Red-crowned cranes are seen at Zhalong National Nature Reserve in Qiqihar, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, July 23, 2019. (Photo by Sun Xiaoyu/Xinhua)
China's rare and endangered animals thrive in the reserves, with the number of wild crested ibis surging from seven to more than 2,000, that of gray snub-nosed monkey growing 1.5 times to more than 750 and the number of Asian elephants rising from 170 to more than 230.
China designated Dinghu Mountain, which lies in southern China's Guangdong Province, as its first natural reserve in 1956 to protect forests.
