If you hear someone say that he or she is going to the Red Beach in Panjin, China, don’t start dreaming of a vast sandy beach with waves kissing the shore. Why? Because this is what it’s not!
People call it a sea of red. And this is what makes this stunning Chinese beach a tourist attraction, where thousands flock every autumn. Located in Panjin in the Chinese province of Liaoning, about 370 miles east of Beijing, this beach is actually the world’s largest marshy wetland, covering about 51 square miles of the area.
What’s so special about this wetland is it turns crimson every autumn, making it one of the most visually stunning places on the earth. The eye-popping red color is due to seablite, a type of succulent seepweed that only grows in the saline type of habitat found along the river. This weed is ideally suited to the saline conditions of this wetland.
Come autumn and the seablite grows and matures into a vast sea of red, covering all 51 square miles of the area! Imagine scanning the area and finding it flushed with scarlet hue as far as the eye can see. This carpet-like effect is because the weed densely covers the surface, literally turning it into a red carpet, making it a ‘red carpet beach’.
A red-carpet treatment indeed! This has put this, one of the best-preserved wetlands in the world, on the tourist map.
Although the marshland gets its vermilion color in autumn, when the weed matures, it’s also a treat to watch the lush green weed transform itself into crimson with the approaching season, giving it a breathtaking effect. It’s as if someone has spilled a can of red paint over miles and miles of green expanse.
