Online travel platform to promote China abroad

(China Daily) Qunar.com, China's leading online travel platform will invest 25 million yuan ($4.1 million) to launch a campaign aimed at promoting Chinese culture and the positive image of Chinese tourists overseas, the company said in a press release on Wednesday.

Chinese tourists abroad who participate in the campaign will be required to upload photos of foreigners with element of Chinese culture on Weibo, the Chinese equivalent of Twitter. Each participant will have the chance to win up to 500 yuan in a pool of 25 million yuan offered by Qunar.com, according to the company.

"Every Chinese abroad should be the ambassador of the Chinese culture. We hope that this campaign would encourage our citizens to promote the Chinese culture when they travel abroad and let more people in the world know about real China," said Yang Zi, assistant president of Qunar.com.

China is the fastest-growing market of outbound tourism in the world with an annual growth rate of 18.8 percent, according to Qunar.com. In 2013, the number of outbound Chinese tourists reached 98.2 million.

Source: China Daily by Li Xiang

Top attractions in Fuzhou, China

Fuzhou, a city in south China across the strait from Taiwan, is famous for its sea views, mountains and historical sites. As the capital and one of the largest cities in Fujian Province, Fuzhou is also known as the “city of banyans”, because of the numerous Banyan trees planted there.

Fuzhou may not be as popular as the top Chinese tourist cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou and Qingdao, but it is an ideal tourist destination with mild weather and graceful natural scenery. It features spectacular forest parks, unique gardens, historic temples, ancient-style architecture and old streets.

 Below are the top 10 attractions in Fuzhou.

West Lake Park（西湖公园）

Located in northwestern Fuzhou, the West Lake Park is by far the best-preserved classical garden in the city, with a history of more than 1,700 years. It was built in 282 AD during the Western Jin Dynasty (265-316) and became a famous tourist attraction in the end of the Tang Dynasty (618-907).

The park covers a total area of 42.51 hectares, and features pavilions, open halls, houses and towers. 

Its graceful natural scenery attracted many painters and writers in ancient times. It is known as "the bright pearl of Fuzhou gardens." Strolling along the walkways in the park, enjoying the calligraphy works or paintings created by the ancient people, taking a rest in a pavilion, or going on a boat on the lake, are all good choices for visitors.

Admission: Free

Qishan Mountain Forest Park（旗山国家森林公园）

The Qishan Mountain Forest Park is located to the west of Fuzhou City, only 20 minutes drive from the city. Covering an area of 3,587 hectares, the mountain boasts fresh air, wild plants and animals, ancient roads, waterfalls, lakes, deep ponds, bridges and caves. It also features granite landscapes. It is a perfect place for summer vacations, exploration, camping, picnics and hiking.

Admission: 20 yuan (US$3.26) / person

Pingtan Island（平潭岛）

Pingtan Island, also known as Haitan Island, is the largest island in Fujian, and the fifth largest in China. It is located on the eastern coast of Fujian Province, 128 kilometers (79.54 miles) from the center of Fuzhou.

The island boasts a beautiful coastal landscape with clean and fresh water and soft and fine sand. It is an area free from pollution. The sea erosion landscapes are a unique feature of the island. Covering an area of 267.13 square kilometers (26,713 hectares), the island has 6 tourist sections and 2 beach resorts. It is an ideal place for a summer vacation.

Admission: Free

Xichan Temple（西禅寺）

Xichan Temple is an ancient temple which can be traced back to the Tang Dynasty (618-907). It is located in the west of Fuzhou City, at the foot of the Yi Mountain. It is one of five Buddhist temples in the city.

There are 38 buildings in the temple, including halls, pavilions, houses, towers and a dagoba, as well as lakes, bridges and a garden, covering an area of 7.7 hectares. The temple contains Emperor Kangxi’s handwriting and Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) murals. The litchi trees planted in the Song Dynasty (960-1279) are another feature.

Admission: 20 yuan (US$3.26) / person

Yushan Mountain（于山景区）

Located in the center of Fuzhou's downtown area, Yushan Mountain has been an attraction since China’s Warring States period (476-221 BC), when the mountain was called Jiuri. Covering an area of 11.9 hectares, it resembles a huge legendary turtle.

