Zhuque National Nature Reserve

　　    A national AAA-level scenic area, national nature reserve, and provincial-level patriotic education base. Situated 3 kilometers north of Yangxian County in Hanzhong City, Shaanxi Province, it connects to National Highway 108 and the exit of the Xi’an–Chengdu Expressway in Yangxian County. It is a comprehensive eco-tourism destination integrating a nature reserve with scientific research, crested ibis conservation and viewing, sightseeing, conferences, water recreation, leisure, and vacation. In 1983, the Shaanxi Provincial Government approved the establishment of a provincial protection station, and in July 2005, the State Council approved the establishment of a national nature reserve. The reserve covers a total area of 375 square kilometers. The area features crisscrossing valleys, numerous streams and mountains, dense forests, and large wetland areas. The crested ibis is one of the world’s most endangered bird species, a national first-class protected animal, known as the “Oriental Jewel.” In 2003, it was designated as the provincial bird of Shaanxi by the Shaanxi Provincial Government. At the 12th World Conference on Bird Protection in 1960, the crested ibis was listed as an “International Protected Bird,” but it gradually became critically endangered. Since May 1981, when the world’s only surviving seven wild crested ibises were rediscovered in Yangxian County, the national, provincial, municipal, county governments, and relevant departments have carried out extensive conservation efforts. These efforts have also garnered significant international attention, with collaborations between national and provincial agencies and the Japanese government as well as related research institutions on joint crested ibis protection projects. Through persistent work, the total number of crested ibises in China has now increased to nearly 800, including over 500 in the wild—all freely roaming within the reserve. The crested ibis release aviary allows visitors to observe the birds and their living conditions at any time.

　　    The tourism development of the reserve is centered around the county town, with the Crested Ibis Ecological Park as the core. It consistently adheres to the principles of balancing protection with development, management with openness, and breeding/rescue with eventual reintroduction into the wild. Through environmental protection, infrastructure development, and implementation of tourism projects, the reserve continuously provides optimal conditions for the survival, development, conservation, and scientific research of the crested ibis, while also generating substantial economic, social, and ecological benefits. Chinese presidents and premiers have gifted crested ibises as state presents to Japan, advancing friendly cooperation between the two countries. Within the Crested Ibis Ecological Park, initiatives such as afforestation, grass planting, artificial lake construction, and natural wetland development have created a favorable ecological environment. Activities like crested ibis lake water recreation, wild crested ibis viewing, and leisure vacations in the Tanghe Reservoir area blend harmoniously with the reserve’s tranquil and comfortable surroundings, resembling a magnificent pastoral landscape painting of stunning beauty.