Special: How many stunning mountains and rivers are there in China?

How many colors does the Chinese land have?

That's why we linger on

Here

The brightest red

(Danxia Mountain in Shaoguan, Guangdong, image source: Visual China)

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The purest white

(The junction between the end of Qudeng Nima Glacier and the glacial lake in Tibet, photographer @李珩)

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The richest green

( Please watch in horizontal mode , Yunnan Mengla Rainforest in the morning mist, photographer @薛云)

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It is just one of the many colors in nature.

They come from the earth

Change from water source

Born out of life

And reached its peak under mutual influence

Revealing the diversity beyond imagination

01

Earth

The earth provides fertile soil for all things to grow

But it is silent

So much so that we often overlook its colorful

It can be

Volcanic eruption, cooling and condensation

Columnar basalt

Showing the original cold color of the earth

(Zhangzhou Binhai Volcanic Geological Park, photographer @蔡继伟)

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In the lonely northwest inland

The black mountains are broken into the Gobi Desert

Creates a realistic ink painting

(Heidu Mountain in Lenghu, Qinghai, photographer @黄昆震)

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It can be

In Yunnan, Guizhou, Guangxi and other places

Milky white stalactites and stalagmites

Standing tall in the cave

(The Prickly Pig Cave in Qianxi City, Guizhou Province, photographer @赵揭宇)

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It can be

Compared with the milky white in the cave

Gray is the main color of this type of karst landform.

The stone forest that stands like an arrow

(Yunnan Lunan Stone Forest and the cave are both karst landforms, photographer @何盛)

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The steep and deep cave cliffs

All of them reveal the most authentic colors of this type of rock

(Yangpidong Waterfall in Guizhou, photographer @Greatwj)

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In the granite mountains

Because the rock is hard

Gray-yellow exposed mountains often break through the clouds

Floating among the sea of ​​clouds

(Anhui Huangshan Xihai Grand Canyon, photographer @方叹士)

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Beyond the monotonous black, white and gray

The earth obviously has brighter colors

In nature

The presence of ferric iron

Gives many soils or rocks a natural red color

For example, red soil is common in southern China.

People cultivate the land

(Red soil in Dongchuan, Yunnan, image source: Visual China)

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The red of rocks is often more resolute

For example, it is named because of its eye-catching colors.

Danxia landform

It has many forms

Or a steep cliff

(Wangxiangtai Waterfall at Simianshan in Chongqing, photographer @苏凌汉)

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Or a winding canyon

(Yucha Gorge in northern Shaanxi, photographer @包卡莉亚)

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Also in red are

Zhangshiyan landform in Taihang Mountains

Its morphological origin is completely different from that of Danxia

The red cliffs and long walls, deep valleys

A unique

(Hongshi Gorge in Yuntaishan, Henan, photographer @Lu Weiping)

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at last

The earth also has beautiful

In the Northwest Inland

The arid environment makes the desert connected into pieces

Among them, the Taklimakan Desert is the largest desert in China.

Nearly 340,000 square kilometers of desert sand

Like a surging wave

(Taklimakan Desert, photographer @张扬小强)

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In the Qaidam Basin of Qinghai

Strong winds have carved out a

The Yadan landform is neat and uniform, like a swimming fish

(Yardang landform in the Qaidam Basin of Qinghai, photographer @陈小羊)

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Fine dust is still blowing from the west to the east

To the west of Taihang Mountains and to the north of Qinling Mountains

The thick loess hillside

(Loess Plateau, photographer @Ren Shiming)

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In the remote hinterland of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

The bright yellow earth is also experiencing

The baptism of rain and running water

And become ravines

(Xiayi Valley in Zhada County, Tibet, photographer @林秋鹰)

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When leaving the inland

We found that the coast can also be golden

(Tongling Town, Dongshan Island, Zhangzhou, Nanmen Bay Golden Beach, photographer @焦潇翔)

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As the sea rises and falls

On the muddy shore

The yellow earth tree will also appear

(Tidal gullies formed by the rise and fall of the Qiantang River tide, photographer @沈锦烨)

