Wetland, the Kidney of Planet Earth. Wetlands are considered the most biologically diverse of all ecosystems. And they have the strongest purification capability of all ecosystems. However, the environmental importance of wetlands was only realized by human in recent decade or two.

China has 66 million hectares of wetlands, about 10% of world’s total. That ranks 1st in Asia and 4th in the world.

Quite a few of my foreign friends complained to me that despite the huge size of China, most of Chinese cities and towns look similar no matter where they go. I can’t argue about this and feel sad as well. Fortunately, there are still some remote places where the evil of so-called modernization failed to prevail.

Today I will present you the top 6 most beautiful villages/towns in China.

I know some of our readers are planning to visit Shanghai for World Expo 2010 (Big Picture by Boston.com). Despite some congestion, overcrowded pavilions and long queues right now, I am sure the Expo will be one of unforgettable events in your life time. However, as the largest and wealthiest city in China, Shanghai has many other attractions you might not want to miss.

I was searching for images for an upcoming post about attractions in Shanghai when I found these stunning images by a German photographer – Wolfgang Staudt – on Flickr. I’d like to share with you here:

To view all 171 (as of 04/24/2010) Shanghai tagged images by Wolfgang Staudt on Flickriver.

For this Scenic Splendor of China selection, most categories are about natural scenes like mountains, rivers, and lakes, etc.. Besides, there are indeed a couple dedicated to humanity. Today, I am going to show you the most beautiful urban districts in China.

A bit unfortunately, due to social and political turmoil in the recent 200 years, very few traditional Chinese urban districts are preserved from destruction and modernization. Among the top 5 urban districts I will show you below, three of them are western urban districts built by European colonists in early 20th century.