“There are freshwater jellyfish in the Tianchi (Heavenly Lake) of Mengshan Yunmeng Scenic Area—you can see them all along the boardwalk surrounding the lake, with an estimated tens of thousands of them,” an excited visitor from Qingdao, Mr. Wu, told reporters on September 25. He said they had stayed overnight at Mengshan Guild Hall on the mountain and discovered the lovely jellyfish while visiting the nearby Tianchi in the morning.
What are freshwater jellyfish? You might not know until you look it up—and then you’ll be amazed. They’re actually known as the “pandas of the water”!
Freshwater jellyfish are a type of freshwater species, about the size of a coin, with beautiful forms. Their evolutionary significance is no less than that of giant pandas. They date back over 600 million years, and their unique genes are of great value to modern genetic engineering research. Because they can only live in clean rivers and lakes and have extremely high requirements for the environment and water quality—their habitat must be non-toxic and harmless—their life cycle is only a few to about ten days, classifying them as a globally endangered species. That’s why they’re also called the “pandas of the water.”
TIPS for Mengshan Yunmeng Scenic Area
Address: Mengshan Yunmeng Scenic Area (Huaguozhuang Village, Mengshan Tourism Resort, Linyi City)
Self-driving directions: Take the Beijing-Shanghai Expressway and exit at Mengyin or Menglianggu to reach the scenic area, or take the Rizhao-Dongying Expressway and exit at Feixian (Mengyin), then turn right and drive north for 20 kilometers.
Navigation: Yunmeng Scenic Area (Mengshan National Forest Park)
Inquiry hotline: 400-6100-007