CHINA DAILY | HONG KONG EDITION Tuesday, August 20, 2019 | 19 LIFE Expo promotes travel from China to ASEAN The 1,500yearold Fotang town in Yiwu, the world’s largest wholesale hub for small commodities in Zhejiang province, also attracts tourists for its traditional architecture, merchant culture and sweet snacks. PHOTOS BY XU LIN / CHINA DAILY AND PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY By YANG FEIYUE [email protected]
An exhibition showcasing the tourism resources of China and Association of Southeast Asian Nations will be staged in Guilin More than the ‘mall of the world’ in the Guangxi Zhuang autono mous region from Oct 18 to 20. The ChinaASEAN Expo Tour Yiwu is known as an epicenter of commodity retail. But a growing number of visitors are ism Exhibition aims to boost discovering that the countryside surrounding the city offers other allures, Xu Lin reports. friendship and cooperation among China and ASEAN coun tries. It is hosted by China’s Min isitors to the hinter wood carvings, and is celebrated It also houses antique wooden rockclimbing facilities for chil versions. Chen’s edition was pub istry of Culture and Tourism, lands surrounding the for its merchant culture and sweet beds carved with auspicious pat dren and colorful 3D murals. It lished in 1920, one year before the and Guangxi’s local govern world’s largest small snacks. terns and gilded with gold or recently announced that it will CPC’s founding. ment. commodity wholesale The ancient town gained new glaze. Such beds were dowry req build a 350 million yuan amuse Around Spring Festival in 1920, The exhibition has been hub in Zhejiang province will disV fame in 2017, after scenes from the uisites in ancient China. ment park in Shangshan village in Chen returned to Fenshuitang staged for four consecutive cover there’s much more to the popular reality show, Keep Run Yiwu is known for its brown Zhejiang’s capital, Hangzhou. and lived in a woodshed, translat years. It attracted over 800 city than just a shopping paradise. ning, starring Chinese celebrities sugar, the processing of which Fotang is also partnering with ing by the light of an oil lamp. exhibitors and more than 300 Yiwu city’s government has con Lu Han and Dilraba Dilmurat, dates back four centuries. It was nearby Xiaoshun town to offer In 1952, he became president of buyers from over 50 countries tinued to develop tourism in the were filmed there. listed as a form of national intan redtourism day tours. Shanghai’s Fudan University. and regions in 2018. countryside as part of its ruralre The town’s Wanshan Floating gible cultural heritage in 2014. In 1930, Communist Party of Travelers can visit the restored This year’s event will consist vitalization strategy and has con Bridge was originally built with Fotang’s brown sugar culture China leaders from 13 counties in woodshed, where a wax figure of of seven exhibition zones, fea sequently designed 10 themed donations collected during Qing center features bronze figurines western Zhejiang held a secret Chen sits in front of a simple desk. turing Belt and Road elements, itineraries. It has encouraged its Dynasty (16441911) emperor that vividly demonstrate the com meeting at Maimotan in Xiao The statue appears pensive, and international travel and individ eight Stateowned enterprises to Qianlong’s reign, when Fotang plicated process of making it shun, before they launched an holds a Chinese writing brush in ual cities’ appeal. invest capital and human resour was a prosperous trade hub with a using sugar cane. Chinese tradi armed revolt against the Kuom one hand and a zongzi (a pyrami Tourismpromotion, busi ces in such relevant areas as infra busy port. tionally believe brown sugar is intang government. Many became dal glutinousrice dumpling) in nessnegotiation and projectin structure construction. Over twodozen wooden boats good for health, especially for martyrs. the other. vestment meetings will be held Yiwu received over 10 million are connected by iron chains and women. Today, Maimotan is a bird habi It’s meant to portray a moment in the interim. tourist arrivals in the first half of covered with planks. Locals Fotang town’s Xiaoliushi village tat and hosts an exhibition hall when Chen was concentrating so The exhibition will also show the year, a more than 16 percent rebuilt the bridge in 2017. has been transformed into a devoted to the historic meeting hard on translating that he dipped case Guilin’s cultural and crea increase over the same period of The town’s main street is lined theme park. and rural sceneries. the dumpling in black ink rather tive products, says Jia Yucheng, a 2018. Inbound travelers account up with shops, restaurants and The village committee called Fenshuitang village is another than brown sugar. He didn’t real senior official with Guangxi’s cul ed for over 300,000 of those visits. snack bars. upon residents to provide funding redtourism destination in Yiwu. ize this until his mother discov ture and tourism department. The top five source countries were An exhibition hall showcasing and become shareholders in the Travelers visit to see scholar ered his lips were dark, the story Authorities believe the event South Korea, India, the United local intangible cultural heritage venture in January 2017. They Chen Wangdao’s (18911977) goes. will help Guilin to develop into States, the United Arab Emirates displays cultural artifacts related invested 4 million yuan to build a former residence, where he com Indeed, travelers in Yiwu will an internationalresort city. and Malaysia, according to local to local customs and culture, 200meterlong glass bridge pleted the first Chinese transla discover that, in addition to the Tourism between China and authorities. including abacuses used by mer between two hills. tion of The Communist Manifesto commodities sold downtown, its ASEAN countries has continued Total tourism revenue reached chants in the old days. Xiaoliushi also has a zip line, based on its Japanese and English countryside also offers travel to boom in recent years. 