CHINA DAILY Tuesday, July 7, 2015 Anshun special 7

Huangguoshu Waterfall is a scenic landmark in Anshun, Guizhou province. The city is set to host the 10th Tourism Development Convention on Thursday. LUO YONGZHONG / FOR CHINA DAILY Anshun set to host tourism convention

Infrastructure improvements get city on track to become top travel destination, Yang Jun and Zhao Kai report.

Must-see sites

Huangguoshu Waterfall: One of the largest waterfalls in China and East Asia, it is 77.8 meters high and 101 meters wide — its main waterfall is 67 meters high and 83.3 meters wide — and is located at the Huangguoshu Waterfall National Park. Bus services are available from Guiyang, capital of Guizhou province, to Anshun. The 128-km journey via the expressway takes one and a half hours. Recommended season: summer

Dragon Palace: Approximately 116 km from Guiyang and 27 km from the Rice varieties spell out the Chinese character “dragon” The Baling River Bridge, which is more than 2,200 Langtang village in a suburb of Anshun is being utilized center of Anshun, the scenic site is adjacent to Huangguoshu in cursive script at Dragon Palace, a popular tourist meters long and 370 meters high, spans the Baling River as a model site for a countryside development program. Waterfall. Dragon Palace is a 60-square-meter-wide scenic destination in Anshun. PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY Valley. PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY spot that features waterfalls, cli s, canyons and underground caves. The area contains the world’s highest number of underground water-eroded caves. Inside a 15-km-long ith the 10th Tour- to accelerate the growth of the city would keep adapting to expressways connecting scenic and there are more options of cave, visitors will be able to see various rock formations, an ism Development sector and help build itself into be creative and competitive to spots in Anshun to neighbor- how to spend your time,” said underground waterfall and artifi cially carved Buddha statues. Convention slated a “world-class tourism destina- further improve the tourism ing provinces and direct fl ights Zhang, who last visited Huang- W to start on Thurs- tion”. industry. to major cities like Beijing, guoshu in 2006 and 1998. Tunpu cultural tour: day, host city Anshun is garner- Since then, through The city’s transport network Shanghai and Guangzhou, Anshun is working with tele- Explore the authentic traditional lifestyle in villages with a ing a lot of attention. improved infrastructure and expansion will play an impor- Anshun has become a regional communication companies to 600-year history that date back to the Ming Dynasty (1368- The city in Southwest Chi- industrial upgrading, the city tant role in the process, as it transportation hub. provide big data and smart 1644) in the Tunpu area and experience the traditions and na’s Guizhou province has long has become a popular tourist saves on the amount of time The city has also worked to tourism services, said Zeng culture that have remained through the centuries. The villages been a popular destination for destination in Guizhou prov- spent on roads and provides a improve its infrastructure and Yongtao, mayor of Anshun. are well preserved and visitors can observe ancient dramas, travelers and attracts hun- ince. more convenient travel experi- hospitality services for tourists. Tourists can use online ser- how its people make silver handicraft and houses that used to dreds of thousands of tourists Statistics show Anshun ence, Zhou said. In recent years, a number of vices for consulting, booking be fortresses centuries ago. from China and abroad every received 31.76 million tourists The expanded road network hotels and resorts have been and pre-ordering before or Bus services are available from Guiyang to Anshun, a total year. in 2014, generating 30.7 billion also gives tourists more access established in scenic spot during their journeys, Zeng distance of 72 km. It boasts attractive natural yuan ($4.95 billion) in tour- to explore the beauty of Ans- areas. said. ZHAO KAI scenery and features includ- ism revenue. Both fi gures were hun, he added. By combining natural scenes He added that being able to ing Huangguoshu Waterfall — greatly increased from 2006. “We hope every tourist will and urban areas, Anshun has receive notifi cations via smart the largest of its kind in Asia “Anshun has an appealing have the chance to fall in love greatly increased its attraction devices for the weather or traf- — and Dragon Palace, one of natural environment and cli- with the city,” said Zhou, who for tourists. For 53-year-old fi c conditions would also help the world’s largest groups of mate. It is rich in resources, also mentioned that tourism Zhang Wanyuan, his third visit visitors plan their days and tion are the biggest advantages neys here — this is our first water-eroded caves, as well as historical sites and ethnic cul- has become a pillar industry to Huangguoshu Waterfall in routes. we have to boost the tourism step to becoming a world-class 600-year-old villages. ture. These are all key elements in the city. June was quite di? erent from “The richness of natural and industry,” said Zhou. tourist destination,” he said. In 2006, Guizhou held its for the tourism industry,” said With the Guiyang-Guang- those in the past. cultural resources, combined “We would like to see more fi rst provincial tourism devel- Zhou Jiankun, Party chief of zhou and Guiyang-Changsha “The scenic area has become with the comfortable climate travel enthusiasts get to know Contact the writers through opment convention in Anshun Anshun. He added that the high-speed railways, a series of bigger and more beautiful, and convenient transporta- Anshun and enjoy their jour- [email protected] Preserved villages give visitors a glimpse of the past

