In the vast land of China, nature and humanity have intertwined to create countless astonishing scenic spots. When asked, “How many of the 48 most beautiful places in China have you visited?” it is like a heartfelt inquiry into the memories of mountains and rivers——

These praised “most beautiful places” may include the colorful fairy tales flowing among the green lakes and cascading waterfalls of Jiuzhaigou, or the boat sailing on the blue waves in the ink-wash painting of the Li River in Guilin. They may be the vast poetry of “herds of cattle and sheep appearing as the wind blows the grass low” on the Hulunbuir Grassland, or the sacred solemnity of the golden roofs reflecting snow at the Potala Palace. They could also be the untouched purity of Daocheng Yading, known as “the last pure land on the blue planet,” or the ingenuity of the winding paths and secluded corners in the Suzhou Gardens…

Some of them are hidden among towering mountains, like the majestic and austere Mount Qomolangma; some lie quietly by rivers and seas, such as the deep blue of Qinghai Lake; some precipitate thousands of years of civilization, like the grand and solemn Terracotta Warriors in Xi’an; and some flow with the warmth of time, like the bluestone alleyways of the Lijiang Ancient Town. Each scenic spot is a love letter from heaven and earth, waiting for travelers to measure with their footsteps and resonate with their hearts.

When someone asks “how many,” the answer has long surpassed the number itself——it is the reflection of clouds stepped on in the Chaka Salt Lake, the sea of clouds 掠过 (swept past) during a cable car ride at Zhangjiajie Tianmen Mountain, and the rapeseed flower fields meeting white-walled and dark-tiled houses in springtime Wuyuan… Whether you have visited ten or a hundred places, each encounter is a unique meeting with the land of China, engraving a distinctive mark of Chinese landscapes in life.

  • How many such stunning scenes from the world are collected in your heart’s “most beautiful list”?