Going wild in wetlands

[Photo provided to China Daily]

The area around the cascade is a honeycomb of misty caves that contain ice year-round.

The province is developing travel routes to enhance its wetland tourism, especially for summer vacationers.

It also plans to integrate history, ethnic culture and foodstuffs into marshland excursions. It hopes to develop packages with such themes as sports, leisure and health.

It recently created products for students and children to interact with wildlife during their summer breaks. And it has introduced helicopter rides over the wetlands, says the Heilongjiang tourism development authority's deputy director, Hou Wei.

China's northernmost province is saturated by its vastest wetland clusters, covering 55,000 square kilometers. They account for an eighth of the country's total and equal the size of Hainan province.

Heilongjiang hosts 138 wetland reserves. And 72 wetland parks are open to the public across the province, Heilongjiang's forestry head Yang Guoting says.

Two of the five summer routes that provincial tourism authorities announced in May focus on wetlands.

Wudalianchi offers marshes, hot springs and volcanoes. It takes its name from five linked lakes conjured by ancient volcanic violence. Zhalong Nature Preserve hosts Asia's biggest reed swamp, known as "the land of cranes".Daqing hosts hot springs.

Qiqihar is celebrated for barbecue. Russian culture can be experienced at the Heihe-Blagoveshchensk border.