Giant panda cubs Lu Lu (L) and Qiang Sheng play at the Shaanxi Rare Wild Animals Rescue and Breeding Research Center in northwest China's Shaanxi Province, Sept. 7, 2018. As a land-locked province, Shaanxi stretches the drainage areas of the Yangtze River and the Yellow River, the two longest rivers in China. It boasts main parts of the Qinling Mountains, one of the biodiversity hotspots worldwide, dividing northern temperate zones from subtropical zones. Meanwhile, Shaanxi is habitat of rare protected animals. Over the past years, Shaanxi Province has been promoting ecological development. For example, Yan'an, commonly termed as "the cradle of the Chinese revolution", has lifted forestation coverage from 46% in 2000 to above 80% in 2019, with new afforestation of 21.3 million mu (about 1.42 million hectare); Yulin, located on the edge of Mu Us Desert, manages to increase forest coverage from 0.9% to 33% in 2019. Xi'an, a hosting city of the International Horticultural Expo in 2011, pursues to build itself into a livable and eco-friendly city. From Aug. 22 to 24, the "Shaanxi Day" event is held at the ongoing Beijing International Horticultural Exhibition, in which tourists can view and explore the green development of the historic and ancient land. (Xinhua/Zhang Bowen)
