Chongqing- Guangyang Isle is the largest river island in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, where 3 million square meters of land were formerly earmarked for real estate development, a plan that would have caused great damage to the island’s delicate ecological system.
Situated amidst the Yangtze waters between the picturesque Mingyue and Tongluo mountain ridges, Guangyang Isle is now a land of outstanding natural beauty that offers great scenery including mountains, waters, forests, lakes, fields and grassland.
The island has become an ecological barrier in the Yangtze upper reaches following three years of restoration and now provides a miniature world for tourists and nature lovers to explore and admire.
There are now over 500 species of vegetation that cover more than 90% of the island, and six demonstration areas for ecological restoration have been established to fully display this landscape picture of natural harmony.
The golden terraces upon Guangyang Isle signal that a bumper harvest season is imminent. (Photo/Xie Zhiqiang, Visual Chongqing)
Workers stroll between the golden terraces of Guangyang Isle following a day of ecological restoration. (Photo/Xie Zhiqiang, Visual Chongqing)
Splendid crops seemingly roll for miles to the admiration of visitors on Guangyang Isle. (Photo/ Xie Zhiqiang, Visual Chongqing)
Restoration workers carefully tend to the grass fields of Yanziping on Guangyang Isle. (Photo/ Xie Zhiqiang, Visual Chongqing)
Dragonflies dance gracefully beside a reed breaking of the surface of a lucid stream at Gaofeng Terraces. (Photo/ Xie Zhiqiang, Visual Chongqing)
Honey bees work busily amidst a field of sunflowers at Gaofeng Terraces. (Photo/ Xie Zhiqiang, Visual Chongqing)
A white-rumped munia sits upon a rice stalk at Gaofeng Terraces. (Photo/ Xie Zhiqiang, Visual Chongqing)