Places & Regions
Why are there lakes in a desert?
The Badain Jaran Desert contains lakes between giant dunes. “Desert” turns out to be a description with room for surprises.
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Places & Regions
Can a desert sing?
In the Badain Jaran Desert, sand can produce a low sound when it moves. The landscape has a soundtrack as well as a view.
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Places & Regions
Why put insects next to jewellery?
A Beijing insect museum pairs specimens with jewellery, asking visitors to see how natural shapes become human designs.
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Everyday China
Why would a panda keeper make a toy?
At the Chengdu panda base, keepers use enrichment objects to give pandas more interesting things to do.
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Places & Regions
A panda forest has other residents
The panda is the famous face of Sichuan's mountain forests. It shares those forests with far more living things than a logo can show.
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Places & Regions
The mudflat where birds stop for lunch
The Yellow Sea coast can look empty from a distance. For birds crossing a continent, its mud is a place to refuel.
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Places & Regions
Do giant pandas enjoy snow?
A panda among snowy bamboo looks surprising if you picture it as a warm-weather animal. Its mountain home tells another story.
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Everyday China
Why would a panda need a designer?
At Chengdu's panda base, looking after an animal can mean designing things for it to do. The job is more inventive than a bowl of bamboo suggests.
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