As a historical protection zone, Yushan Mountain now has a number of historical sites, including a white tower, temples, platforms, wells, palaces and over 100 stone inscriptions. The 7-story octagonal tower, 45.35 meters high, is the symbol of the city.

Admission: Free

Shizhu Mountain（石竹山）

Shizhu Mountain is located in Honglu County, Fuqing, a county-level city administrated by Fuzhou. 

It is a major attraction in Fujian Province and has been officially listed as an intangible cultural heritage.

The name Shizhu, which means stone and bamboo in Chinese, comes from the mountain’s bizarre rock formations and beautiful bamboo. Although it is a Taoist Holy Mountain, it is home to all three dominant religions in China: Taoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism. The mountain has 128 scenic spots, featuring temples, caves, stones and towers, among which, Shizhu Temple, Lion Rock and Ziyun Cave and Ziyun Tower are the most impressive.

Admission: 25 yuan (US$4.08) / person

Qingyun Mountain（青云山）

Located in Linglu Town in Yongtai County, 76 kilometers (47.22 miles) south of Fuzhou city center and 58 kilometers (36.04 miles) north of Putia, Qingyun Mountain is a national-level scenic area boasting towering peaks. It covers a total area of 47 square kilometers (4,700 hectares), with several peaks over 1,000 meters above sea level.

The most unique feature of the mountain is the 12-level stone corridor which was formed naturally, and is 1,028 meters long. Features along the corridor include waterfalls, caves, trees and cliffs, attracting a great number of visitors. Wild plants and animals, such as ferns, gazelles and monkeys can also be found there.

Admission: 25 yuan (US$4.08) / person (summer)

20 yuan (US$3.26) / person (winter)

Gushan Mountain（鼓山）

Located in the eastern suburbs of Fuzhou, about eight kilometers (4.97 miles) from the city center, Gushan Mountain is one of the most famous scenic areas in the city. It was named after a huge rock on the summit which resembles a drum and sounds like a drum in the wind or rain.

Measuring 925 meters high, the mountain has more than 100 scenic spots, including pavilions, temples, caves and peaks. The most impressive feature is the 300 inscriptions on the cliff face left by literati in ancient times, including 109 from the Song Dynasty (960-1279).

Admission: 40 yuan (US$6.53) / person

Fuzhou National Forest Park（福州国家森林公园）

Also known as the Fuzhou Botanical Garden, the Fuzhou National Forest Park is one of the 10 national forest parks in China. It is situated in the north suburb of Fuzhou, 7 kilometers (4.3 miles) from the downtown area.

Surrounded by mountains on three sides and water on one side, the park features Chinese and exotic plants, rare animals, lakes, flowing waterfalls, unusual rocky outcrops and stone carvings. The area is divided into six sections: the bamboo section, trees section, cultural landscape section, dragon pool section, forest museum and bird forest.

Admission: Free

Three Lanes and Seven Alleys（三坊七巷）

Located in the downtown area of Fuzhou, the Three Lanes and Seven Alleys (Sanfang-Qixiang) is a district of streets featuring a cluster of ancient residential buildings and is the largest well-preserved historical heritage site in China, covering an area of 40 hectares.

With the Southern Street acting as the central axis, the original three lanes were in the west and the seven alleys are in the east. The layout dates back to the Tang (618-907) and Song (960-1279) dynasties, almost 1,000 years ago. The street is unique as it is the only district in China with this pattern..

The lanes and alleys contain hundreds of houses constructed by wealthy people in the Ming and Qing dynasties, and 159 of the buildings remain well-preserved to this day. As a result, the district has been nicknamed "an architectural museum of the Ming and Qing dynasties." The houses were built using huge old bricks and they carry seashell decorations. The ornaments, wood carvings and stone carvings all testify to the past glory of the area and its buildings.

The area has been home to many famous people, including politicians, military leaders, writers and poets. Some of their descendants still reside there today, continuing in the habits of their ancestors. 

Jiqi Alley, Yangqiao Alley and Guanglu Lane have now been converted into driveways. Only two lanes and five alleys remain.

