Pangquangou Nature Reserve

Shanxi is a cherished historic province in North China. Taiyuan is the capital of Shanxi and also my hometown. Although I have lived in Taiyuan for more than 20 years, I haven?t had many chances to see the province. This summer vacation, my father recommended that we take a family tour to Pangquangou Nature Reserve which made me quite excited.

Located in the Guandi Hills in the west of Shanxi Province, Pangquangou Nature Reserve is a rare place in the Loess Plateau and a tourist attraction of natural scenery. It is one of eight protected areas of animals and plants in China. The reserve contains more than 820 kinds of plants, 30 kinds of mammals and 150 kinds of birds including the crossoptilon, the first class of national protected bird.

The crossoptilon

The wild monkey

We set out from Taiyuan early in the morning.  It took us three hours to get there. Four wild monkeys welcomed us at the gate. We had been warned that the monkeys grab tourists, but my naughty little brother Michael didn?t listen, and he took a bag of packed snacks with him. Several monkeys were on the move at their first sight of Michael, or to be more exact, the plastic bag in his hand. One of the oldest monkeys slid close to Michael, ripped the plastic bag, grabbed some snacks and rushed back up to the tree. When we finally realized what had happened, the monkey had opened the package and ate all the snacks.

Monkey grabbing the tourists

We weren?t disappointed by these actions. In fact, this ?robbery?made everyone even more excited. With no hope of getting the snacks back, we decided to move ahead. Walking along the path, we went into the forest. We saw wild flowers, trickling streams and old pines on the precipice. This beauty coupled with birds singing among it formed a beautiful scene full of life and vitality.

Perhaps the most interesting part of our tour was drifting along the Pangquan River for two-hours. At times, the raft floated gently down the river, but for the most part, we bobbed in and out of the rapids. Our raincoats were useless since the spindrift occasionally showered us from head to toe.

Drifting on Pangquan River

When several rafts got together, a water fight was inevitable. Some people used their safety helmets to splash water on one another while others made use of their water pistols. I was always the one being splashed, with two hands crossed to protect my body and no ability to fight back. Michael actively plunged into the river when our raft rested on the bank. He acted like an invincible general, soaking all the others to the bone.

It seemed as though none of us wanted to leave this beautiful place. We were lost in the happiness and pleasure brought by the Mother Nature. If you get a chance to come to Shanxi Province, Pangquangou Nature Reserve is highly recommended.

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