Back from the wilderness

One summer morning in July Saihanba National Forest was immersed in mist. [Photo by Zou Hong/China Daily]

The mid-summer morning is shrouded in white, every mountain crevice filled with this milky mist that overflows from plateau lakes clearly too shallow to hold it all.

I am in Saihanba, China's largest national forest, to see and learn about the epic, often tragic, effort that has gone into transforming this once desolate expanse into hectare upon hectare of lush green forest. But before I can even contemplate that task the sheer majesty of the place sweeps me off my feet.

At Seven-Star Lakes, located in the central-west of the forest and whose name refers to seven small patches of water in the area, I let that beauty and the flower-perfumed cool morning air seep deep into me.

I have been here since 5.40 am, about 40 minutes after sunrise, and millions of golden beams penetrate the mist before bouncing on the lake surface. The interplay between the light, water and the mist is a wonder to behold and is ever-changing, resulting in multiple layers of color floating above the surface of the lakes.

For me, who had spent seven hours the previous day traveling from Beijing to this paradise in Hebei province, the view more than compensates the fatigue and car sickness I had endured. All around are young people waving cameras.