Admission: Free

Source: china.org by xu lin

Air China Earnings Fall 8.8% on Weak Chinese Currency

(WSJ) Air China Ltd. said Tuesday its third-quarter net profit fell 8.8% from a year earlier, weighted by a weak Chinese currency despite continuous recovery in international air travel.

The Chinese flagship carrier’s net profit for the three months ended Sept. 30 totaled 2.68 billion yuan ($437 million), under Chinese accounting standards, down from 2.94 billion yuan a year earlier.

Revenue rose 6.7% to 29.79 billion yuan from 27.93 billion, on increased demand for air travel, Air China added.

The carriers’ net profit for the first nine months totaled 3.16 billion yuan, down 22% from 4.06 billion a year earlier as the Chinese currency depreciated against the greenback.

The airline said it recorded a 3.02 billion yuan finance cost in the first nine months due to the Chinese yuan’s depreciation against the U.S. dollar during the period. It booked a 498.9 million yuan finance cost a year earlier. It didn’t give a quarterly breakdown for its finance cost.

The dollar-yuan exchange rate plays a key role in determining profitability of Chinese airlines, due to their high financial leverage and large proportion of U.S. dollar-denominated loans.

Source: Wall Street Journal by Joanne Chiu

Chinese, US visitors drive record Kiwi tourism spending

(Xinhua) Increasing numbers of travelers from China and the United States pushed tourism spending in New Zealand up by 5 percent to a record NZ$23.8 billion ($18.79 billion) in the year to the end of March, the government statistics agency announced Tuesday.

Spending by international tourists in New Zealand rose by 7.4 percent, or $709 million ($559.54 million), following a 1.8-percent fall in the previous year, according to Statistics New Zealand.

The number of short-term international visitors increased 5.4 percent over the same period.

"A significant rise in visitor numbers from the United States and continued growth in the number of Chinese tourists contributed to the largest increase in spending by international tourists since 2002," national accounts manager Gary Dunnet said in a statement.

International tourism expenditure contributed NZ$10.3 billion ($8.13 billion), or 15.3 percent, to New Zealand's total exports.

Only New Zealand's dairy sector contributed more at NZ$15.89 billion ($12.54 billion).

However, spending by international visitors has yet to return to levels before the global financial crisis, when it peaked at $10. 7 billion ($8.45 billion) in 2008.

Tourism generated a direct contribution to GDP of NZ$8.3 billion ($6.55 billion), or 4 percent of GDP, while the indirect value added industries supporting tourism generated an additional NZ$6.5 billion ($5.13 billion), or 3.1 percent of GDP.

The tourism industry directly provided 94,100 full-time equivalent jobs, or 4.7 percent of total employment in New Zealand.

Source: xinhua via china daily

China's top 7 Danxia landforms

Mount Danxia (Guangdong)

Mount Danxia is a noted scenic area near Shaoguan in the northern part of Guangdong province. The Danxia mountain is formed from a reddish sandstone that has eroded over time forming a range of mountains surrounded by curvaceous cliffs and unusual rock formations (Danxia Landform). It is described by the local signage as a "world famous UNESCO geopark of China." There are a number of temples located on the mountain range and visitor can enjoy many scenic walks in the area. There is also a river that winds through the mountain area and boat trips along the river are offered to visitors.

Danxia Mountain also has a few unique stones such as the Yang Yuan Stone, Yin Yuan Stone, Breasts stone, Sleeping Beauty and other attractions which make Danxia Mountain a "natural sex culture museum." Particularly noted are two formations: a stone pillar called the Yangyuan ("male/father stone") that bears a remarkable resemblance to a phallus and the Yinyuan hole, which somewhat resembles the female labia.

In the 2010 UNESCO list of world heritage sites, Mount Danxia was listed as a natural World Heritage Site as part of China's Danxia landform

Best travel time: All year around

Wuyi Mountains (Fujian)

The Wuyi Mountains are a mountain range located in the prefecture of Nanping, in northern Fujian province near the border of Jiangxi province. The mountains were listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, for cultural, scenic, and biodiversity values in 1999.

