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 China is one of the countries with the greatest diversity of
wildlife in the world. There are more than 6,266 species of vertebrates, 10
percent of the world's total. Among them 2,404 are terrestrials and 3,862
fishes. Wild animals peculiar to China includes such well-known rare animals as
the giant panda, golden-haired monkey, South China tiger, brown-eared pheasant,
red-crowned crane, red ibis, white-flag dolphin and Chinese alligator, totaling
more than 100 species. The black-and-white-haired giant panda weighs on
average 135kg and lives on tender bamboo leaves and bamboo shoots. Because it is
extremely rare -- just over 1,000 are left at present -- it has become the
symbol of the world's protected wild animals. The red-crowned crane, 1.2m tall
on average, is covered with white feathers, and a distinctive patch of exposed
red skin tops its head, which is regarded as the symbol of longevity in East
Asia. The white-flag dolphin is one of only two species of freshwater whales in
the world. In 1980, a male white-flag dolphin was caught for the first time in
the Yangtze River, which aroused great interest among dolphin researchers
worldwide.
 China is also one of the countries with the most abundant
plant life in the world. There are more than 32,000 species of higher plants,
and almost all the major plants that grow in the northern hemisphere's frigid,
temperate and tropical zones are represented in China. In addition, there are
more than 7,000 species of woody plants, including 2,800-odd tree species. The
metasequoia, Chinese cypress, Cathay silver fir, China fir, golden larch, Taiwan
fir, Fujian cypress, dove-tree, eucommia and camplotheca acuminata are found
only in China. The metasequoia, a tall species of arbor, is considered to be one of the oldest
and rarest plants in the world. The golden larch, one of only five species of
rare garden trees in the world, grows in the mountainous areas in the Yangtze
River valley. Its coin-shaped leaves on short branches are green in spring and
summer, turning yellow in autumn. China is home to more than 2,000 species of
edible plants and over 3,000 species of medicinal plants. Ginseng from the
Changbai Mountains, safflowers from Tibet, Chinese wolfberry from Ningxia and
ginseng from Yunnan and Guizhou are particularly well-known Chinese herbal
medicines. There is a wide variety of flowering plants. A flower indigenous to
China, the peony, known as the "king of flowers," characterized by large
blossoms, multiple petals and bright colors, is treasured as one of the
country's national flowers.
From China -- Past and
Present
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