Hello to all our big friends, little friends, new friends, and old friends out there! My name is Yangyang, and I’m a polar bear. To help more friends see me, the staff at Polar Ocean World in Colorful Guizhou City helped me move from the coldest place on Earth to Guizhou, China!
Although it’s my first time in Guizhou, and even though this place is deep inland and far from the ocean, the beautiful and comfortable environment of the ocean world quickly helped us get over the unease of being in an unfamiliar place. So, let me take you on a tour of our home in Guizhou – Polar Ocean World at Colorful Guizhou City.
My ocean friends from around the world and I live in eight different areas: the Ecological Rainforest Pavilion, the Intertidal Zone Pavilion, the Coral Reef Fish Pavilion, the Fierce Sharks Pavilion, the Undersea Tunnel Pavilion, the Polar Animal Pavilion, the Science & Education Pavilion, the Dreamy Jellyfish Pavilion, and the Dolphin Happy Theater.
Ecological Rainforest PavilionThis is my favorite pavilion. Giant arapaima that are several meters long, nationally protected animals such as the Chinese alligator and the Chinese giant salamander, as well as mysterious chameleons and beautiful macaws all live here. The moist and mild air, along with the lush, overhead plants, make everyone feel like they’ve arrived in the distant and mysterious Amazon jungle.
The colorful fish that everyone knows well—like Nemo and Dory—live inthe Intertidal Zone Pavilionandthe Coral Reef Fish Pavilion,where you’ll also find angelfish, flounder, grouper, and less commonly seen creatures such as the Chinese horseshoe crab and seahorses. There are as many as 48 display tanks here, allowing everyone to have close encounters with these adorable marine creatures.
When it comes to sharks, the first words that come to mind are probably “scary,” “terrifying,” and other negative terms. But the sharks in theFierce Sharks Pavilionat the ocean world will definitely change your “old perceptions.” These massive creatures of the sea may look frightening, but they’re actually very friendly! Don’t let those man-eating great white sharks from movies scare you.
Finally, we’ve arrived at my own home. I live here with the clever beluga whales Chris and Anna, the dolphins who are humanity’s good friends, the adorable penguins, as well as the sea lions, seals, and walruses, all in thePolar Animal Pavilion.Some of you who know might ask, aren’t sea lions and seals part of a polar bear’s diet? Please rest assured — to maintain harmony in the ocean world, my main diet now consists of fish!
Have you ever tried walking under the sea? In the 35-meter-longUndersea Tunnelat Polar Ocean World, everyone can become a diver, strolling beneath the deep blue waters. How many types of marine life do you think you’ll discover?
Mermaids do exist in our Polar Ocean World! These beautiful and enchanting mermaids sometimes swim through the undersea tunnel, and other times perform their graceful dances in groups at the Mermaid Theater. If you happen to run into them, be sure to take a photo with them!
I’ve heard that you humans face a lot of stress from work and studying every day, so I highly recommend that you come spend some time in theDreamy Jellyfish Palace.With the floating jellyfish and the dreamlike lighting, everyone who comes here will feel completely relaxed. These beautiful and magical little creatures have existed on Earth for 650 million years — they even appeared before the dinosaurs.
Every day at ourDolphin Happy Theaterin the Polar World, dolphins, walruses, and beluga whales put on shows and interact with their visitors. Although I, Yangyang, haven’t seen the show myself, I always hear the applause and exclamations from the audience — it must be really amazing! Actually, it’s not that I don’t want to go — it’s just that I’m too big, and the caretakers are worried I might scare the little kids…
Oh, and there are a few things I’d like to tell everyone:
Please do not use flash when taking photos.Although the lighting in the aquarium is a bit dim, and we also want to look our best in photos, don’t harm our delicate eyes by using flash just for that.
Don’t tap on the glass to scare usSometimes when we want to rest for a while, some visitors will bang hard on the glass to get our attention. But as for me, Yangyang, let me give you three very popular human words: “It’s pointless!” Although I’m brave, the much smaller fish around me can’t handle such scares. For their safety, please try to control your behavior—okay?
Although we sometimes miss home, seeing the excited smiles on everyone’s faces when they see us makes all the unhappiness fade away. I’ve heard the caretaker uncles and aunties say that humans are also working hard to protect the marine environment because the ocean is the source of all life. Protecting the ocean means protecting you humans and also protecting the entire ecosystem. And our mission isn’t just about making people happy—being ambassadors for ocean protection and telling everyone about environmental conservation is also really important. Welcome everyone to come visit me and my friends at the Polar Ocean World in Colorful Guizhou City, Nanming District, Guiyang. We’re waiting for you here!