I have travelled to a dozen or so cities in China and remarkably, the countryside which most foreigners do not frequent often has one of the greatest biodiversity of wildlife in the world. Like they say, the best way to know your way around in a new environment is to get lost, and it’s so much fun getting lost in the wilderness in China. For nature lovers, China is one of the best places on earth to discover new different lovely flowers and plants you’ve never seen before.

Presently I’m living and working in Shiyan city, close to Wudang Mountains in Hubei Province and after a hard long workload during the week, I waste no time getting lost in the mountains to cool off and get closer to nature.

The sights often takes your breath away and all I want to do is breath in and breath out, more or less, a fun way to get away from the second hand cigarette smoke and toxic that have accumulated in my lungs during the hustle and bustle in the city. Instead of spending holidays in five star hotels and munching on greasy steaks, health wise, why not spend sometimes in the countryside where its low cost with awesome scenery and real fresh air. Good on your pocket especially if you’re a student or a worker trying to make some savings.

There is more to discover in China than you ever thought off, but first it begins with a step. Find out from the nearest tour agency the best places with the clearest atmosphere where you can thoroughly unwind and trust me these places abound in numbers. The best places to suggest a few, are in the plateaus, the Qinghai-Tibet Plateaus consisting of Qinghai and Tibet and parts of Gansu, Yunnan, and Sichuan, which according to records is the world’s highest plateau and popularly referred to as the ‘roof of the world’.

Statistically, China boasts of more than 32000 species of higher plants among which from my research there are more than 7000 species of woody plants including over 2800 odd tree species, over 2000 species of edible plants and 3000 or more species of medicinal plants. The metasequoia, Chinese cypress, Cathay silver fir, China fir, golden larch, Taiwan fir, Fujian cypress, dove tree, and the camplotheca are tree species found only in China. From records, the metasequoia, a tall species of arbor, is one of the oldest and rarest plants in the world. The golden larch, one of only five species of rare garden trees in the worlds, grows in the mountainous areas in the Yangtze River valley. Around the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze are most of China’s rivers and lakes and the scenery here is just perfect for lovers of photography.

Arguably, China has more than 100 wild animal species unique only to China including well-known rare animals such as the giant panda, South China tiger, golden haired monkey, red-crown crane, and the Chinese alligator. China also has the largest number of bird species and gymnosperm in the world.

Sadly, China's biodiversity is under critical threat with 15 to 20 percent of higher plant varieties endangered, threatening the existence of 40,000 species of organisms related with them.

However to help salvage this situation so that nature loving beings like myself can still have the privilege to experience these wonders of nature, through the governments efforts, 250 wildlife breeding centers have been established throughout the country, and special projects have been carried out to protect seven species, including giant pandas and red ibises. At present, the wild population of the giant panda remains at more than 1,000 in continuously improved conditions. The red ibis population has also increased from seven to over 560, relieving that bird's endangered situation. The population of artificially bred Chinese alligators is nearly 10,000. The population of Eld's deer has increased from 26 to more than 800 and the population of relic gulls has increased from 2,000 to more than 10,000. Sightings of tigers rarely seen in recent times have been reported in the northeastern, eastern and southern parts of China.

So to remind you, not all is lost, there is still more to discover, I bet you, you’ll certainly love getting lost in the wilderness in China. Go out there and discover the beauty nature has to offer.