Shapotou Tourism Zone

Located southeast of the Tengger Desert, 20 km from Zhongwei City in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, the Shapotou Tourism Zone borders the Yellow River, and features a unique landscape combining water and sand. Huge waves, precipitous cliffs and an oasis in the seas of sand make this a special place. Due to efforts to transform the desert, the zone was honored with a "Global 500 Environmental Protection Award" by the United Nations and received the designation as a 4A-Grade Tourism Area by the National Tourism Administration. At present, it is dubbed as one of the top 10 most interesting tourism spots in China and one of the most beautiful desert areas in the country.

Roaring waves of the Yellow River roll through the Heishanxia Gorge into Zhongwei City, and turn suddenly at Shapotou, where the waves become slow and steady, creating the miracle of Shapotou. In the vast expanse of Tengger Desert, the sand waves rise and fall, rolling in to a halt at Shapotou. They lie still at the bank of the Yellow River and at the foot of Xiangshan Mountain, forming a huge 60-degree sand dune with a height of 200 meters and a width of 2000 meters. This is where Shapotou gets its name, meaning top of a sand dune. When it's sunny, the rolling sand buzzes like a bell, making it one of the top four sounding sands of China. Standing at the top of the dune, you can marvel in the view of this hanging river of sands.

The Shapotou Tourism Zone is the perfect embodiment of the mood of a classic Chinese poem: "In the great desert one straight plume of smoke, by the long river at sunset a ball of flame." It also caters to tourists with a variety of traditional and modern activities such as sand sliding, playing in the springs, river rafting, as well as sand sculptures, sand therapy, sand bath and other sporting activities. All the planned activities integrate wisdom, fun and healthy living. It is also rewarding to experience the desert by riding on a camel and sleeping in a tent under the mysterious bright moon.

The area is an international center for sand sliding, a desert tourism base and a base for rafting on the Yellow River.

Heilongjiang Province

Dense forests, pristine lakes, vast grasslands and the magical volcanic springs make the landscape of Heilongjiang Province a wonderland of destination for ecotourism and relaxation. Walking through the virgin forests of the Greater and Lesser Hinggan mountains of Heilongjiang, you can enjoy the fresh air and embrace the greenery. Jingpo Lake, Xingkai Lake and Lotus Lake are like pearls scattered over the mountains.

Heilongjiang, northernmost region in the country, is rich in snowfall in winter and in spring it sees frequently extreme day-night temperature differences, creating a favorable environment for artificial snow-making and the maintenance of snow ways.

In recent years, the province has branded itself as a ski resort in spring, taking advantage of its weather resources. As a recognized and popular tourism zone, the province is receiving an escalating number of tourists, including skiing fans and travel groups.

Photos are provided by local tourism bureaus.