The Wuyi Mountains are located between Wuyishan City, Nanping prefecture in Fujian province and Wuyishan,in the city of Shangrao in Jiangxi province. The world heritage site has a total area of 99.975 hectares that is divided into four core parts: the Nine-Bend Stream Ecological Protection Area (36,400 ha) in the center, flanked by the Wuyishan National Nature Reserve (56,527 ha) to the west and the Wuyishan National Scenic Area (7,000 ha) to the east. The fourth part, the Protection Area for the Remains of Ancient Han Dynasty (48 ha) is located in a separate area about 15km to the south-east of the other lcoations. The core parts are surrounded by an additional buffer zone of 27,888 ha.

Best travel time: summer, although it's very hot then but everything is exuberant.

The golden lake (Fujian)

The golden lake is located in Taining County in the northwest of Fujian province. A man-made lake sits at the upper reach and is about 60 kilometers long, and has a capacity of 8.7 hundred million cubic meters. The Golden Lake is surrounded by mountains and verdant forest. Stone bamboo shoots stand tall with springs flowing through them. There are more than 1,000 historic sites, such as the Baishuiji waterfall, Canglu Temple, the lover's peak, great Chibi, above the water, the five-kilometer-long calm lake, to name a few. These features make up the unique scenic spot. The Golden Lake is also regarded as "Lake of Gold" by tourists at home and abroad.

Best travel time: all year around

Mount Longhu (Jiangxi)

Mount Longhu is located in Jiangxi province. It is famous for being one of the birthplaces of Taoism, as many Taoist temples were originally built upon the mountainside. It is particularly important to the Zhengyi Dao as the Shangqing Temple and the Mansion of the Taoist Master are located here. It is known as one of the Four Sacred Mountains of Taoism.

Two of the temples are of Immortal City and Zheng Yi, all founded by Zhang Daoling, the Han Dynasty founder of the religion. There are more Taoist temples in nearby Shangqing. One of the temples in Shangqing is mentioned in the beginning of the famous Chinese novel "Outlaws of the Marsh." Mount Longhu also carries great cultural significance as it is a historical burial site of the Guyue people, who placed their dead in hanging coffins on the mountain cliffs.

In August 2010 UNESCO inscribed Mount Longhu on the World Heritage List as part of the six sites that make up the China Danxia landforms.

Best travel time: all year around

Langshan Mountain (Hunan)

Langshan Mountain is one of China's National Geological Parks famous for its unique Danxia landform and literally means "Crimson Glow." It is a rare topographic feature in world geography. 

Huge rocks of dark red color with grotesque shapes give tourists a marvelous sight. It is located in Xinning County, about 500 km away from Changsha, capital of Hunan province. In the south, Langshan Mountain is connected with Guilin, and in the north it echoes Zhangjiajie. Covering an area of 108 square kilometers, Langshan Mountain is filled with a rich natural scenery and abundant tourism resources. There are more than 500 scenic spots in Langshan Mountain. Among which the most famous are Tianyi Lane, Chili Peak, Zixia Cave, Fuyi River, Innate Bridge, Octagonal Castle, Emperor Xun Forest Park and the Xicun Ancient Dwelling.

In 2008, Langshan Mountain was nominated as a World Nature Heritage. In august, 2009, some experts from the World Nature Heritage visited the site for inspection, and the mountain is expected to become a World Nature Heritage site next July. If this happens, it will be the second World Nature Heritage in Hunan after Wulingyuan in Zhangjiajie. The name of Langshan comes from an ancient legend. It is said that when Shun, a legendary monarch in ancient China, passed by the mountain, he felt the mountains and rivers here were so wonderful, so he entitled the mountain with a Chinese character - Lang, meaning "good mountains."

Langshan Danxia landform and the evolution of its climate and features are representatives of Earth's historical evolution in Southeast Asia since the Cretaceous, and also represents the crust evolution process and the ancient environmental change of southeast China over 100 million years. It is considered to be an excellent example of the main stage of geo-evolution history.

Best travel time: all year around

Zhangye (Gansu)

Zhangye Danxia is located in the middle of the Hexi Corridor in Gansu Province's Zhangye city. 

Zhangye Danxia landforms cover one hundred square mountain hills, with unique shapes and colors.

