Giant pandas were captured playing, eating, slipping down in snow at the Foping Rescue, Breeding and Research Base of Qinling Giant Panda in northwest China's Shaanxi Province, when the first snow fell in area last Friday.
In a video released by the Foping Panda Base on Saturday, four cute giant pandas were climbing trees and joyfully rolling around in the snow-covered playground, while also taking moments to savor bamboo leaves.
Giant pandas prefer snow and are unfazed by the cold, while being averse to heat. Snow serves as a natural "skin care product" for them, effectively cleansing and maintaining their fur.
Situated on the southern slope of the Qinling Mountains, Foping County encompasses one of the main habitats for giant pandas and a multitude of rare animals and plants. The county has also earned the designation as the Foping Biosphere Reserve by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Around the same time, wild pandas were also caught by cameras while wandering in different zones in a nature reserve in the province.
Panda activities were primarily captured in the temperate coniferous and broad-leaved mixed forests of the Shaanxi Huangbaiyuan Nature Reserve, situated at an altitude of 1,300 to 2,900 meters above sea level.
The videos revealed several giant pandas casually passing by the camera, some resting in the bamboo thickets while munching on bamboo, and one particularly curious panda walking right up to the infrared camera, sniffing it before continuing its way.
Shaanxi giant pandas captured frolicking in snow
Scenic spots across China have all seen surging tourist flow during the Qingming Festival holiday as people are going outdoors to enjoy good springtime.
Falling on April 5 this year, the Qingming Festival, or the Tomb-Sweeping Day, is a traditional Chinese festival for honoring the deceased and paying tributes to ancestors. The three-day holiday from Saturday to Monday also provides a short break for Chinese citizens to enjoy outdoor activities and sightseeing in pleasant springtime temperatures.
At the Fenghuanggou scenic spot in Nanchang City, east China's Jiangxi Province, a vast field of hydrangeas bloom across the hillsides. The colorful hydrangeas spread out in well-arranged patchwork, making visitors feel as if they have stepped into a dreamlike world of flowers.
Tourists stroll among the blossoms, with some slowing down to quietly take in the scenery and others raising cameras to capture memories, relaxing both body and mind amidst the fragrance of flowers and the spring sunshine.
"Walking through a sea of flowers like this and seeing such beautiful blossoms make me feel the vitality of spring while completely escaping the hustle and bustle of the city," said Xu Geyu, a tourist.
Continuing on from the hydrangea sea, the scenic spot's cherry blossom is also in the best viewing period. Unlike ordinary cherry blossom groves, the cherry trees here are interplanted among tea bushes that stretch across the mountainsides, creating distinct layers and forming a unique landscape.
This year, the scenic spot has leveraged its sericulture and other specialty ecological industries to create new business models that integrate agriculture and tourism, providing a variety of mulberry-leaf-flavored snacks and drinks for tourists.
"We tried mulberry-flavored coffee and mulberry-leaf-flavored ice cream -- both were delicious. They are the flavors that we've never tasted before. I think they are quite special," said Ye Zitong, another tourist.
Meanwhile, the Tianmen Mountain National Forest Park in central China's Hunan Province has also welcomed a peak in visitors. With fine weather and wild mountain flowers in full bloom, the scenic spot has become a popular destination for flower viewing and mountaineering, brimming with the liveliness and vitality of spring.
In springtime, The Tianmen Mountain features layered peaks covered in a profusion of flowers. Pink-white and bright red blossoms dot the dramatic mountain ridges, creating a stunning spring landscape painting.
"I feel it's quite magnificent. It's even more magnificent and beautiful after I climbed 999 steps to the Tianmen Cave. It's also very cool there. I really love it," said Ai Sichen, another tourist.
According to the preliminary statistics from the scenic spot, on the first day of the Qingming Festival holiday, the park welcomed over 20,000 visitors.
Furthermore, at the Hukou Waterfall scenic spot on the Yellow River at the border of the northern province of Shanxi and the northwestern province of Shaanxi, the roaring Yellow River water plunges dramatically. Illuminated by sunlight, a rainbow appears spanning both banks, creating a magnificent spring scene that draws many tourists.
Scenic spots across China see surging tourist flow during Qingming Festival holiday
