好客的象征。黄山有无数灵幻奇巧的怪石，与奇峰、奇松巧妙结合，构成绚丽多姿的画卷。这些巧石似人、似兽、似禽，惟妙惟肖、逼真有趣，如“金鸡叫天门”、“松鼠跳天都”、“猴子观海”、“飞来石”、“梦笔生花”、“喜鹊登梅”等，令人想象无穷，赞叹不绝。变化多端的云海使黄山风景增添虚幻的神秘之感。黄山云海分为5片，白鹅岭以东称东海，飞来峰以西称西海，莲花峰以南称南海，狮子林以北称北海，光明顶周围称天海。黄山温泉有3处，一在紫云峰下，名“温泉”；一在松谷庵南侧，名“锡泉”；一在圣泉峰顶，名“圣泉”。前山“温泉”水温较高，一般保持在42℃左右，水质清澄，水味甘美，人们多在此品茗啜饮，游泳休憩。 黄山还是一座文化名山，山中亭阁、寺庙、摩崖石刻多达200余处。古人评黄山具有“泰岱之雄伟、华山之险峻、衡岳之烟云、匡庐之飞瀑、雁荡之巧石、峨嵋之清秀”、“集天下奇景于一体”。难怪明代大旅行家徐霞客在游罢黄山后，发出了“五岳归来不看山，黄山归来不看岳”的赞叹。 庐山。庐山位于中国江西省北部，距九江市30多公里，雄峙于长江南岸、鄱阳湖畔，险峻与柔丽相济，素以“雄、奇、险、秀”闻名于世。庐山是座断块山，有独特的第四纪冰川遗迹和河流、湖泊、坡地、山峰等多种地貌类型，有地质公园之称。 传说殷周时期，有匡俗兄弟7人结庐隐居于庐山之中，后来得道成仙，所以庐山又有匡山、匡庐 之称。历代文人名士纷纷前来探奇寻幽，留下歌颂庐山的诗词竟达几千首，使庐山不但以风景奇秀著称，又以文化名扬天下。唐代大诗人白居易曾盛誉庐山“匡庐奇秀甲天下山”。 1996年12月，联合国教科文组织世界遗产委员会批准庐山为“世界文化景观”，列入《世界遗产名录》，对庐山的世界性价值给予了充分的评价：“庐山的历史遗迹以其独特的方式，融汇在具有突出价值的自然美之中，形成了具有极高的美学价值、与中华民族精神与文化生活紧密相联的文化景观！” 武夷山。武夷山风景名胜区处在武夷山脉北段的东南麓，位于福建省西北部的武夷山市境内，距市区约15公里，景区面积约70平方公里，平均海拔350米，主峰黄岗山海拔2 158米。武夷山属典型的丹霞地貌，有“碧水丹山”、“奇秀甲东南”之美誉，是首批国家级重点风景名胜区之一。 相传唐尧时代长寿之神彭祖隐居此山，与两个儿子彭武、彭夷开发荒山，后人为纪念他们，就把此山称为“武夷山”。武夷山素有“三三秀水清如玉，六六奇峰翠插天”之说。“三三水”是指萦绕在群峰之间的九曲溪，“六六峰”是指溪畔姿态各异的三十六峰。1988年武夷山被列入世界生物圈保护区网。1999年12月，武夷山被联合国教科文组织世界遗产委员会批准列入《世界文化与自然遗产名录》。这是继泰山、黄山、峨眉山—乐山大佛之后，我国第四处文化与自然双遗产地。 武陵源。武陵源位于中国湖南省西北部的武陵山脉中，由张家界、天子山、索溪峪、杨家界四大各具特色的风景区组成，方圆369平方公里，属张家界市管辖。武陵源最大的特点，是毫无修饰的自然美，除了新修的登山道路和一些招待所以外，几乎一切都由大自然的鬼斧神工塑成。1992年12月，武陵源风景名胜区被列入《世界遗产名录》。 武陵源集“山峻、峰奇、水秀、峡幽、洞美”于一体，这里有甲天下的御笔峰，别有洞天的宝峰湖，有“洞中乾坤大，地下别有天”的黄龙洞，还有高耸入云的金鞭岩。武陵源也是资源丰富的绿色植物宝库和野生动物乐园。这里拥有成片的原始次生林，珙桐、银杏、水杉、龙虾花等奇花异卉漫山遍野，还有猕猴、灵猫、角雉、锦鸡等珍禽异兽出没其间。 张家界。张家界，又名青岩山，面积130平方公里，是中国第一个国家森林公园，被称誉为一颗璀璨的风景明珠，有黄狮寨、金鞭溪、腰子寨、琵琶溪、砂刀沟、后花园、朝天观7条主要旅游线。张家界以岩称奇。这里3 000座奇峰拔地而起，形态各异，有的似玉柱神鞭，立地顶天；有的像铜墙铁壁，巍然屹立；有的如晃板垒卵 ，摇摇欲坠；有的若盆景古董，玲珑剔透，令人叹为观止。 桂林漓江。桂林漓江风景名胜区位于广西东北部，是典型的岩溶峰林地貌，山奇水秀，素有“桂林山水甲天下”之称。桂林市区散布于漓江两岸，旅游业十分发达。漓江全长约437公里，清波碧水，蜿蜒荡漾，与其支流桃花江、金宝河一起，组成了动似流光、止如明镜的优美水景。在清澈见底的漓江两岸，山峰挺秀，岩洞藏幽，独秀峰、象鼻山、叠彩山、七星岩、芦笛岩等景点千姿百态，“无山不洞”，异彩纷呈，尤以芦笛岩、七星岩等溶洞最为著名。桂林至阳朔一段秀丽脱俗，优美异常，人称“百里江流千幅画”，“桂林山水甲天下，阳朔山水甲桂林”。诗人贺敬之用“如情似梦”形容漓江的流水。游客乘船而下，沿途可见象鼻山、穿山、杨堤、九马画山、书童山等景点。风景区内文物古迹很多，有秦灵渠、秦汉古严关遗址、明靖江王城以及2 000多件石刻等。 长江三峡。长江三峡风景名胜区位于重庆市东部和湖北省西部，是以长江峡谷水道为主的河川风景名胜区。它西起重庆奉节白帝城,，东至湖北宜昌南津关，全长193公里。三峡是河谷地形，峡谷与宽谷交错排列，峡谷总长约90公里，宽谷总长约103公里。长江三峡是瞿塘峡、巫峡、西陵峡的合称，以瞿塘雄、巫峡秀、西陵险和三峡云雨驰名。瞿塘峡两岸山峰宛如两扇巨门，谷内窄如走廊。两岸有众多人文景观，如诸葛亮的八阵图，绝壁上的孟良梯栈道，风箱峡中的巴蜀悬棺等。长江支流大宁河的小三峡，风景秀丽，林木葱茏。巫峡如迂回曲折的画廊，终日烟雨迷蒙，以巫山十二峰和“巫山云雨”著称。十二峰每一峰都独具奇姿，每一峰都有优美传说。神女峰晨迎朝霞，暮送晚霞，集神奇的自然景观和优美的民间传说于一身。西陵峡滩多水急，有兵书宝剑峡、牛肝马肺峡、崆岭峡等。沿途有美丽奇特的石灰岩溶洞风光，如三游洞、白马洞、石龙洞等。三峡沿江的名胜古迹还有丰都名山、忠县石宝寨、云阳张飞庙、奉节白帝城以及大量赞颂三峡的石刻。 黄龙寺、九寨沟。黄龙寺、九寨沟风景名胜区位于四川省松潘、南坪县境内，是以众多的高原湖泊、瀑布和植物景观为主的自然风景名胜区。黄龙寺、九寨沟毗邻而居，在自然景观方面有很多相似之处。它们都是以湖、溪、潭、泊为主，山水树石并茂的风景区，其中尤以高山彩湖、叠瀑为主的石灰华岩溶景观令人叹为观止。黄龙以宏大的地表钙华景观为主，由黄龙沟、丹云峡、雪山梁、雪宝顶、红星岩、龙滴水、西沟7个景区组成，主要景点有：迎宾彩池、飞瀑流辉、洗 身洞、盆景池、黄龙洞、黄龙寺、五彩池等，其中尤以盆景池、石塔镇海池和转花玉池最为奇妙。主景区黄龙沟是当今世界规模最大，保存最完好的喀斯特地貌之一。远眺黄龙，犹如一条金色的巨龙在山谷中盘旋而上，人称“圣地仙境，人间瑶池”。“彩池、雪山、峡谷、森林”是黄龙四绝。九寨沟在四川南坪县，因此处原沿沟有9个藏族村寨,故名九寨沟。九寨沟总长50多公里，以水美著称。沟中湖泊多达100余个。最长的为长海，长7公里，清澈见底，平静无波。这里的湖，水的透明度有的达30米，显得五光十色，因此九寨沟有彩沟之称。九寨沟有许多急流飞瀑，落差最大的诺日朗瀑布，高20多米,宽100多米，水势汹涌，声如雷鸣。岩溶作用下的石灰岩地区的地表形成各种不同的形态，溶沟、石芽、落水洞、漏斗、溶蚀洼地、岩溶盆地、平谷、盲谷、峰丛、峰林、孤峰等都具有观赏价值。 