盐城市
Salt fields, elk and the world's only red-crowned crane reserve
Why this place
Yancheng's name means 'salt city' — it produced sea salt for two thousand years. Today its tidal flats are the most important stopover for migratory birds on the East Asian flyway, and it holds both a red-crowned crane reserve and a wild elk population.
What to see
- Yancheng Yellow Sea Wetlands — a UNESCO site and critical bird habitat
- The Red-crowned Crane Nature Reserve at Sheyang
- The Dafeng elk reserve, where the only wild Milu deer population survives
- The old salt administration sites and the Yan River
What to eat
- Yancheng seafood and salted fish
- Jianhu lotus-root cakes and the local freshwater crab
Best time
November–March for cranes and wintering birds; May for the reed green
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