Sichuan Wolong Giant Panda Nature Reserve
In 1963, Wolong national nature reserve was established to protect rare wild animals and plants such as giant panda, gnu, Chinese dove tree and forests which give priority to nature ecosystem and wild animal national nature reserves. It is located in Wenchuan county of Aba, an autonomous prefecture of Zang nationality and Qiang nationality. The reserve bestrides both Wolong and Dida, with a length of 52km from west to east and a width of 62km from north to south. Its total area is 200 thousand hectares.
The height above the sea level of the Wolong nature reserve is from 1,150 to 6,250 m, and it is in the scope of Qinghai--Tibet Plateau, with a weather condition which can be described as small differences in temperature, evident wet and dry seasons, a concentrated rainfall and a obvious vertical variety in climates. Wolong has several world famous praises such as "hometown of giant pandas", "broad-spectrum gene pool of animals and plants" and "natural park of animals and plants". There are altogether more than 150 giant pandas in this reserve and there are 65 giant pandas bred in wild, finishing a ratio of 10% of the total amount. There are 56 kinds of species which are listed as rare species in danger which are under national protection such as giant panda, golden monkey and tain, among which, there are 13 species such as giant panda, golden monkey, white-lipped deer, takin, leopard, ounce, couded leopard, golden eagle and black and black ibis belonging to the wild animals and plants under first class protection, and there are 42 species such as Rock Ptarmigan, Tibetan macaque, black bear, otter, Aaian golden cat, blue sheep and zibet belonging to the wild animals and plants under second class protection. In Wolong reserve, there are 450 kinds of vertebrates and 1,989 kinds of higher plants. There are 23 kinds of plants in danger which are under national protection such as Chinese dove tree.
Wolong is the biggest natural species base which is conserved best in China at present. It joined the "man and biosphere" reserve network of UNESCO in 1980 and established China Giant Panda Protection Research Centre by way of cooperation with world wildlife fund. There is and exclusive China Wolong Giant panda museum; there is the first giant panda open-field ecological monitoring station-Wuyi shed; there is the giant panda garden of CCRCGP (the biggest semi wildness giant panda captive feed field).
As an obvious country vertical plant strip chart with a range from semi-tropical zone to frigid zone; there are developing modern glaciers and ancient glacier relics. Natural sight of Wolong collected characters such as mountain, water, forest, cavity, danger, severe, queer and beauty together. High mountains and meadows, original forests, flowing springs and flying waterfalls, rare and fantastic flowers and grasses, red leaves, snow mountainsides, rareand fantastic animals and cloud sea would make you reluctant to leave. The four seasons in the same mountain and the different weathers within 5 km are really surprising.
Scenic Areas <Spots> Along Wolong
China Wolong Giant Panda Museum
This museum mainly presents living environment, history evolovement, self features, accompanying animals as well as feed, procreation, protection research of giant pandas.
Lesser Panda Ecological Museum
It was established in 1992 and there are more than 10 lesser pandas. You can indulge yourself in the semi-wild environment of lesser pandas to experience the harmonious happiness of the human being, animals and nature.
Giant Panda Garden of CCRCGP is located at Hetaoping, the core terra of original habitats
It is a all-around scientific research place which collects protection, scientific research, procreation and feed, popular science education and sight-seeing together. Here, you can view and admire the typical open-wild biological environment of giant pandas and understand the living habits of giant pandas, and you can also see the giant pandas playing.
Yingxionggou Valley
Yingxionggou Valley is 10 km up Wolong villa, and it is at the left side of the Pitiao river, which makes it the sisiter valley of Yinglong Canyon. The mouth of the valley is cragged and erected, and the mountain is permeated with dense fog. The valley is full of vigor and majesty, and the age-old trees are reaching the sky; hill springs fly down from very high cliffs, just like a silver curtain flapping straight to the bottom of the valley. Earthshaking battle cries vociferate among the dense fog in the valley. Going through the four tunnels named of Xianfeng, Youquan, Tingquan and Shuilian, you can find a completely green arrow bamboo sea, which is the breeding site of giant pandas. Go forward, you can find an original forest and you can enjoy the heroic bearing in a long distance provided the weather is fine.
Yinglong Canyon
Yinglong Canyon is 11 km up Wolong villa, at the right side of Pitiao river, which makes it the sister valley of Yingxionggou valley. The mouth of the canyon looks like the one cut by and axe and the canyon body is very stiff. Rare apexes pile up each other and the canyon is rich and varied as rosy clouds are rising slowly. At the lower places of the canyon, the age-old trees shield the sky. The green leaves of spring and summer are the setoofs of the fresh flowers, both sides of the mountain are entire red in autumn, beautiful snow in winter is the silver garnitures and the frozen frost is an ice screen.
Balang Mountain
Balang Mountain is 30 km up Wolong villa, and it is kind of typical high mountain and meadow vegetation with a plain scene. At the opposite side of Dengsheng is the Mamengou with a peaceful hypsography, which is the headstream of Pitiaohe River. The original forest is stretching to horizon, which allows you to enjoy the abstruse, profound, quiet and peaceful nature deeply. Walking up along the road, you can taste the obvious vatieties.
Zhenghe Landscape Area
Zhenghe landscape area is 11 km down Wolong villa. The height above the sea level is from 1,600 m to 2,500 m. It is a typical high mountain and canyon physiognomy where original vegetation is well reserved. The dense forest in the valley is very deep and profound. The ways are peacefu. The group apexes are straight and severe. The flying waterfalls and the brooks pour down and there are plank roads built along a cliff at the mountainside. In spring and summer, the mountain is green, water is clean and blue, birds are singing and flowers are sweet; and when autumn comes, the green leaves turn red and golden yellow, just like a pitch fire.
