Compiling a China bucket list that rocks

I love geological formations! Heck, my last name is Stone, so it's only fitting! Volcanos, in particular, hold a special fascination. Yes, a destructive force for those of us on the surface, but as an artist, I can't help but marvel at nature's creation mechanism. New land is created, old land is recycled, the landscape heaves up and under and transforms. We're not living on a static globe and I love that.

China holds its share of geological wonders. As COVID-19 delays my travel plans yet again, I thought I'd spend some time here dreaming of the day I can see some of these wonders for myself.

Let's start with the most obvious one first, and no, it's not the "Avatar mountains". It's the Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon in the Tibet autonomous region. I hail from Arizona which is the home of the Grand Canyon, so it's fitting I visit its sister canyon while I'm on this side of the world. Yarlung Zangbo is the deepest canyon in the world and cuts into the Himalaya Mountains which leads us to Qomolangma, also known as Mount Everest! I must have watched every documentary about Qomolangma, and most about climbing extreme peaks such as K2 and the Matterhorn. I've never climbed so much as a rope in gym class, so I can't say exactly why these stories hold such fascination for me. But they do and Qomolangma is the granddaddy of them all. Seeing this peak is, indeed, on the bucket list.

With one more nod to my desert background, I have to hit up Echoing Sand Mountain and Crescent Lake. Home to the tallest still dunes on Earth and an oasis to boot, it－quite literally－sounds like a great place to visit. The singing sands look like something out of the movies.

Speaking of movies, you can't talk about China's geological wonders without talking about the "Avatar mountains". I prefer to call them by their Chinese name, Zhangjiajie, since (are you ready for this hot take?) I didn't like the movie, Avatar. Practically the only thing I enjoyed on the screen was the incredible landscape, which I'm looking forward to enjoying in person, sans movie, thank you very much.

A geological wonder that I oscillate about is Huashan Mountain… the steepest climb in China. It looks… harrowing. But I see women in heels and kids climbing this thing and I feel like if they can do it, so can I! But I have a thing about heights, so I'm super nervous about getting up there and absolutely freezing up. Is there a guide? A harness? Why can they not make those walkways a tiny bit wider? No idea, but I'm sure the view is worth the hike. Maybe one day. So we'll put that further down on the list for now. Perhaps a more palatable peak for the time being is the Huangshan Mountain. It's said to be the most beautiful mountain in all of China. Poets and painters throughout generations have made it their muse. Sounds inspiring!

From mountains to bodies of water, I'm going to put Yuncheng Salt Lake on the list because I've never seen one and want to. So there. Truly, seeing the process and the colorful waters sounds like such a unique experience. I can't pass it up! Likewise, Qinghai Lake is a must-see for me. The largest lake in China, I've heard it's a delight to cycle and camp around, not to mention the fresh air!

I could go on. From the Rainbow Mountains to Tiger Leaping Gorge, China has a diverse geology that an amateur nerd like me wants to explore. I didn't move to China to only see the inside of Beijing, so hopefully a window of opportunity will open before too long.

Contact the writer at stepahnie@chinadaily.com.cn