The Chinese city of Qingdao made the news when its beaches turned green afterspectacular amounts of algae bloomed in its coastal waters, covering 28,900 square kilometers (11,158 square miles) and driving swimmers away with the smell. On the other end of the color spectrum, at Red Beach in Panjin (about 300 miles northeast of Beijing), a unique variety of alkali-tolerant seaweed will turn from green to a vibrant crimson red in the fall, to the delight of tourists who flock to the wetland.

Red Beach covers approximately 1.4 million acres, but the nature preserve's Technicolor seaweed is not its only tourist attraction: several rare bird species,including the red-crowned crane,are known to pass through Red Beach, located near the mouth of theLiaoheRiver, according to the Los Angeles Times.

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Over 30 kinds of birds under national first- and second-class protection make up the migratory bird population in the scenic area, a stop in the birds' migratory route between East Asia and Australia, according to Chinese newspaper People's Daily.

The best time to see Red Beach is in September, when the seaweed, a type of salt-tolerant grass that turns red as it matures, is at its most vibrant, according to travel guide China Travel Go. Trains leave Beijing for Panjin several times a day -- the fast trains take just under three and a half hours and the slower trains take five to six hours. Local buses and taxis inPanjin can take visitors to the Red Beach area.

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