The photo, taken on July 15, 2009, shows a green reed marsh in Shajiabang, a water town in eastern China's Jiangsu Province. [Photo: CRIENGLISH.com]

Green

Green is the color of water plants such as reeds. A green tour in Shajiabang means traveling amid reed marshes on boat and enjoying both fresh air and a sense of peace.

Taking a ride of wooden boat amid the maze-like reed marshes, listening to birds singing and insects crooning, pole fishing by the lake, or picking lotus seedpods with your hands??all these activities will make people forget their busy and boring routines in cities and revive themselves soon.

"Reeds can help better purify water," said Gu Yongzhong, the vice general-manager of the Shajiabang scenic area. "And reed marshes are a kind of nature's gift to us. We will devote much effort to environmental protection and ecological balance so as to attract more tourists to come to Shajiabang to relax."

To that end, the scenic area, covering more than 4,000 mu (or about 267 hectares) will include another 1,000 mu of wetlands, in which water plants such as lotus and reeds will be planted, and reptiles such as tortoises and crocodiles will be raised, Gu said.

Because Shajiabang is located in eastern China's Jiangsu Province, residents of the big cities of the Yangtze River Delta, the most developed region in China, can easily access the enlarged wetland park there. Thanks to a comprehensive highway network, a one- or two-hour drive returns people to nature's embrace.