12.77 billion yuan ($1.81 billion). products that feature nature, his Bilateral personnel visits Fotang town is an increasingly tory and culture, and make visit reached 57 million in 2018, and popular destination in Yiwu’s ing all the more valuable. about 4,000 flights were made countryside. The 1,500yearold among China and ASEAN coun settlement features traditional Contact the writer at tries. buildings adorned with stone and [email protected] China is the biggest source of travelers to ASEAN countries, seven of which were among Chi nese travelers’ top 10 destina tions last year. China and ASEAN countries have also reached partnership agreements related to culture and tourism through the Belt and Road Initiative, Jia says. Indonesia has allowed Chi nese travelers visafree entry since 2015, while Brunei, Cam bodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myan mar, Thailand and Vietnam have all adopted visaonarriv al policies for Chinese. “It has facilitated Chinese travel in ASEAN countries,” Jia says. Tourism players and insti tutes from 21 countries and regions have confirmed their participation in this year’s event, says Li Bin, director of Guilin’s culture, radio, TV and tourism bureau. Over 100 overseas buyers from 26 countries and regions, including the United States, Canada, Britain, France, Russia and Australia, have registered. A total of 22 Chinese provin ces, autonomous regions and municipalities, including Bei jing, Shanghai, Guangdong, Zhejiang, Jiangsu and Sichuan, will also participate in the tour A river flows along Fotang town in Yiwu, which gained new fame in 2017, after scenes from the Chinese reality show Keep Running were filmed there. PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY ism exhibition. Wulong’s quest adds natural beauty to a physical challenge
By YANG FEIYUE meters and will include a cross savor the charm of Wulong. countryside and such tourist swim in the river, hike in the forest country run, canoeing, ropeladder About 1,000 outdoor sport fans attractions as the Xiannyu (Fairy) and valley, sprint on grasslands and Those who relish a physical chal climbing, swimming and cave have been invited to hike and camp Mountain during their run. explore karst caves) on the classic race lenge and love nature are in for a exploration. in the district’s mountainous regions. Contestants will also get a taste of routes over the years to get there.” treat as a mountain quest that All the racetracks involve distinc “The race fully takes into account boattracking at the Wujiang River, Wulong, about 130 kilometers brings together physical challenges tive landscape and run through the integration of competition, the and better understand Wulong’s from downtown Chongqing, was and natural beauty will be held in local scenic spots, says Zhang Zhiji physical challenges and audience boattracking history. Hazardous founded in AD 619. The 2,900 Chongqing from Sunday to Aug 28. an, deputy director of the hiking experience, as well as fashion and river conditions, such as the tor squarekm district boasts karsts, The China International Moun sport management center with the culture,” Zhang says. rents, meant trackers earlier had to caves, forests, springs and wilder tain Quest will be staged in the city’s country’s General Administration of As a result of the planning, par pull vessels along the waterway. ness. Wulong district. Sport. ticipants will experience a rapid The local government is also try UNESCO designated Wulong’s The quest has been held annually More than 30 teams are expected descent from an overpass to the ing to use the mountain quest to karsts as a World Natural Heritage over the past 15 years, during which to take part in the quest, including Wujiang River and sliding across transform Wulong into a top out site in 2007, along with the Shilin The Three Natural Bridges time about 400 professional sport about 20 from abroad. The prize an overhead cable from the sum door sport and tourism destination karsts in Yunnan province and the resort in Wulong district, teams from over 70 countries and money totals $200,000. mit of Wulong’s wellknown Three globally. Libo karsts in Guizhou province. Chongqing, features karsts, regions have competed against one In addition to professional races, Natural Bridges resort to a glass Lu Hong, the district head, says: The district received 32 million vis caves, forests and wilderness. another. races for the general public will also viewing platform, while cross “We’ve developed and finetuned its in 2018 and raked in 15 billion yuan WANG JUNJIE / FOR CHINA DAILY This year, the race covers 200 kilo be held to allow more people to country runners will see beautiful innovations (allowing participants to ($2.19 billion) in tourism income.