黄果树。黄果树风景名胜区位于贵州省镇宁布依族自治县城西南15公里处的白水河上，是我国最大的瀑布，也是世界著名瀑布。该区以黄果树大瀑布为中心，由20多处大、小瀑布组成。主要的有黄果树瀑布、陡坡塘瀑布、关岭大瀑布、银练坠潭瀑布等。黄果树瀑布位于犀牛滩，落差74米，宽81米，属典型的亚热带岩溶瀑布。瀑下为水深17米的犀牛潭，急湍的水流，从74米高的悬崖之巅陡然落下，水石相击，气势磅礴，蔚为壮观。瀑布周围景色瑰丽，河流曲折，地形起伏，有许多激流险滩和瀑布群，还有石林、溶洞和布依族、苗族村寨以及红岩碑、关索庙、天龙古迹。 三江并流。三江并流风景名胜区位于青藏高原东南缘的云南省西北横断山脉纵谷地区，流域面积34 000多平方公里，为我国特大型风景名胜区，是以三江并流为奇景，以高山雪峰、峡谷冰川、湖泊温泉、地质遗迹、森林草甸、珍稀动植物和丰富多彩的民族风情为主要特色，以科考、探险、生态旅游为主要功能的著名风景名胜区。金沙江、澜沧江、怒江三条大江在云南省境内从北往南平行奔流400多公里，最近处直线距离仅66公里，这种景象世界罕见，形成地貌奇观。景区内的梅里雪山连绵数百里，太子雪山海拔6 740米，为云南第一高峰。景区内居住着80多万人，少数民族占86.6％，形成了世界罕见的多种民族、多种文化宗教信仰并存的汇聚区，民族文化多样性特色鲜明。 [英文] Scenic Areas Famous for Natural Landscapes Mountains Mount Huang Mount Huang is located in the south of Anhui Province, spanning She, Yi, Taiping and Xiuning counties. It was called Yishan Mountain in the Qin Dynasty and acquired its present name in 747, during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty. A legend claims that Emperor Xuanyuan cultivated himself into an immortal on the mountain. Its scenic area, covering 154 square kilometers of land, encompasses fascinating peaks, rocks, pines, cloud, springs and other rare scenes. Its highest peak — Lotus Flower Peak (Lianhua Feng) stands 1 864 meters above sea level, followed by Bright Summit Peak (Guangming Ding) and Celestial Peak (Tiandu Feng). Mount Huang has been designated as a national park and declared a world natural and cultural heritage area by UNESCO in 1990. Mount Huang is celebrated for its four wonderful mountain scenes: odd-shaped pines, bizarre rocks, cloud seas and hot springs. Rare geological formation and spectacular clusters of peaks are the natural characteristics of Mount Huang. In the scenic area, unique granite peaks dotting the summits and cliffs, ancient pines stretching their branches in every posture, bizarre rocks with strong resemblances to whatever in your imagination, and the seas of cloud full of unpredictable changes, combine to unfold a large scroll of Mount Huang showing movement in tranquility. The scenic area around Mount Huang has a forest coverage of 83.4% and 1 452 species of protophytes falling into 203 families. Mount Huang has a wealth of cultural heritage too. The unpredictable natural scenery lures countless painters and poets seeking tranquility and inspiration. On his second visit to Huangshan, Xu Xiake, noted traveler and geographer of the Ming Dynasty, exclaimed, “Huangshan Mountain in Anhui has no equal. This is the acme!” Mount Lu (Lushan Mountain) Mount Lu is located in the northern part of Jiangxi Province. Separated from Jiujiang City by the Yangtze River on the north and from Xingzi County by the Poyang Lake on the southeast, the mountain, towering into the clouds, is noted for its superb scenic beauty. At the top of Mount Lu, one is greeted everywhere with reddish cliffs, verdant dales, overhanging rocks and thunderous cataracts. In the depths of centuries-old forests are tucked famous scenic spots and historic place, with its splendid