The Yellow River Delta, where the Yellow River joins the Bohai Sea, is a vast mysterious land. When we drove along an expressway on a late autumn morning we were deeply attracted by the splendid spectacle of the area: the grand river estuary into the sea, a vast expanse of wetlands, grasslands, flocks of birds, sheep, horses and cattle and the beautiful coastline.

The 8,000-square-kilometre delta has the youngest lands of China's eastern coastal areas. The wetland washed by the Yellow River is the most appealing part.

The Yellow River originates from northwestern China's Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, crossing nine provinces in more than 5,500 kilometers, and flows into the Bohai Sea in Dongying, a city in east China's Shandong Province.

Since the river is the sandiest one in the world, every year it brings more than 900 million tons of sand that forms an alluvial plain before joining the sea, creating more than 3,667 hectares of new land each year. New wetlands in the past 100 years total 2,300-odd square kilometers, shaping a unique wetland landscape.

Rich oil reserves were found in the area in the 1960s. To date, the Shengli Oilfield located there has turned into the second largest petroleum production base in China. Statistics indicate that the area boasts at least 4 billion tons of oil and 600 billion tons of salt ore.

"In the meantime, the delta's ecological protection and sustainable development have received support from home and abroad," said Cui Xiangguo, a local official.

Since the late 1990s Shandong has singled out the development of the Yellow River Delta as one of its most important economic strategies. And the concerning local projects have also got much help from the United Nations Development Program.

Thanks to the development of oil exploitation, the area has a dense network of highways. After half an hour's ride from downtown we arrived at the delta's wetland, where we found abundant plant resources. Statistics show that there are a total of 393 species of plants in the Yellow River Delta region, with vegetation coverage of 53.7 percent, attracting lots of botanists and scholars to research and study.

Bird sanctuary

Driving along we gradually found the rare natural willow forest, 8,000 hectares of artificial acacia forest, thousands of hectares of reeds and 20,000 hectares of natural pasture land.

There, 500 meters ahead, yellow flowers of the tall reeds were shining in the sun, and beside us, groups of goats, cattle and horses were wandering in the vast grassland. The reeds, water, blue sky and white clouds made a poetic picture in front of us.

The delta is also home to more than 10 million birds. The confirmed bird species here have reached 265, more than one-fifth of the country's total, including 41 kinds under State-level protection.

The sound ecological system and rich food chain have provided an ideal habitat for birds. To date the area has become a transfer and reproduction place for birds from North Asia migrating to Southeast Asia and the southern Pacific region. They come in late October and leave until next April or May.

A center offering medical care to birds injured during migration will be established here within the year, according to the Yellow River Nature Reserve Administration. The center will be equipped with the necessary medical equipment and will also be staffed by medical workers who have received special training in bird care.

Covering an area of 153,000 hectares, the Yellow River Delta Protective Zone is leading us into a further wonder of the land. As soon as we entered the zone, it happened that a hawk was eating a snake by the roadside. We stopped and restarted after the hawk finished its delicious snack.

Up in the sky, wild geese were flying in a line, whistling to the south. Wild ducks seemed to say hello to the geese, shouting and flying off from the nearby swamp.

Fishermen cast their nets in the morning sun with flocks of seagulls dancing near their fishing boats.

We were simply intoxicated by the natural beauty.

The place is now serving as an important scientific and research base for ecologists, biologists, ornithologists and hydraulic engineers.

"It is also gradually turning into a tourist attraction," said Zhao Changzheng, director of the protection zone.

To date, the area attracts 700,000 domestic and overseas tourists every year, bringing in 200 million yuan (US$24 million) in tourism revenue.

The sweet locust tree flowers in May, the snow-white reed flowers in November, the setting sun over the Yellow River, all offer a view of a wonderland to visitors.

Enjoying seafood is another attraction of the zone. The region, where seawater and fresh water meet, is very suitable for fish and shrimp to live. It boasts more than 100 kinds of fish, 30 varieties of shrimp and 20 kinds of shellfish.

We were lucky enough at noon to taste the famous carp, saury and shrimp fished from the wetland lakes and rivers. The seafood was so marvelous that we made up our mind we would go fishing with local fishermen down through the river next time.

Ambitious program

In 1992 China named the zone as a State-level protection area. To date the central government has invested more than 90 million yuan (US$10.9 million) to protect the local ecological environment.

The Yellow River Delta wetland protection project, including wetland restoration and ecological protection, is estimated to be completed by the end of 2003. After completion, the project will help prevent floods, as well as give a sound natural environment for ecological co-ordination.

The mysterious delta region attracts not only tourists but also investors. Thousands of hectares of reeds are now raised as perfect raw materials for papermaking.

The largest man-made grassland in history is to be built at the mouth of the Yellow River at a cost of about 10 billion yuan (US$1.2 billion) by the Ministry of Finance and the Shandong provincial government.

Under the ambitious project, grass and trees will cover over 500,000 hectares of the delta of China's second-largest river.

Encouraged by government support, thousands of farmers have specialized in planting grass and trees in the area during the past two or three years. Most of them have made fortunes through growing grass.

After taking hundreds of photos of the beautiful delta landscape, we returned in setting sun as sheep were also heading for home.

We believe the beautiful land will attract more and more visitors.

(China Daily November 9, 2003)