Why Is the Red Beach in China So Red?
Have you ever seen images of a vast sea of red? You might have thought the image was photoshopped, or maybe even from the surface of Mars. However, the image is real. The Red Beach in China is a beautiful sprawl of red. The colors, despite their vibrancy, are natural.
Curious about what makes this Red Beach so vibrant red? Continue reading below.
Where Is China’s Red Beach?
The Red Beach is located in Liaoning Province on the bank of the Liaohe River. It’s just outside the city of Panjin and is often called Pajin Red Beach.
For those traveling from Beijing, expect it to take about six hours. It’s not a short trip, but it’s definitely worth seeing the Red Beach at least once.
What Causes the Red Color?
The unique red color is due to a plant. The plant is known as Suaeda salsa from the Chenopodiaceae family. It’s one of the few plants that handle extremely alkaline soils well. It’s also able to handle high levels of salinity.
The area around Red Beach is known for having both high salinity and incredibly alkaline soil, making it perfect for this plant. As the plant matures, it turns red. In April, it starts off a standard green color, then a light red, and slowly deepens as the season continues.
Its common name is seepweed. There are many different species related to this plant species, but this one is the rarest. Most seepweed doesn’t change colors.
Is the Red Beach Red all Year?
The Red Beach isn’t always red but it does always have an unearthly feel about it.
©Traveling around the world and photograph whatever I like./iStock via Getty Images
Unfortunately, there’s only a small window of time you can go and see the brilliant red colors of the Red Beach. According to locals, October is the best month.
If you go too early, you may still see the red, but it won’t be the brilliant shade often seen in pictures. If you go too much later than October, you risk the seepweed dying off for the year.
It does turn a beautiful shade of purple right at the end, so if you go near the end of the season, you may find a sea of purple instead of red.
More About the Red Beach in Panjin, China
The red-crowned crane is the national bird of China, so people in the country want to make sure that the bird has a habitat to support it.
©asharkyu/Shutterstock.com
Not only is Red Beach unusual to see, but the area is also an important location for wildlife. The beach covers over 80 square miles (130 square kilometers) of space.
The Red Beach is part of the world’s biggest wetland and reed marsh. There are over 260 different bird species and 399 different species of mammals, reptiles, and amphibians.
Since 1988, it’s been a state-level nature protection area in China. One of the main reasons for the protection is the red-crowned crane. The crane is the rarest species of crane on earth and this land is a necessary habitat for them. It’s also a stopover for many other endangered species.
Because Panjin Red Beach is inside a nature reserve, there are guidelines in place to protect the area. There are boardwalks throughout the sea of red plants to allow tourists to get a better look.
Pictures are permitted, but contact with plants and wildlife, or anything that could directly harm the plants and animals, is not allowed under any circumstances.
The photo featured at the top of this post is © Riverwill/iStock via Getty Images