landscape of mountains and waters. It is now a world-renowned summer resort. Mount Lu bristles with lofty peaks in an infinite variety of forms. Some rise sheer from the ground while others look dangerously steep or elegant. Of the over 90 major peaks there, the highest, known as Dahanyang, is more than l 500 meters above sea level. For grotesqueness in shape, however, one has to look to Wulao Peak, one of the most magnificent sights across the land. The charm of Mount Lu comes from its noted pools and cataracts fed by ample rainfall, the deep and dangerous valleys with their delightful serenity of seclusion as well as thick forests, bamboo groves, lofty mountains and smooth lakes. The best-known, perhaps, is the ever-changing mist that wraps up the mountain all the year round. In a poem devoted to the misty Mount Lu, Tang Bohu, the cel ebrated painter and calligrapher of the Ming Dynasty wrote, “Mount Lu, shrouded in dense fog, rises beyond the highest heavens.” And no wonder Su Dongpo, a brilliant poet of the Song Dynasty should have queried in one of his poems, “How could one tell what Mount Lu really looks like when one is in the midst of the mountain all along?” On December 6, 1996, the UNESCO included Mount Lu in the World Heritage List and gave the following remarks, “With its peculiar style in historic remains, which is melted with remarkable natural beauty, Mount Lu has formed a highly-aesthetically-valued cultural view closely relevant to the spirit of the Chinese people and their cultural life.” Mount Wuyi Lying in northern Fujian Province, Mount Wuyi covers an area of 60 square kilometers. Its highest peak, Mount Huanggang, stands 2 158 meters above sea level. Most of the hills here are made of red sandstone, very steep but flat on the top. The peaks and rocks of grotesque shapes are girded by clear streams and embraced by green trees and bamboo plants. It is typical of landform and has long been crowned the beautiful names of “Blue Water and Green Hills” and “The Best Landscape in Southeast China”. The unpolluted scenic spot of Mount Wuyi is praised as “typical of the world’s environmental protection”. It is said that Pengzu, God of Longevity in ancient China, once lived in seclusion together with his two sons, Peng Wu and Peng Yi. To commemorate them, later men named it Mount Wuyi. For more than 1 000 years, poets have flocked there to write praises of its natural beauty. The area is said to combine the awe of Huangshan Mountain, the elegance of the Guilin peaks and the grandeur of Mount Tai. Mount Wuyi has a long cultural history. The site of the Wuyi Palace built in the seventh century for emperors to conduct sacrificial activities remains today. From the Qin and Han dynasties, Taoists and necromancers visited the area to preach their doctrines. More than 300 monasteries, towers and pavilions were built. It had been an important center of China’s Taoism and was listed as one of the top nine Taoist Temples in the 