Episode 16 The Colorful Pool Group under Mount 貢嘎山下的五色彩池

The Hengduan Mountains, located in southwestern China, offer some of the most magnificent scenery in the country. The main peak is called Mount Gongga. On the west slope of the mountain, at an altitude of about 4000 meters, there is a large calcification poll group, locally called Quanhuatan.

This group of calcification pool under Mount Gongnga is hidden in a valley surrounded by mountains on three sides. Large tracts of white calcified soil have tumbled down from nearby hill, extending to the end of the valley and creating a colorful calcified pool.

At 4300 meters above sea level, there is a hot spring spouting 1.5 meters high, and the water temperature is always around 30 degrees. It's the main source of water of Yulongxi Quanhuatan. ?

More than 900 meters long and 100 meters wide, the Quanhuatan has 8 Quanhua terraces down the mountain. There are more than a dozen colorful pools of different sizes and shapes on each terrace.

The various aquatic plants and hynobius salamanders in the colorful pond bring endless vitality to the ancient geological wonder. And the algae of various colors at the bottom of the pond make the pool water even more colorful.

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Episode 17 Chinese Painting on the Coastline 海岸線上的水墨畫

Fujian, located on the southeast coastal area of China, has the longest and most tortuous coastline in the country. 3752 kilometers in length and 1:7.01 in tortuosity rate, it is endowed with a wealth of natural bays, mudflats, and includes 1321 islands.

Rivers flow into the sea in almost every single bay along the coast of Fujian. These bays are rich in nutrients, and the water temperature is steady and moderate, making them perfect places for mariculture, cultivating marine organisims for food.

About 5000 years ago in the Neolithic Age, the people who lived in this area had already begun farming the seas.

Xiapu County is in the northeast of Fujian Province and has a coastline of 404 kilometers, the longest in the province as a whole and enjoys a subtropical marine climate due to its location. It has a broad sea area with deep water, a long coastline and rich marine fishery resources, which has created favorable conditions for the booming local mariculture industry.

The mudflats here have witnessed tens of millions of years of history and experienced countless tides rising and falling, forming a unique ecological landscape. The mudflats always present different features and unique local characteristics in the different seasons.

Xiapu's name perhaps explains its uniqueness. Xia means the sky with Pu meaning the sea. It suggests a dialogue between the two which plays out along its beautiful beaches. At dusk, the Fishermen of Xiapu County begin to spread the fishing net on the mudflats. The shimmering blues are captivating almost like a Chinese painting.

This is not only a naturall fishing ground, and home to many fishermen, but also a paradise for photographers.

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Episode 18 Fairyland of the East China 東海仙境

Pingtan Island is located off the southeast coast of China. The erosion of the land by the action of the sea has formed various kinds of rock formations. Pingtan Island is known as the "Museum of Marine Erosion Land-forms" because of the rich variety of formations here.

This Fairyland Scene of the East China Sea is typical of marine erosion land-forms in the area. This naturally formed shaft has a diameter of nearly 50 meters and a depth of 40 meters.

Alongside the shaft, there is a huge canyon, which looks like a mountain split in two. Pingtan Island is a world of stones. On the island, there are many strange rock formations, among which the most famous are the Banyang Stone Sail and the God of Haitan. They are also known as the Double Wonders of Pingtan Island"平潭雙絕".

The Banyang Stone Sail is the world's largest granite spherical weathered marine erosion column. The reef looks like a big ship, with the two massive boulders as its double sails. There are many marine erosion land-forms on the island, such as the Nanzhai Stone Forest group with its variety of different shapes, unpredictable marine erosion caves, and scattered marine erosion platforms and terraces. They are unique landscapes shaped by the magical power of nature.

Episode 19 The Hometown of the Red Pine Tree 紅松的故鄉(xiāng)

In the northeast of China, a dense forest grows in the low mountains and hills, known as the Xiaoxing'an Mountains. People call it the hometown of the red pine tree.

The Xiaoxing'an Mountains cover a vast area and have a long geological history of about 600 millions years. Trilobite and dinosaur fossils have been unearthed in many places. Archaeological research shows that it was originally an ocean, and formed by land and sea changes over hundreds of millions of years.

When it comes to the Xiaoxing'an Mountains, we have to mention the red pine tree. Its pine nuts are edible and can be used to make oil. Its wood is light, soft, delicate and rot-resistant. However, its economic value is far less than its ecological value. Every hectare of the red pine forest can absorb 13 tons of carbon dioxide and emit 9.5 tons of oxygen every year. It can also fix the soil and prevent soil erosion.

Wild animal such as black bears, wild boars and squirrels in the forest often eat the pine nuts. Squirrels like to store their pine nuts in different places as they prepare for the winter. ?But they have poor memory and often forget where they have put these nuts. These forgotten pine nuts sprout in the spring, helping the red pine tree expand its territory.

In addition to the red pine tree, there are many different kinds of trees in the Xiaoxing'an Mountains. Every autumn, these trees display the beautiful colors of nature.

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Episode 20 Flaming Mountain and Grape Valley 火焰山和葡萄溝

Areas around the latitude of 42 degrees north on earth are mostly known for their cool and pleasant climate. But their is one exception, which is famous for its incredible heat. This is the "Flaming Mountain" in China's northwestern Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

Of course, it is not really "burning". The mountain is barren and red, with a blackish tint. In summer, ground temperatures can be as high as 70-degree Celsius. People are tricked by their senses into seeing "flames". The terrain is the main reason for the heat of the Flaming Mountain. It is located at the low point of the Turpan Basin, which is also the lowest point of the Chinese mainland. The height difference between it and the surrounding mountains is more than 5000 meters, so the hot air in the basin cannot easily disperse. As a result, the Flaming Mountain becomes the hoottest place on its latitude.

There is no grass on the Flaming Mountain, but the canyon nearby is shaded by frapes. The canyon is only 8 kilometers long fro north to south, but its annual output of grapes can reach more than 10 million kg. Almost every family here grows grapes. After harvest, they are sent to shade houses for drying. The shade houses are built on the slopes of barren mountains, high up and with no shelter, so as to make full use of the hot dry winds in the Turpan Basin.

There are many holes in the walls of the shade houses, which not only help with ventilation, but also help avoid direct sunlight on grapes. It takes just 40 days for the fresh grapes to be ?dried by the hot air.?