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DURING the legendary military campaign that came to be known as the Long March, the late Chinese leader Mao Zedong was deeply impressed by the Wumeng Mountain, even mentioning it in one of his most celebrated poems. Much of the mountain lies in Bijie, in northwestern Guizhou Province, and together with its many rivers, lakes and abundant flora, is Mother Nature at her most beautiful.

Wumeng Mountain is the origin of the Wujiang River, which has sustained the local population since time immemorial. The rivers northern branch rises in Hezhang County of Bijie, and its southern branch in Weining Yi, Hui and Miao Autonomous County. It flows through steep mountains, carving out exotically shaped cliffs, nourishing lush vegetation and creating spectacular waterfalls and limestone caverns along its 300-kilometer course. The regions landscape has been acclaimed as excelling that of the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River.

The fertile soil nourishes scores of wild groves, and the Baili Dujuan National Forest Park is known as the largest natural garden on Earth. Each year from late March to the end of April, azaleas of various species bloom, covering the mountain slopes and surrounding fields in splendid hues.

Caohai Lake

Caohai (literally meaning sea of grass), in Weining Yi, Hui and Miao Autonomous County is among the three largest plateau freshwater lakes in China, and sustains the only wetland in Guizhou Province. It is also the only nature reserve on Earth inhabited not only by wild species, but also by a human population numbering nearly 100,000.

The lake covers 26 square kilometers, and is between one and five meters deep. Its water is so crystal clear that one can see hundreds of clusters of swinging plants and shoals of fish on its bottom with the naked eye.

Each winter, more than 100,000 migratory birds belonging to 203 species (there are 1,186 bird species in China) make the lake their home, turning it into Chinas second-largest winter bird sanctuary. Among them are more than 1,000 endangered black-necked cranes (Grus nigricollins), of which little more than 7,000 remain worldwide. Wild fowl are admired for their monogamy, and each mating pair comes together of its own accord. Indeed, if one dies, the other never mates again.

And with a permanent fowl population numbering 100,000 birds from 182 species, 120 species of aquatic plants and 160 species of fish and other marine lifeforms, Caohai Lake is also a veritable ecological museum and an unparalleled source of biodiversity, attracting droves of both researchers and tourists throughout the year. In 2004, it was selected as one of the 35 must-see spots in China by a U.S.-French travel magazine, alongside the Great Wall.

Zhijin Cave

The natural charm of Bijie lies both above and below its surface. Numerous limestone caves are scattered throughout the regions mountain chains, each concealing a wealth of wonders waiting to be explored. More than 2,000 have been identified, and many more lie undiscovered in the myriad mountain passes.

Zhijin Cave is probably the most impressive of them all in terms of its size and complexity. Measuring 12.1 kilometers in length and covering an area of more than 700,000 square meters, it is a complex of hollows composed of multiple layers and geological strata. The stalactites inside display almost every known deposit pattern on Earth, creating a fabulous subterranean world.

The grotto is divided into 11 sections, many named after places mentioned in Chinese folklore, such as Lingxiao Palace, the abode of the Jade Emperor, and Guanghan Palace, the dwelling of Lady Change on the Moon. All told, there are 112 such attractions.

This underground maze is a fairyland where the Earths past comes alive, and the impossible becomes real. A series of rocks shaped like a helmet, boots and a whip are said to belong to the tragic hero Xiang Yu (232-202 B.C.), whose story has provided fodder for a slew of dramas, poems and operas in Chinese history.

Bizarre-looking helictites, or curving rocks, seem to defy gravity and branch off in all directions. Their twisted off-shoots, just waiting to be given a recognizable form by some creative mind, are actually lithic tubes that emit a translucent glow when exposed to light.

All in all, contemplating the waters and mountains of Bijie that have created so many mighty works over millions of years, one is inevitably reminded that Mans belief he can tame nature is nothing more than a feeble conceit.