Zhalong Nature Reserve

Declared in 1979, Zhalong is one of the largest reed wetlands in the world and the main breeding ground of the red-crowned crane, a bird held sacred in both Chinese and Japanese culture, a traditional symbol of long life and marital faithfulness depicted for centuries in the painting and poetry of both countries. The species, listed as vulnerable, numbers barely a few thousand in the wild, spread between China, Russia, Korea and Japan.