April 22nd is a worldwide holiday Earth Day, or 世界地球日. As the environment becomes an ever-increasingly important topic, especially in China, the world's #1 producer of renewable energy, it's important to take a moment to appreciate the beauty in Mother Nature. Here are 8 of the most beautiful natural places in China.

    2. Jiuzhaigou 九寨沟

                                                Location: Jiuzhaogou County, Sichuan
    On the southern edge of the Minshan Mountain Range, 330 km north of Chengdu is Jiuzhaigou. Jiuzhaigou is a natural reserve and national park on the edge of the Tibetan Plateau that stretches over 180,000 acres. It was named a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1992, and the park is open all year round, offering different experiences in both the summer and winter.

 3. Zhijin Cave 织金洞

                                  Location: Guizhou Province
    Originally called the Daji Cave, the now Zhijin Cave was only discovered in 1980 by the Zhijin County Tourism Exploration Team. The cave is huge, extending 13.5 km (over 8 miles). It is believed to be the largest unsupported roof spand of a cave ever discovered. There are hundreds of different crystalline formations, including the largest one named Silver Rain Tree 银雨树 which is 17 m (56 ft) long.

4. Rainbow Mountains Zhangye Danxia National Geological Park 甘肃张掖国家地质公园

                                  Location:Zhangye,GansuProvince

    Like a picture from a fantasy land, the Rainbow Mountains in the Zhangye Danxia National Park look like a kid's coloring book! The rocks are hundreds of meters tall and get their unique color from 24 million years of sandstone deposits sculpted by rain, wind and time. There are four viewing platforms at different altitudes to get vastly different perspectives of the amazing landscape. It's best to go in the warmer months when the colors are brighter.

5. Huanglong Scenic and Historic Interest Area 黄龙

                                  Location: Sichuan Province
    Located in Northwest Sichuan, Huanglong is best known for it's colorful pools of water. In a special section called Yellow Dragon Gully 黄龙沟 there are all kinds of different ecosystems including snowy peaks, waterfalls and hotsprings. This area is also home to a lot of endangered wild animals like the giant panda and golden snub-nosed monkey.

6. Yangshuo Town Li River 阳朔漓江

                                  Location: Guilin, Guangxi
    Yangshuo County is located in Southern China, the northern part of Guangxi province. The town itself is tourist friendly and has been a popular site for backpackers since the 1990s. But just outside of the county, there is the Li River where you can take a floating tour and get a beautiful view of the distance mountains. You can also go rock climbing and see the magnificent Moon Hill.

7. Huangguoshu Waterfall 黄果树瀑布

                                  Location: Anshun, Guizhou Province
    As one of the largest waterfalls in China, Huangguoshu is located on the Bai River and is 67 m (220 ft) high and 83 m (273 ft) wide. There are a number of different viewing spots at the waterfall where you can see the falls from all different perspectives, including birds eye, from a distance and from underneath. 

8. Heaven Lake 长白山天池

                                  Location: Jilin Province
    Heaven Lake is located in Northeastern China and is split right down the middle by the China-North Korean border. The half of the lake that is in China is a cool and unique spot to visit. The lake is in a crater on top of a volcano in the Changbai Mountains. There are a lot of legends about the lake including its formation and a potential lake monster inside.