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North China is Hit by Blizzard

November 11, 2009 in News You Can Use, Travel Tips by Alex E | No comments

This year’s transition from Autumn to winter is already turning out to be one of superlatives. This week, northern China experienced its heaviest snowfall in the last half century. Not since 1955 has one tempest delivered so much snowfall in northern China.

On October 31, China experienced its earliest snowfall in over two decades, albeit aided by measures to alleviate a lingering drought in China’s north. Advancements in weather technology are leading to a winter marked by sudden and heavy snowfalls.

Winters First Snowfall on the Great Wall

Winter's First Snowfall on the Great Wall

The heavy snowfall created picturesque winter scenes all over Beijing for the several days following the snowstorm.

If you’re planning on traveling to northern China during the winter, make sure to bring a warm coat!

Beijing International Tourism Festival

October 29, 2009 in Culture, Holidays and Festivals by Alex E | No comments

This last weekend celebrated the 11th annual Beijing International Tourism festival. The festival featured regional drum performances and a parade of floats from each of the 18 districts and counties in Beijing.

Drum Procession at the Opening Ceremony

Drum Performance at the Opening Ceremony

Attendance at the festival reached record levels, accompanying a 20% increase in tourism to Beijing since last year. This number is all the more impressive since the Olympics took place in 2008. The festival’s closing ceremony highlights China’s penchant for ornate performance. To see the closing ceremony, click here.

The Olympics were Beijing’s debutante ball, earning it recognition as a global metropolis and the focal point of China’s history. In the post Olympic era, Beijing is creating a new draw for tourism by emphasizing its ancient roots and cultural significance.

Improving Local Practices in Southwest China, Part III: Resource Management Techniques in Jiuzhaigou National Park

October 28, 2009 in On the Road by Alex E | No comments

WildChina recently embarked on a series of initiatives to improve local practices in rural areas in southwest China. This is the final section of the three part series examining efforts to improve life for those in rural areas and the technologies that enable a better standard of living.

Jiuzhaigou National Park sits in the rugged West of Sichuan at 2000 meters elevation on the edge of Tibet. This cluster of virgin mixed forests is home to several endangered animals; giant pandas and golden snub-nosed monkeys traverse amongst the limestone cliffs and the effervescent blue lakes. Despite its natural beauty, Jiuzhaigou has had a tenuous history. It was discovered in the early 1970s, and hurt by large-scale logging efforts. Jiuzhaigou was declared a national park in 1978, and the park’s ecological restoration began.

Leaves turn magificent colors over a crystal lake

Leaves turn magnificent colors over a crystal lake in Autumn

Jiuzhaigou established a formal relationship with Yosemite National Park in 2006 to promote international cooperation that benefits both parks.

WildChina accompanied the Yosemite team on their first official sister park visit to Jiuzhaigou in 2009. On this trip, Yosemite preservationists completed a four day survey trek through Jiuzhaigou valley. Through these trips and related efforts, the sister parks aim to share resource management techniques and cooperate to preserve natural biodiversity. Read the rest of this entry »

Improving Local Practices in Southwest China, Part II: Bio-toilets in Sichuan Province

October 27, 2009 in On the Road, Sichuan-Earthquake by Alex E | No comments

WildChina recently embarked on a series of initiatives to improve local practices in rural areas in southwest China. This is the second of a three part series examining efforts to improve life for those in rural areas and the technologies that enable a better standard of living.

At the upper reaches of the Minjiang river and the edge of the Tibetan plateau sits Shenxi village, the remote home to a group of Chinese villagers. Shenxi village, an hour hike from the nearest paved road, seems a world apart from the rest of civilization. However, the activities of this town profoundly influence the rest of Sichuan province and surrounding areas. Shenxi village sits atop the Sichuan water basin, which stores water runoff from the Himalayas and supplies vital water to Sichuan and regions downriver.

Water cleanliness is a persistent issue for China’s water lifelines that carry snowmelt from the Himalayas eastward to the Pacific Ocean, from which one quarter of China’s population drinks contaminated water every day, according to the United Nations (PDF). These issues with water cleanliness are often the result of unsanitary conditions and practices in human settlements that border major rivers.

Seperated by only a mountain from the epicenter of last year’s earthquake, Shenxi village was devastated by the damage it inflicted. Aside from the toll on human life, many of the buildings in Shenxi collapsed outright and those still standing suffered heavy damage. Villagers who returned to Shenxi village after the earthquake rebuilt their homes with the limited resources available, and the result was a village that lacked adequate sanitation. WildChina recently completed a three day project building bio-friendly toilets in this area.

Students and Villager in front of completed toilet

Students and Villager in front of completed toilet

Read the rest of this entry »