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Another interesting feature of the park is a gigantic sinkhole, the largest in the world! The sinkhole is about 650m long and 208m deep! These caves are among the best I have ever visited, at times imposing, and other times awe-inspiring. The park has made it easy to walk around as everything is well lit and the paths are easy to walk.
A final spot on this journey through Sichuan Province was a once in a lifetime trip to the Chengdu Panda Bear Research Center and it is the world’s only place that focuses entirely on the critically endangered giant Panda. This is one of the highlights in the city of Chengdu, Sichuan, as well as in China, and was a true highlight of the trip. The place is enormous and there is ample space for the animals – a rarity in the zoo world. The animals were very active while we were there, and the Panda cubs were absolutely adorable. We were very lucky, as the Panda handlers had brought the young cubs out for us. Though we were not allowed to touch them, we were allowed to take photos and videos of them.
China
The Xingwen Stone Sea is a world famous scenic spot with amazing features, including the longest natural scenic viewing limestone cave in China called the Tianquan Cave, which holds a record in space and length. With stone flowers, stone bamboo, stone pillars and more, the cave system has features that will please every cave fan, including my favourite, an underground river! The surface stone sea extends 10 kms from east to west, and 4 kms from South to North with wonderful shapes and imposing features. There are stone peaks to the south and a dense stone forest covers the west and north, with the great ‘Peak of Couples’, standing just like a couple with hand in hand.
The Bamboo Sea of Southern Sichuan is one of the largest bamboo forests in China and has been among the most well-known tourist destinations for visitors. It is a natural wonderland created and, a place that is far more mysterious than the mundane world of everyday tourism. The core area holds over 5000 hectares of huge and upright bamboo shelters ridges, peaks and hills stretching all around the area. It looks like a vast green sea with a bamboo forest containing further treasures, including the Rainbow Waterfall and the Fairy Lake among others. The Waterfall is a towering 200 meters high and as the sun shines on the waterfall, rainbows are often seen. The Fairy Lake is the ideal location for tourists to enjoy bamboo rafting.
Sichuan
Sichuan local cuisine, known worldwide, is available, inexpensive and delicious. As in most of China, we were treated to colourful shows, costumes, music and dance, but the Xingwen Miao Minority Folk Residence is one of the best spots for this. The Miao are one of the biggest minority groups in China and in their new complex they treat visitors to song, dance and art exhibitions. With the intricate moves and fabulous costumes, it is easy to understand how China can produce such amazing shows at events like the Olympics when local shows are this good!
They also have a cinema showing documentaries of pandas, offering a deeper understanding of these interesting creatures.
www.tourismchina.org
China
Canadian World Traveller Winter/Spring 2016