The snow lotus around the snow-covered Karlik Glacier in the Tianshan Mountains in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region has entered a full-blossom period.
The flowers are growing on the rocks at an altitude of more than 3,600 meters despite the thin air and cold weather. Under the sunlight, the nearly transparent petals sway gently in the breeze. Together with the glacier and streams, they present a unique plateau ecological landscape.
The Karlik Glacier, with its highest peak reaching an altitude of 4,888 meters, is the easternmost glacier cluster in the Tianshan Mountains.
The full-blossom period of the wild snow lotus runs from July to September every year. As the glacial ice melts into water in summer, the rocks and cliffs will become the best environment for the plant to grow up.
In recent years, the glacier vegetation, including the snow lotus, has been able to grow well, thanks to local efforts to strengthen ecological protection.
Snow lotus in full blossom in Xinjiang
The Youyiguan Port, or Friendship Pass, in Pingxiang City of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region neighboring Vietnam registered sharp growth in the value of imports and exports in the first half of this year.
The port, China's main gateway to Vietnam, recorded a total import and export cargo value of 364.12 billion yuan (about 53.77 billion U.S. dollars) in the first six months, up 26 percent year on year.
The trade with ASEAN member states dominated the port's performance, with the value of imports from and exports to ASEAN countries reaching 361.4 billion yuan in the January-June period, a 26.2 percent increase year on year, accounting for 99.3 percent of the port's total cross-border volume.
Machinery and electronic products remained the main categories of imports and exports through the port.
To facilitate economic and trade exchanges between China and ASEAN countries, the local customs authorities have introduced a series of measures to simplify the customs declaration and clearance procedures, raising the overall inspection efficiency by 40 percent.
South China's Friendship Pass registers sharp growth in value of imports, exports in January-June