10th century. The mountain also boasts many other cultural relics, like the “Boat Coffins in Cliff Caves” and 700 stone inscriptions carved into the red rocks. In 1999, Mount Wuyi entered the List of World Cultural and Natural Heritage. Wulingyuan Wulingyuan Scenic Area spreads out among Wulingyuan Mountains in Zhangjiajie City, southwest of Hunan Province. It is about 400 kilometers away from Changsha, the provincial capital. The whole area includes four parts: Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, Yangjiajie Scenic Spot, Suoxiyu and Tianzishan Natural Resources Reserves with an area of 500 square kilometers. Owing to the neighboring plateau southwest of it and Dongting Lake to the east, the second biggest fresh water lake of China, Wulingyuan Scenic Area comes into being under interaction of land elev ation and depression and the cutting force of flowing water. It presents a unique landscape of high mountains, grotesque peaks, beautiful waters, deep gorges, marvelous caves and exuberant forest. In 1992, Wulingyuan was included in the List of World Heritage by UNESCO. Due to the geology of the place, there are some forty caves with spectacular calcite deposits. Yellow Dragon Cave which extends over 11 kilometers is one of the longest in China and features a 50-meter-high underground waterfall. In addition to the striking beauty of the landscape, the region is also noted for the fact that it is home to a number of endangered plant and animal species. Zhangjiajie National Forest Park comes up as the first of its kind in China in 1982. It lies in the southwest part of Wulingyuan Scenic Area. There grow over 1 000 kinds of plants with coverage of approximately 97.7% of the total area. Among them, the rarities are gingko, sequoia and Yunnan catalpa. It also provides a best homeland for hundreds of species of vertebrates, like clouded leopard, tarpon, macaque, giant salamander, pangolin, etc. Its scenery is known for grotesque peaks. Three thousand sandstone peaks, posing in various ways, make up a forest of peaks and shape the land into a natural labyrinth. Eight hundred streams crisscross through the valley with springs and waterfalls interspersed all around. The land of Suoxiyu marks transitional zone of sandstone and limestone area, so the mountains here are not as cragged as those in Zhangjiajie Park. They outstretch one after another, like an unfolding scroll of Chinese painting. Besides the peculiar peak and beautiful water, Suoxiyu has its distinct features in bridges and caves. Constructed upon steepy cliff, bridges are noted for their risky location. Most of them were merely piled up by blocks of rocks that dovetailed perfectly by human works. Meanwhile the limestone caves create fascinating underground palace. There are altogether 59 caves full of queerly and differently shaped stalactites and stalagmites. Tianzishan is located in the north of Wulingyuan area, bordering on the south with Zhangjiajie