By ZHAO KAI the Mongol army of the for- Despite thousands of visi- from the once poverty-strick- [email protected] mer ruler, they did not return villages tors walking along the ancient en area the chance of a better home. 8 stone paths, the villages remain life. The tunpu’s local culture Along with features like Zhu Yuanzhang (1328-98), in Anshun have changed little well preserved. and traditions in handicraft, Huanguoshu Waterfall and the the fi rst emperor of the Ming throughout the centuries “There are many changes drama and architectural style karst cave Dragon Palace, Ans- Dynasty, ordered the soldiers that have come to our life, but have become a huge draw to hun in Guizhou province o? ers and their families — most of some things are still the same,” tourists. visitors the chance to explore whom were from East China in the secret and security-tight said Fang Huinan who lives in Preservation and restora- preserved ancient villages. — to establish fortresses and fortress. Benzhai village, one of the best tion of the style and features The villages retain tradition- defend the southwestern bor- Seven watchtowers overlook preserved in Anshun. of the villages has become a Wearing masks, villagers perform Dixi, a local drama and a national al features from more than six der of the newly built empire. each village. Peepholes are “Most of our traditions and top priority for the Anshun city intangible cultural heritage item. PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY centuries ago and bring visi- Thirty percent of the soldiers everywhere and functioned as cultures are exactly the same government. A total of 140 old tors a unique experience. remained on all-day military an ancient version of closed- as 600 years ago, but in the buildings in Tianlong Tunpu There are eight villages in duty, the rest farmed and pre- circuit TV monitors. Every modern age it’s inevitable were restored in January and Anshun that have changed pared for war. house is linked with secret to interact with the outside another 70 were finished in little from 600 years ago when In the following decades, passages, through which resi- world, because we are part of late May. they were frontier posts. Every 2 million more people from dents can move around and it, too,” said the 27-year-old, “We spare no efforts to village looks like a fortress East China were relocated to exchange messages. who returned to her village restore the primitive style and built of stone. Women in blue the area to develop the local As time passed, the descen- and became a tour guide after features of tunpu culture,” said robes walk by muddy roads, economy. These migrants dants of the original migrants graduating from a local col- Yao Xingcan, an executive at Han descendants who first didn’t marry locals and lived have stayed in the same place lege. Guizhou Tourism Investment settled in the area during the within their own neighbor- even though there are no lon- Fang said before the area’s Group, which was in charge of Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). hoods, which they called tun- ger any posts or fortresses for growth in tourism, many the project. When 200,000 soldiers set pu. them to guard. Even after the young people tended to leave “It’s good to see our vil- o? from Nanjing — then the Walking around the maze- dynasty changed, their lifestyle their villages. However, most of lage and culture is becoming country’s capital in today’s like villages, it’s easy to appre- remained the same. them have now chosen to come known by more people from coastal Jiangsu province in ciate how an outsider could Today, the villages are one of back as the tunpu has a more around the world, and it also East China — and conquered get lost and how an invader the top places for travelers to promising future. makes us proud of our history,” Guizhou in 1381 after defeating would be likely to meet his end visit when in Anshun. Tourism has given people Fang said. A preserved ancient village. LI LIHONG / FOR CHINA DAILY