The world's third largest country by area is characterized by a variety of landscapes: from the fertile lowlands in the east, the terrain rises to the highlands of Tibet in the west and to the Himalayas in the southwest. Western China is dominated by highland plateaus and steppe regions, which turn into deserts in the northwest and north. In the interior of the country there are tropical forests, which at higher elevations turn into bamboo forests, and on the coast into mangrove forests. Here are photographs of different regions of China.
1. This waterfall, on the edge of a vertical cliff more than a mile long, is located on the Yangtze River in the mountains near Tiger Leaping Gorge outside the city of Lijiang, Yunnan Province in southwest China.
2. Rice field and houses of residents of Tang village, near Dong city in Guizhou province, China.
3. Fabulous view of the Great Wall of China in winter. February 2010.
4. Terraced rice fields in Yuanyuan in the Yunnan province of China have been cultivated for more than 1,200 years.
5. The tourist who took this photo traveled 10,000 km on a motorcycle from China to Pakistan. Somewhere in the middle of the journey, when he was near the border running along the Tibetan mountains, he made a short stop. Curious local kids took the time to run across the entire field to get a close-up look at the stranger.
6. Sunrise over Yangshuo, Guilin Province, China. Yangshuo, located on the banks of the Li River, is known throughout the country for its stunning limestone mountains. For centuries, artists, poets and philosophers have sought to get to this majestic place in order to gain inspiration.
7. The author of this photo shares his memories of the journey: “In the summer of 2007, I traveled through the province of Xinjiang along the Great Silk Road. I especially wanted to visit ancient Uyghur cities. After visiting Kashgar, I went to Lake Karakul, which is located near the border with Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan and Afghanistan. After walking 30 km through the desert, I spent the night in a yurt in Kyrgyzstan. The lake is located high in the mountains, at approximately 6000 m. It is surrounded on all sides by snowy peaks. This is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen in my life, although the local people live in poverty.”
8. Farmers harvest potatoes on red soil in Wumen district, Yunnan, southwest China.
9. Farmers harvest on red soils. This place is hidden in the Wumen area among the mountain peaks, 180 km north of Kunming, Yunnan, China.
10. This is a photo of a grandmother and her granddaughter from a tiny farming village in Xian, China. Here are the memories of the tourist who took this photo: “My family and I were traveling around China and came here to admire the local views. That evening we walked along a narrow, dirty village street, and every family living here came out to the threshold of their house to greet us. The grandmother was definitely more intrigued by our presence than the girl.”
11. This photo was taken during a trip to China in 2009. The photo presents a beautiful contrast of colors, the umbrellas stand out especially brightly against the background of the gloomy sky reflected in the water, and the dull colors of the clothes of working people.
12. Young people dressed in historical costumes of the imperial court guards await the start of the ceremony at the Temple of Heaven in Beijing.
13. Labor competition on the streets of Hong Kong.
14. A street vendor talks with a potential buyer on the side of the sidewalk near the crossing. This is a typical picture of the daily life of people who moved from villages to big cities in search of work. In the shadow of neon lights, the lower class struggles to survive in its own way. The author of this photograph notes that this topical scene attracted his attention primarily because of the reflection of people in the rain puddles.
15. Souvenir shop in Yunnan province.
16. This photo was taken at Songzalin Square, Shangri-La, Yunnan Province, China. Here are the so-called Chaityas - religious buildings of Buddhists. The father brought his sons to participate in ritual actions.
17. The Shenzhen River, which is also called the Sham Chun River, flows in the southwest from Shenzhen Bay and separates Hong Kong from mainland China. The buildings of the city of Shenzhen on one side of the river extend all the way to the border, while on the Hong Kong side the land remains unused in the closed border zone. The photo was taken from the top of a building in Shun Hin Square, which is rightfully considered the tallest in Shenzhen.
18. Gadan Songzalin Monastery, Shangri-La, Yunnan Province, China. Built in an evergreen plain, the monastery served as the authority for the ancient trade routes that ran from northern China to the Himalayas.
19. Nicknamed the Manhattan of the East, Shanghai is known around the world for its night views and architecture. These skyscrapers, built on the eastern bank of the Huanpu River, which flows through the city, dividing it into two halves, are an emblem of China's rapid development. Every person who sees these buildings will be amazed at the rapid pace of development of the Chinese economy.
20. This is how seafood is kept fresh at a seafood restaurant in Sai Kun Pier, Hong Kong.
21. This photograph was taken in a village of artisans near the Great Wall of China in the Mitianyu region. These bright dyes are applied directly by hand onto intricately shaped copper vases.
22. A traveling troupe of opera performers came to the town. They installed a temporary theart made from bamboo sticks under the bridge. The performers spent the night directly under the stage, hiding costumes and decorations in a small space behind the stage. This troupe performs throughout China, traveling from city to city, staying in each place for a maximum of a week, thus ensuring the existence of national entertainment traditions that would otherwise be inevitably displaced by television and the Internet.