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So far

Colors based on black, white, gray, red and yellow

Depicting the colorful colors of the earth

However, when water from all directions converges

Another color will cover the earth

Bring more visual feast

Before that

We first need to look at

The ocean as the source of all water

02

Water Source

In our eyes

Water is colorless and transparent

But when it gathers in rivers, lakes and seas

It was given color

Like a magic trick

In the Ocean

The largest source of water on Earth

Due to the scattering of blue light in sunlight by seawater

And the absorption of red and yellow light

The ocean we see is blue

But the waters of different depths

The blue hue is not consistent

(Yongxing Island and Qilian Island in the South China Sea. The ocean water color near and far from the islands is obviously different, but the shape of the islands is also outlined because of this. Photographer @笨小航)

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When a huge amount of water vapor is sent from the ocean to the land

and falls to the ground as precipitation

The transformation of water color begins

From the mountain tops to the vast plains

The influence of precipitation is everywhere

In the mountains and plateaus

Due to the extremely high altitude and low temperature all year round

Heavy snow often falls

White all over

The snow and ice that never melts all year round condenses into glaciers

Become a solid freshwater reservoir on land

(Qiaqing Glacier in Bomi County, Tibet, photographer @唐宇星)

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But sometimes at the end of a glacier

We can also see the blue ice cave

Only after layers of compaction and crystallization

To scatter blue light

Perfect blue

( Please watch in horizontal mode , looking at Mount Everest from the ice cave of Rongbuk Glacier, photographer @李珩)

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As the altitude decreases

Glacier melts into rivers

The abundant rainfall has made the river grow stronger.

Finally, the earth's river network is dense

New colors are revealed

When the water is pure

The river is often blue.

(Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon and Mount Namjagbarwa, photographer @山风)

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If a large amount of sediment is introduced

The rivers are dyed orange or yellow

(Braided water system of Chumar River in Qinghai, photographer @Teng Hongliang)

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The lakes connected by the river network

More colorful than the river

As blue as the sea

For example, Namtso Lake in Tibet

(Namtso Lake, photographer @李珩)

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Another example is the Sailimu Lake in Xinjiang.

People call this pure blues

It is called "Sailimu Lake Blue"

(Sailimu Lake, photographer @蒋晨明)

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But when the water becomes shallow

Or a large amount of sediment is flowing in.

The lake color changes

Like Poyang Lake

As China's largest freshwater lake

Although not as pure as the blue lake

But because of the rich nutrients

And nurture a living being

(Poyang Lake, photographer @赵高翔)

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The most colorful lake color change

A closed salt lake

Due to the continuous evaporation of the lake and the lack of replenishment

These lakes have extremely high salinity.

It is difficult for ordinary organisms to survive

But some special microorganisms can grow

And give the lake a brilliant color

Or gorgeous pink and purple

(Pink Lake in Badain Jaran Desert, Inner Mongolia, photographer @刘白)

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Or pure emerald green

(Qinghai Chaerhan Salt Lake, photographer @刘庚源)

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that's all

Oceans, glaciers, rivers, lakes

Showing their own colors

at the same time

The color of the earth and the color of the water

Already laid out

The two will also jointly build

The color of prosperous life

03

life

plant

First, with the help of pigments in the body

Adding luster to the earth

Spring and Summer

Lush green

All over the mountains

(Spruce forest in Bomigang Township, Nyingchi City, photographer @李珩)

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Autumn and winter season

Colorful yellow and red

Decorate the mountains

(Scenery of Kanas Forest in Xinjiang, photographer @王汉冰)

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The most diverse colors in the plant kingdom

Among the flowers

Red, white, pink, blue, purple, yellow

Many colors

Shows an excellent strategy for plant survival and reproduction

(The many flowers living in different environments are the flowers of Tianshan Mountain, Kalajun and Huairou, Beijing. Photographers: Shen Yan, Wan Rui and Zhang Yihua)

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The animals that live here

Also in natural evolution

To adapt to the environment

Each one shows its strengths

Mammals

Maximize your fur color

Close to living environment

Whether on land

Carnivores such as Siberian tigers, snow leopards, Tibetan foxes, etc.