and joining Suoxiyu to the east. It offers a panoramic view due to its higher location than other areas. Its major peak rises 1 250 meters above the ground. Rivers The Lijiang River winds its way through Guilin and Yangshuo down into the Xijiang River in Wuzhou; its course of 437 kilometers is flanked by green hills and beautiful scenery. A river cruise between Guilin and Yangshuo offers people a rare opportunity to enjoy the most magnificent scenery in China. Special attractions along the river cruise are the Elephant Trunk Hill, Tunnel Hill, Pagoda Hill, Crown Hill, Yellow Cloth Hill, Nine-Horse Mural Hill, Embroidery Hill, and Green Lotus Peak. Traveling at different times and in different weather conditions offers kaleidoscopic views. The river cruise makes people feel as if traveling in front of a huge traditional Chinese l andscape painting. The Lijiang River cruise is a must for every tourist in Guilin. The Yangtze River is the longest river in China as well as one of the longest rivers in the world. The Three Gorges on the Yangtze River are famous for their breathtaking scenery, and are praised as nature’s art gallery and wonderland. Of the Three Gorges, the Qutang Gorge is magnificent and precipitous, the Wuxia Gorge is deep and beautiful and the Xiling Gorge has rapids and many rocks. The water in the Mini Three Gorges is clean and both banks are blanketed with trees and have many historical sites, scenic spots and lovely legends. The Qutang Gorge is also known as the Kuixia Gorge. The broadest part of the gorge is only 150 meters, while the narrowest is less than 100 meters. At the mouth of the gorge stand two perpendicular cliffs facing each other. They look like two giant gates, hence the name Kui Gate or Qutang Pass. It is also the most dangerous and feared part of the Three Gorges. On a cruise down the Wuxia Gorge, one can enjoy the beauty of 12 peaks. Six of the the 12 peaks line the northern bank: Shenquan, Jixian, Songluan, Shennu, Chaoyun, and Denglong. Of the other six peaks on the southern bank, only three are visible: Juhe, Cuiping, and Feilong. The other three: Jingtan, Qiyun, and Shangsheng are hidden behind the peaks on the right of the Qingshixi Stream, a tributary of Yangtze River. All the peaks derived their names from their different shapes. Changing with the seasons and weather, these beautiful scenes have everlasting appeal to tourists. Tourist attractions around the Xiling Gorge mainly include the Book on Art of War and Sword Gorge, the Cattle Liver and Horse Lung Gorge, the Lamp Shadow Gorge, the Black Shoal and the Discharge Water Shoal. Jiuzhaigou Scenic Area is situated in the depths of the mountains in the border area of Nanping, Songpan and Pingwu counties in Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture of northwestern Sichuan. It is a fairyland called Jiuzhaigou or Nine-Village Valley, which is the home of nine Tibetan villages. The valley is 50 kilometers in length. The