Zhangye Danxia landforms offer a wide and magnificent scene, peculiar shapes, bright colors, and is the most typical arid region in China and the largest area of Danxia landscape. It has a very high scientific and tourism value. Zhangye Danxia landform mainly covers the territory of Linze, Sunan 

County with an area of 300 square kilometers. Hierarchical areas are scattered and feature steep rock walls and rich, color classes and colorful screen tower gorges and lakes,

Best travel time: June-September

Chuishui (Guizhou)

The Chishui Danxia inherited from the synergy of the strong and intermittent Cenozoic uplifts of the Himalayan Orogeny and the heat-moisture matched Asian Monsoon, and it has not been damaged from the scouting process of the last glaciations.

Chishui Danxia demonstrates the richness of the Danxia landform diversity. Positive and negative Danxia landforms are not only of high value in explaining Danxia landform evolution, but also show high aesthetic significance.

The Chishui Danxia is big and has tall forests where ancient vegetation and modern vegetation stemming from many species co-exist, revealing an important and on-going process of biology and ecology. Chishui Danxia has a high-level of biodiversity and provides refuge and habitats for many rare and endangered species.

Best travel time: all year around

Source: China Daily

Guangdong Stands Ready for Ebola Prevention

(CRI) Precautionary measures are being put in-place in Guangzhou and Shenzhen to stop the potential spread of the Ebola virus, which has killed thousands of people in West Africa this year.

The two major cities of Guangdong Province are home to a relatively large population of Africans.

As the 116th China Export Commodities Fair kicked off on Wednesday in Guangzhou, the city has started strict examination of all attendees.

Anyone whose body temperature is above 37.5 degrees Celsius will be sent to the hospital for a further check-up.

The provincial authorities have designated 27 high-level hospitals to get ready for treating Ebola cases.

The No.8 People's Hospital of Guangzhou launched an Ebola case response drill to test capabilities in preventing the deadly virus from spreading.

The Shenzhen No.3 People's Hospital has given training to all of its staff, and tested their protective clothing for airtightness.

Guangdong has ruled out possible Ebola cases as 43 people suspected of infection tested negative for the deadly virus. A total of 8,672 people from Ebola-ridden areas have entered the province since August 23, and so far, 5,437 people have been released from medical observation.

Source: CRI

Bears Drawn to Cathay Pacific on Unrest, Ebola: Chart of the Day

(Bloomberg) Hong Kong’s street protests and travel fears sparked by Ebola have dragged down Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd.’s market value by $1.1 billion this year. Investors are betting the worst is yet to come.

The chart of the day shows bearish wagers on the airline’s stock rose to HK$417 million ($54 million) on Oct. 22, a 50 percent increase since police fired tear gas at pro-democracy demonstrators on Hong Kong streets. Short interest climbed to 2.2 percent of freely tradeable shares, an 18-month high, according to Markit Group Ltd. data compiled by Bloomberg. Singapore Airlines Ltd. saw the ratio of shorts, where investors sell borrowed securities with the aim of buying them back at lower levels, decline during the period, the data show.

Cathay Pacific moves half of all air traffic originating in Hong Kong, where protesters forced the shuttering of shopping malls during China’s Golden Week holidays and curtailed access to the central business district. Although Ebola remains mostly confined to parts of Africa, the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) epidemic saw airlines flying empty planes when it struck Hong Kong a decade ago.

“It’s really a bad time for Cathay,” Linus Yip, a strategist at First Shanghai Securities in Hong Kong, said by phone. “Cathay’s earnings won’t be too good as tourists may avoid Hong Kong for their year-end trips on concern over mounting protests. At the same time, the spread of the Ebola virus may scare off long-haul travelers.”

Cathay Pacific shares have fallen 2.3 percent amid the protests, compared with the 1.5 percent drop for the Hang Seng Index. China’s tourism board has stopped approving mainlanders’ group tours to Hong Kong as demonstrators seeking electoral reforms occupied shopping areas and disrupted transport. Mainland tourists accounted for 75 percent of the city’s 54 million visitors last year.