(A Siberian tiger, snow leopard and Tibetan fox ready to go, photographers @关晓东&鲍永清)

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Or herbivorous animals such as Tibetan antelopes, blue sheep, and Tibetan wild donkeys

(Free Tibetan antelopes, blue sheep, and Tibetan wild donkeys, photographer @张强&丁丁&山风)

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Birds with extremely colorful feathers

A considerable number of them also adopted this strategy

They blend in with the natural environment

(Wintering snipe, white-bellied harrier, long-tailed forest owl, photographer @王宁&徐永春&刘璐)

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But there are also red-bellied pheasants and brown-tailed red pheasants

Birds such as blood pheasants and green peacocks

Common luxurious and bright colors

It can be called the "eye-catching bag" in the bird world

(Golden Pheasant, Brown-tailed Rainbow Pheasant, Blood Pheasant, Photographer @张强&山风&冯江)

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Millions of years

Humans are also rooted in this land

For thousands of years

Developed Chinese civilization

Create different colors

People domesticated crops such as rice, wheat, millet, and sorghum

Create a golden

(Autumn harvest, photographer @Qiu Huining)

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People draw inspiration from nature

Build large, sophisticated, colorful buildings

(Beijing Palace Museum, photographer @柳叶氘)

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People use simple soil, minerals

Producing a wide variety of porcelain and pottery

Casting exquisite bronze ware

(Jun kiln moon-white glaze zun, Tang Sancai female figurine, Fuhao jia [jiǎ], photographer @脉影&朱金华&柳叶斝)

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People use different pigments such as minerals

Draw paintings such as Danqing, murals, and thangkas

Can be preserved for hundreds or even thousands of years

(Part of the painting "A Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains" by Wang Ximeng of the Northern Song Dynasty, image source @Wikimedia Commons)

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The colors of life in plants and animals

With the glory of human civilization

Shining brightly on this land

However, this myriad of colors

Will it last long?

04

end

Human technology has developed rapidly in recent centuries.

New problems have gradually emerged in the global vision

Due to the excessive use of resources and land by human development

Water resource pollution and vegetation degradation

Problems such as endangered species continue to emerge

Global climate change caused

Glaciers are retreating faster and sea levels are rising

Crises such as large-scale coral reef bleaching are coming one after another

(On the north side of Mount Everest, a comparison of the Zhongrongbuk Glacier in 1921 and 2020. It can be seen that the seracs under the glacier have retreated. Photographer: @gettyimages&Ma Chunlin)

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This indicates

Natural colors are in crisis

Fortunately, people nowadays have become aware of

And taking action

In China

Saihanba Forest Farm witnessed

The rise of afforestation and its phased success

(Artificial forest in Saihanba Forest Farm, photographer @田卓然)

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Coastal mangrove wetlands are gradually recovering

It can better protect the coast

It is also home to many creatures.

(Guangdong Shenzhen Bay Wetland Reserve on July 24, 2023, photographer @李新旺)

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Nature reserves and national parks are established one after another

Protecting all living things

It also protects the shrinking natural ecosystems.

( Please watch in horizontal mode , Tibetan fox and manul, photographer @鲍永清)

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Vigorously develop clean energy such as solar energy and wind power

Practicing the concept of low-carbon and environmental protection

(Photovoltaic and wind power plants in Zhuozi County, Inner Mongolia, photographer @焦潇翔)

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But that’s not all

To protect the beautiful colors of nature

More and more ordinary people are taking action

Such as garbage sorting, public transportation

Participate in mountain and beach cleaning activities

(Hikers on Kalajun Grassland, photographer @西红柿炒蛋)

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(Genie Sacred Mountain in Ganzi Prefecture, Sichuan, photographer @山风)

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"Natural color, natural excellence"

Low carbon emission reduction, green life

The beauty of natural colors often comes to us unexpectedly

The elegance of Mingyu lapis lazuli

Bright morning after rain

The blue mist of the mountains and rivers at dusk

Sunset glow

The protection of natural colors is more than a day or a night

It is in people's practice bit by bit

Start Now

Let's step into nature and see the colors of China

Watch birds flying and fish swimming

Go to see the primeval forests and alpine glaciers

Go see the great rivers and the surging waves

(Niubei Mountain in Sichuan, famous for its sea of ​​clouds, photographer @高承)

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Only after seeing it can you know the value of nature

Only after you have walked through it, you will know how difficult it is to protect

Although a small individual

But the power of the crowd can also shake the world

When natural colors are not

We who live in it are not immune

So let us protect this land.

Protect ourselves

(Bryde's whale near Weizhou Island, photographer @Freedom Lara)

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This article was created by

Written by : Wang Logic

Image : Pan Chenxia Design : A Tu

Reviewer : Li Chuyang & Shi Xiaofei & Mirror

Cover Photographer : Wang Zhi & Wang Bingrui & Wang Yu & Chen Jianfeng & Zhu Zheng & Ding Junhao