The most beautiful place

Author: Chen Feng
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-06-01
Features: The Paradise of the Soul – The Alps In the eyes of most people, a beautiful mountain must be covered in lush greenery. The Alps, however, stand out uniquely, with endless mountain ranges filled with an overwhelming array of colors. The entire mountain is a fairy-tale world of blossoms, so vivid that it makes one hold their breath. The peaks, tall and short, are crowned with snow, glistening under the sun like a radiant tapestry of clouds and mist. Rolling hills stretch endlessly, dotted with fields, forests, and mountain slopes that extend far and wide. The slopes at the foot of the mountains are vast pastures, following the contours of the land and gleaming with a flat, yellow-green hue. Star-like wildflowers, yellow, white, and purple, bloom in vibrant patches. Cows with white and yellow coats stroll leisurely, while quaint cottages with red-tiled roofs float amidst this sea of colorful flowers. There are also many small lakes and rivers, their waters as blue as the clear sky, reflecting the images of snow-capped peaks. Reeds, dandelions, various unknown wildflowers, and ancient trees with broad canopies provide lush shade, surrounding the mirror-like lake surfaces in a neat and orderly manner. It’s hard not to step into this painting—just a few turns, and suddenly, a medieval town appears in the lush greenery. The cobblestone streets are spotless, and the wooden houses are covered with white pine bark, shimmering like waves under the sun. Under the eaves hang strings of preserved meat, while neatly stacked firewood for winter lie in the backyards. Gazing at this quaint, tranquil town, which is like a grand garden, you’ll suddenly realize that the Alps’ enchanting colors are not just a gift from nature. If you have the chance to fly over central Europe, you’ll see a magnificent mountain range with snow-capped peaks glistening like a silver dragon stretching across the continent. This is the Alps, Europe’s highest and most magnificent mountain range. It stretches from Nice in the southeast of France, through northern Italy, southern Switzerland, southern Germany, and eastward to the Vienna Basin in Austria, covering a distance of 1,200 kilometers with an average elevation of 3,000 meters. Its highest peak, Mont Blanc, stands at 4,810 meters and is known as the "Dragon of Europe." The majestic and towering Alps were once a vast, boundless sea, part of the ancient Mediterranean. Later, during the Himalayan orogeny about 2 to 3 million years ago, they rose to form towering folded mountain systems. Over the past 2 million years, Europe has experienced several major ice ages, covering most of the Alps with ice sheets up to 2 kilometers thick and subjecting them to intense glacial activity. As glaciers moved, they eroded rocks, carved paths, and created many striking landscapes, including abrupt cliffs, sharp horn peaks, and deep glacial troughs. During the Pleistocene, the Alps were Europe’s largest alpine glacier center, covered by an ice cap up to 1 kilometer thick. Except for a few peaks that protruded above the ice, forming island-like summits, various types of glacial landforms were well-developed, with glacial erosion landscapes being particularly typical. Many peaks are rugged and rocky, with sharp horns and steep, towering edges, dotted with glacial cliffs, U-shaped valleys, cirques, hanging valleys, and glacial lakes, as well as widespread glacial till landforms.
P1-2 The Forest Sea – Alishan
The forests, sea of clouds, and sunrises of Alishan.