A potential decline in ticket sales will make it difficult for Cathay to improve passenger yields, which suffered from intensifying competition from Middle East-based carriers in the first half of 2014, Yip said. Cathay hasn’t seen booking cancellations in the past few weeks, the airline said in an emailed response to after Bloomberg contacted it.

Source: Wall Street Journal by Jonathan Burgos

Shangri-La Asia to Raise Up to $674m in Rights Offer

(Bloomberg) Shangri-La Asia Ltd., one of Asia’s biggest luxury-hotel operators, will raise as much as HK$5.23 billion ($674 million) in a 1-for-7 rights offer to pay bank loans and fund capital spending.

The company will sell as many as 471 million new shares at HK$11.10 each, according to a statement to the Hong Kong stock exchange yesterday. Shares in Shangri-La have fallen 27 percent this year. They closed at HK$11.10 on Oct. 22, their last day of trading before the suspension. Hong Kong-based Shangri-La applied for its shares to resume trading in the city today.

Shangri-La said it plans to use about HK$3.9 billion from the rights offer to pay bank loans to save on interest costs and will use the balance as working capital and to fund spending on existing hotels and new projects.

Revenue per available room growth -- a measure of hotel profitability -- in the Asia-Pacific region, where Shangri-La has most of its hotels, was intermittent in 2013 and 2014, Bloomberg Intelligence analysts led by Brian Miller wrote in a Sept. 22 report. Adverse currency exchange shifts in Japan, India and Australia and slowing economic growth in China dragged on the profitability of hotels in the region, according to the report.

China’s economy grew at its slowest pace in July-September period since the first quarter of 2009. 

The government has banned officials from spending money reserved for meetings on banquets or luxury accommodation, as the Communist Party battles public discontent over wasting of public funds.

Source: Bloomberg News by Bonnie Cao 

Boeing and Chinese partner to make jet fuel from 'gutter oil'

(Reuters) - Aircraft makers Boeing and Commercial Aircraft Corp of China have launched a joint pilot project to turn used cooking oil into jet fuel.

Their plant, based in the southeastern Chinese city of Hangzhou, will be able to convert just under 240,000 liters a year of used cooking oil into fuel, Boeing said in a statement.

The project will allow the two aircraft makers to test the viability of producing biofuel using the cheap and widely available form of cooking waste, referred to in China as "gutter oil".

Boeing and its Chinese state-owned partner estimate that 1.8 billion liters of fuel could be produced in China a year using gutter oil.

In February, the Civil Aviation Administration of China granted a subsidiary of state-owned behemoth Sinopec Corp a license to produce jet fuel from used cooking oil.

Gutter oil has long been a public health concern in China due to its widespread use in restaurants. Used cooking oil can contain toxic compounds and is often considered insanitary.

Chinese media reported in 2010 that crime rings were collecting used cooking oil from sewers and drains, rebottling it and selling it as new.

Over the past two years, dozens of people have been given lengthy prison sentences for the scam, which has made many Chinese in major cities sick. Last year one man was sentenced to life in prison for making and trafficking gutter oil.

Source: Reuters 

Airbus Helicopters expects China to become biggest market by 2020

(Reuters) - Airbus Helicopters, the world's largest civil helicopter maker, expects China and Hong Kong to become its biggest global market within six years as Beijing starts to lift restrictions on the use of low altitude airspace from 2015.

The Airbus Group NV's helicopter division expects to increase its annual sales in China to 150 units by 2020 from around 30-40 helicopters now, its China president Norbert Ducrot told Reuters.

Sales in the United States, the firm's biggest market, average around 120-150 aircraft per year.

"The China market is very small with a big potential," Ducrot said in an interview in Beijing. "I am pretty sure around 2020, China will be the first market for Airbus Helicopters."

"Before (our customers) were mostly state companies, police and fire fighting, but now we can see the emergence of civil private helicopter operators," he added.

China simplified flight approval procedures for private aircraft late last year, but the fledgling market for helicopters and small aircraft has been constrained by the military's control of low altitude airspace.

A dearth of small airports, maintenance facilities, mechanics and pilots have also hampered the sector's growth.

Ducrot said he expects demand for helicopters and small aircraft to pick up gradually when China starts to open up its low altitude airspace next year.

