With another year beginning and as we move towards China’s reopening post-pandemic, here are the five biggest stories from China’s nature over the last 12 months. From new national parks to lower emissions cities, it was another big year for the country’s push to go green.

Amidst the sprawling deserts of far-western China, the landscape is criss-crossed by the braided Tarim River. Where the river flows, natural life and human culture have existed for centuries against the constant encroaches of the great surrounding sea of sand. Kyle Obermann, Nature Contributor for the China Current, shares the story.

How one of classical music’s most celebrated composers used the inspiration of ancient Chinese poetry to write one of his greatest works.