place is dotted with more than 100 gorgeous lakes, which differ from others by having a high concentration of calcium carbonate, so that the lakebeds and embankments are all covered with crystals. The water is so clear that the bottom is visible despite depths of several dozen meters. Waterfalls are the essence of the scenery in Jiuzhaigou. They are created between lakes on different levels with water flowing down the cliffs covered with trees. The water actually oozes through the tree trunks into the falls. The trees in the primitive forest are thick with leaves that block the sunlight. As the height and temperature there vary, there is a distinctive distribution of plants, with the broadleaf forest, at the foot of the mountain, and a coniferous forest at the top. In autumn, the mountain tops are covered with white snow while the hill slopes and the valle y are a blaze of color. In 1992, this scenic area was included in the World Natural Heritage List. Huangguoshu Waterfall, one of the largest in China, is situated over the Baishui River, one of the headstreams of the Dabang River in the southwest of Guizhou. As part of the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, the terrain is carved by the mountains into many canyons, rapids and waterfalls. The bed of the Baishui River is like a staircase descending step by step, forming nine falls at each step, of which the Huangguoshu waterfall is the largest. The Huangguoshu Waterfall is 20 meters wide, sometimes as wide as 30—40 meters in the summer rainy season. Its pothole, pounded into existence by the falling waters in long years is called the Rhinoceros Pool. As the roaring river pours down from a height of 57 meters, it sends up myriads of sprays 100 meters high, which glitter like rainbows in the sunlight. The rapids here provide wide prospects for developing the rich power potential. Most rivers in China run from west to east with the exceptions of the Jinsha, Lancang, and Nu rivers. They all flow across the Yunnan-Tibetan Plateau, and then take a south turn when impeded by mountain ranges. As such, they create a rare topography: three rivers winding side by side along deep rugged river valleys. River valleys in the region are abyssal. The differences in depth can range between 2 000—3 000 meters. The valley bottoms are richly and densely coated with plants and woods, the result of a typical sub-tropical climate. Yet the climatic conditions change greatly with the rising altitude. When ascending, we find a warm temperate zone, a temperate zone, a cold temperate zone and finally, the permanent snow-capped peaks accordingly. The three rivers run very closely to each other in Yunnan for 170 kilometers. The closest horizontal distance between the Jinsha River and the Lancang River is 66 kilometers, whereas the distance between the Lancang and Nu Rivers is 18.6 kilometers. The three rivers eventually end in the East China Sea, the South China Sea, and the Indian Ocean.