New national parks are a natural destination for travelers

China unveiled its first five national parks in October, each of which will bring visitors closer to the grandness of nature.

Those national parks cover a total land area of more than 230,000 square kilometers and conserve precious and unique natural scenery and wild species in the country. Travelers are expected to enjoy hiking, wildlife observation and other eco-friendly tourism.

Wuyishan National Park

The park has well-developed tourist attractions. It covers an area of 1,280 sq km and spans Fujian and Jiangxi provinces. It is a UNESCO cultural and natural heritage site and boasts the world's largest subtropical primordial forest ecological system on its latitude. One can spot the Danxia landform that is characterized by reddish sandstone features. Wuyishan city received 422,000 travel visits during the Labor Day holiday (May 1-5) this year, up 30.2 percent as compared with the same period in 2019. Tourism income reached 507 million yuan ($79.5 million) during the holiday, up 49.3 percent.

The Giant Panda National Park

It preserves the habitation area of 15,000 sq km for 70 percent of the country's wild giant pandas. The park covers parts of Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu provinces and offers 11 national forest parks, three geological parks and four national scenic spots. More than 1,100 tourism operators and 54 cultural organizations are involved in the park's operations. More than 20 sites across the park have tourism facilities up and running. Sightseeing, ethnic culture exploration and adventurous expeditions are available, with about 46.2 million annual traveler visits.

Hainan Rainforest National Park

The park in South China's island province of Hainan offers one of the country's best preserved and largest rainforests. The park covers nine cities and counties, with a total area of 4,300 sq km, about one-seventh of Hainan's land area. It's also home to Hainan gibbons, which are on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List. Travelers can explore the unspoilt scenery from the many rich forest parks in the area.

The Three-River-Source National Park

Sitting high on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and covering an area of 190,700 sq km, the park contains ancient glaciers and snow-capped mountains, high-altitude wetlands, sections of the Gobi Desert and grassland meadows. It plays an important role in protecting the sources of the Yangtze, Yellow and Lancang rivers. There are three scenic spots with an area of 4,500 sq km at the park.

Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park

The park spans Jilin and Heilongjiang provinces and covers an area of 14,100 sq km. It is the major habitat of the country's Siberian tiger and Amur leopard. Forest experiences, science education and winter sports have been staged for travelers, albeit at a limited capacity.