Dead silence, broken by rustling trees and birds fanning out of the dense woods. Eight seconds later, silence reigns again. Before long, a bloodstained big cat emerges from its snowy camouflage with a lifeless goat in its mouth.
This was Lu Qing’s first sighting of a snow leopard.
Lu travelled more than 2,000km from Shanghai to Angsai, in China’s western Qinghai province, in a quest to spot snow leopards in the country’s first national park.
“I feel like my heart skipped a beat when I saw that snow leopard,” Lu recalled of the encounter in Sanjiangyuan National Park in 2020. “That one moment made all the travelling worth it.”
For China’s wildlife enthusiasts like Lu, stringent Covid restrictions meant long-planned trips to Masai Mara or the Serengeti were virtually unattainable. Many have instead turned their attention Angsai, nestled in the Tibetan plateau's "Valley of Big Cats".
The vast area of uninhabited land is home to many endangered species, including snow leopards, leopards, brown bears and lynx.
On the Chinese internet, a quick search of “Angsai Valley of Big Cats” would return abundant posts of visitors trekking into the valley and making joyful encounters with the creature. “Everyone who is passionate about wildlife and conservation should come visit this place,” one user wrote on Xiaohongshu, a popular lifestyle social media platform in China.
Snow leopards are the flagship species in Qinghai’s wildlife conservation effort, creating a knock-on tourism boom after the creation of China’s first National Park, Sanjiangyuan, in 2015.
Shanshui Conservation Centre, an NGO focusing on conservation of wildlife and their habitats in the area, is working with local families to organise safari tours.
Since the project was given the OK from an environmental perspective in 2019, a total of 22 families have signed up to allow visitors to stay with the locals and experience the rare chance of sighting snow leopards.
It's a big responsibility. Angsai and Shanshui have introduced strict rules to protect the area. For instance, every visitor has to obtain permission from the authorities to enter the park and only 12 can be present in the valley at any given time. Guides are also required to carry infrared rangefinders to make sure visitors stay at least 200 metres from the big cats so as to not disturb them.
“We make sure the animals are not disturbed by our presence — we are the guests in their territories and we should respect that,” said Gama Suonan, a local host who now also works as a guide.
Each year, the families are randomly assigned a number and host visitors by numerical order to “ensure fairness”, according to Shanshui. Tourists pay 400 Chinese yuan ($58) a night for accommodation and 1,000 yuan for a vehicle and guide for a day.
All the proceeds stay in the community, with 55 per cent going directly to the host families and 45 per cent used for wildlife conservation and building infrastructure in the village, such as hospitals and electricity grids.
“It was an amazing experience staying with my host in Angsai because they know the area well to take us to places where snow leopards often make appearances,” Lu said.
Apart from the programme of hosting visitors, Shanshui has also tried other methods to engage with the local community to advance the conservation effort.
The organisation set up 80 camera traps near the 1,750 square km village and trained 80 local yak herders to operate and maintain them. In 2017, Shanshui said these camera traps took more than 200,000 photos, providing important statistics on the conservation effort.
Avoiding human-wildlife conflict is also at the centre of the conservation plan. In Sanjiangyuan National Park, wolves, brown bears and snow leopards have repetitively ventured into villages and hunted domestic poultry, local villagers say.
“In the past, some people would kill these animals because they kept killing our domesticated animals,” Suonan said. “But now, with the compensation, people are less angry about these encounters, and it’s been helpful.”
Suonan is referring to the “snow leopard insurance fund” established in 2016. Donations and government support funnelled 220,000 CNY ($32,000) to the fund in 2017, for example, providing compensation for 222 incidents where wildlife caused monetary damage.
With the joint effort of local governments, NGOs and local villagers, the fragile ecosystem on the Tibetan Plateau, hit particularly hard by climate change, is undergoing a gradual return of these mighty mammals. According to Shanshui Conservation Centre, 85 snow leopards have been spotted in the Angsai region, creating more incentive for the visitors.
“I hope this programme can be sustainable and we can have more visitors come to admire the beauty of our nature,” Suonan said.
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Financial considerations before buying a property
Buyers should try to pay as much in cash as possible for a property, limiting the mortgage value to as little as they can afford. This means they not only pay less in interest but their monthly costs are also reduced. Ideally, the monthly mortgage payment should not exceed 20 per cent of the purchaser’s total household income, says Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching.
“If it’s a rental property, plan for the property to have periods when it does not have a tenant. Ensure you have enough cash set aside to pay the mortgage and other costs during these periods, ideally at least six months,” she says.
Also, shop around for the best mortgage interest rate. Understand the terms and conditions, especially what happens after any introductory periods, Ms Glynn adds.
Using a good mortgage broker is worth the investment to obtain the best rate available for a buyer’s needs and circumstances. A good mortgage broker will help the buyer understand the terms and conditions of the mortgage and make the purchasing process efficient and easier.
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
Know your Camel lingo
The bairaq is a competition for the best herd of 50 camels, named for the banner its winner takes home
Namoos - a word of congratulations reserved for falconry competitions, camel races and camel pageants. It best translates as 'the pride of victory' - and for competitors, it is priceless
Asayel camels - sleek, short-haired hound-like racers
Majahim - chocolate-brown camels that can grow to weigh two tonnes. They were only valued for milk until camel pageantry took off in the 1990s
Millions Street - the thoroughfare where camels are led and where white 4x4s throng throughout the festival
Stree
Producer: Maddock Films, Jio Movies
Director: Amar Kaushik
Cast: Rajkummar Rao, Shraddha Kapoor, Pankaj Tripathi, Aparshakti Khurana, Abhishek Banerjee
Rating: 3.5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
AUSTRALIA SQUAD
Tim Paine (captain), Sean Abbott, Pat Cummins, Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Moises Henriques, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Michael Neser, James Pattinson, Will Pucovski, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Swepson, Matthew Wade, David Warner
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
'Unrivaled: Why America Will Remain the World’s Sole Superpower'
Michael Beckley, Cornell Press
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20SAMSUNG%20GALAXY%20Z%20FOLD5
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Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
RESULTS
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 80,000 (Turf) 1,200m
Winner: AF Majalis, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer).
5.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 80,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner: Sawt Assalam, Szczepan Mazur, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami.
6pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 80,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner: Foah, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel.
6.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh 70,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner: Faiza, Sandro Paiva, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
7pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 80,000 (T) 1,600m
Winner: RB Dixie Honor, Antonio Fresu, Helal Al Alawi.
7.30pm: Rated Conditions (TB) Dh 100,000 (T) 1,600m
Winner: Boerhan, Ryan Curatolo, Nicholas Bachalard.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Vidaamuyarchi
Director: Magizh Thirumeni
Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra
Rating: 4/5
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
