Sanjiangyuan National Park, one of the first batch established in China, is home to the sources of the Yangtze, Yellow and Lancang rivers. It is the largest of its kind in the country, covering an area of 123,100 square kilometers. With an average elevation of about 4,500 meters, the Sanjiangyuan area sits on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, parts of which span southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region and northwestern Qinghai Province.

Sanjiangyuan is usually seen as an arid and frigid area due to its high altitude. However, the precious water flowing from the abundant glacier resources has nurtured numerous wild flora and fauna, such as snow leopards, Tibetan blue bears and Tibetan foxes.

Known as the "king of the snowy mountain", the snow leopard generally lives in the bare rocks of the mountain and along the snow line. They are extremely cautious that people can barely locate them. To date, at least 400 snow leopards were identified out of more than 100,000 images taken by infrared cameras in the Sanjiangyuan area. The camera also recorded many scenes of adult snow leopards taking care of cubs.

Tibetan blue bear, or horse bear, is a subspecies of brown bear, which is rarely sighted in the wild. The bear is black with a tinge of blue, and characterized by an iconic white collar around its neck. With the continuous efforts in environmental protection and preservation, the bear population is increasing. More footage of the bear is being captured as well.

In addition to the two mighty and secretive predators, the Tibetan fox is another species that is rarely met. Photos of the species from such a close distance are not often seen. The fox is featured by its big and square face, but quite small, only about the size of a miniature Schnauzer. They suddenly become popular internet creatures because of their "silly" squint-eyed look.

As a small hunter on the plateau, the Tibetan fox loves pikas and other rodents. They play an important role in controlling rodent pests and maintaining the balance of the plateau ecosystem.

National parks are one of the most important types of protected natural areas in China. They are critical for ecology and biodiversity conservation.

(All images designed by CGTN's Yu Peng)

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