23. One of the events dedicated to the celebration of the New Year by representatives of Mao’s nationality.
24. Nathan Road in Hong Kong.
25. Night view of Nan Pu Bridge, Shanghai, China.
26. Young Buddhists in a flowering field, China.
27. This photo was taken in the Mingsha Mountains of China. When there is a breeze here, the wind hums like an old string orchestra. The flagpole almost blends with the color of the sand dunes.
28. Spectacular sunset over the tall office buildings of the Luiyazu and Hongkou financial districts in Puxi. This is the view from the upper floors of the World Financial Center in Shanghai, the tallest building in China.
29. Red fish splashes in the waters of Suzhou, China.
30. The author of this photo was recently fortunate enough to visit China and live in Ji'an for about a month. During his stay there, the tourist often made out-of-town trips on a motorcycle to admire the true beauty of this region. On one of the highways he met this peasant, walking home after a long and hard day of work spent in the fields. The man’s tired face shows that his whole life consists of similar, exhausting work days.
31. This photo was taken in Hong Kong on May 12th, Tam Kung's birthday. According to local beliefs, Tam Kung is the patron saint of navigation. It also protects and brings good luck to all fishermen. An entire festival is dedicated to his birthday, celebrated with amazing devotion and love at the Tam Kung Temple, located on the island of Hong Kong in the town of Shau Kai Wan. The temple was erected back in 1905.
32. This little warm-up before the start of the working day is fully in line with the traditions of Hong Kong.
33. The village of Hemu (Kanas, Xinjuan), according to the Chinese, is one of the six most beautiful places in the country. In addition, the Mongolian Tuva tribe lives here. There are only three such settlements left in China, and Hemu is one of them. The photo was taken at dawn after it had rained all night.
34. Ice Building Festival in Harbin, China.
35. This photo was taken from a hot air balloon over Guilin, China.
36. Pristine nature around the Great Wall of China.
37. The Chinese love to set records. The lobby of the Grand Hyatt in Shanghai is 53 floors high. This hall firmly held the first place in the world in height until Shanghai's Park Hyatt eclipsed it. This is the view of the lobby from the observation deck on the 88th floor.
38. If you do not pay attention to the fact that these are tourists riding camels on a tour of the Gobi Desert near the Chinese city of Dunhuang, then it seems that we are seeing ancient merchants following the Great Silk Road from Marco Polo to Shanghai and Beijing. These mighty dunes, endless skies and stretching caravans have existed here for centuries.
39. Girls in traditional Hanfu dresses celebrate the Quixie Festival, the Chinese equivalent of Valentine's Day.
40. Thousands of nuns' huts are built in the Garze River Valley, Xicuan Province, China. The author of this photo accidentally caught the Great Perfection ritual being held there, which is held annually. Early in the morning, nuns and monks, dressed in red festive attire, hurried to the ceremony site on the other side of the river.
41. Traditional buildings of local residents in the western part of Fujiyan province in southeast China, the so-called Hakka, are included in the list of world rarities by a special commission of UNESCO. This is one of the buildings that is no longer used for living in one of the remote villages.
42. Forbidden City, Beijing. In this photo we see another angle of the magnificent palace museum. During the Chinese imperial dynasties, the Ming and Qing dynasties, the building served as the residence of monarchs. In 1987, the palace was declared a world heritage site.
43. A fisherman brings nets full of oysters ashore from the churning waters of the river on a hot summer day, when it’s hard to even breathe. The photo was taken in Gwangzhou Town, Fujiyan Province, China, in June 2010.
44. Ducks hung by their owners on a dragon boat during the celebration of the Sisters' Festival in the Chinese city of Guizhou.
45. Dragon boat in the best traditions of Chinese festivals. The action symbolizes the death of Ku Yuan. In Guizhou, people celebrate this holiday by riding dragon boats and lighting fireworks. The more fireworks, the more luck and blessings until the next festival.
46. Twentieth anniversary of the events in Tiananmen Square. Thousands of people gathered at Victoria Park in Hong Kong hold lit candles.
47. Chinese New Year's Eve according to the lunar calendar. A Buddhist fills an oil lamp. On the first day of the lunar new year, many pilgrims come to the temple to seek the blessing of the goddess. Each oil lamp symbolizes its own separate meaning.
48. Boy on the shore of Hong Kong island.
49. Aberdeen Hillside Cemetery, Hong Kong.
50. July 22nd, 9.15 am Beijing time. The sky begins to brighten again after the Moon stops blocking the Sun, leaving the city in twilight for four minutes. Three soldiers of the armed forces of the People's Republic of China stand on an observation deck designed to monitor the mountains near Shangri-La, Yunnan province. But instead of performing their immediate official duties, one of them stared at the sky with his mouth open. The soldier's eyes are covered with 3D glasses, which partially protect his vision from the sun's rays. At this time, the soldier’s comrade is in a hurry to turn on the video recording mode on his mobile phone, and the third colleague is impatiently waiting for his turn to look at the sun through his glasses.