As infrastructure improves and the military opens up more airspace by 2020, Ducrot estimates there will be 50,000 helicopters in China over the next 30 years. There are only about 330 helicopters currently in operation in China, including Hong Kong.

Other small plane makers are also expanding to cash in on China's growth potential.

Textron Inc's  Cessna Aircraft Company and Embraer SA have started assembling business jets in China, while Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation and Dassault Falcon are adding service and maintenance centers in China.

Airbus Helicopters is currently the market leader in China, with customers that include state-backed Citic Offshore Helicopter Co Ltd. In July, it announced an order for 123 helicopters to three privately owned Chinese general aviation companies, a deal that would effectively double the size of its fleet over the next five years.

In March, it also signed an agreement with Aivcopter, the firm's long-time government-owned partner, to jointly produce 1,000 EC175 models.

Industry observers say more than 200 general aviation companies, mostly privately owned, are lining up for regulatory approval in China.

Existing companies are also planning to expand their facilities. Beidahuang, China's biggest general aviation service provider, plans to buy over 40 planes and helicopters, increasing its fleet to around 130 by 2020.

Source: Reuters by Fang Yan and Matthew Miller

Philippines feels force of China travel warning

(BBC) The beaches and restaurants of Boracay Island are usually bustling with tourists from around the world.

But this year, they are quieter than usual. A travel advisory issued by Beijing has caused a sharp fall in arrivals from China.

"We are worried and we are affected," said Dionisio Salme, president of the Boracay Foundation Inc., the island's resorts' association.

Since the warning was issued on 12 September, Boracay has seen a steep drop in Chinese visitors. 

Numbers fell from 18,479 in August to less than 7,000 in September.

This trend continued into China's week-long public holiday in the first week of October, normally one of the peak travel seasons for Chinese tour groups.

According to Mr Salme, while bars and clubs on Boracay's main beach are still crowded with Filipinos and tourists from other countries, the large resorts which take in busloads of Chinese tourists are nearly empty.

Cancelled flights

Airlines have been hit too. Cebu Pacific (CEB), a major Philippine budget carrier, cancelled 149 chartered flights scheduled between September and December 2014, with a loss of an estimated 24,138 passengers.

AirAsia has also suspended flights from Beijing and Shanghai to Kalibo, the regional airport servicing Boracay. As the travel advisory hit its fourth week, it also reduced flights between Manila and Shanghai.

Jorenz Tanada, vice-president for corporate affairs for Cebu Pacific, remains cautiously optimistic. 

"CEB continues to operate scheduled commercial flights to and from mainland China," he said, adding that the airline hoped the advisory would be "lifted at the soonest possible time".

Regional tensions

In its advisory, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs cited a "worsened security situation in the Philippines" that may see Chinese nationals targeted.

It followed an alleged bomb plot against the Chinese embassy, the kidnapping of an 18-year-old man in the southern Philippines and general concern about criminal gangs.

The Philippine military has since dismissed the alleged bomb plot, noting that the man arrested was a fringe politician whose bombs were merely firecrackers, and the Chinese embassy has yet to determine if the kidnapped man was indeed a Chinese national.

Aileen Baviera, a professor who specialises in Philippine-China relations at the Asia Center of the University of the Philippines Diliman, said it seemed hard to justify the advisory.

"There are so many Chinese in the Philippines, they're all over the country. So these are really isolated incidents," she said.

But the advisory was issued amid high tensions between Beijing and Manila over territorial disputes in the South China Sea and is widely seen in the Philippines as going beyond Beijing's security concerns for its tourists.

"Hyping up the danger to their own nationals in the Philippines is one way that they [Beijing] put subtle pressure on the government," Ms Baviera said.

China issued a similar travel advisory in 2012, at the height of a stand-off at the Scarborough Shoal - a reef claimed by both Beijing and Manila.

That time, it cited a protest planned outside the Chinese embassy in Manila. Of the 1,000 protesters expected by the Chinese embassy, only about 200 showed up, and anti-Chinese violence did not materialise.

The new fall in tourists has already had an economic impact. China is the fourth largest source of foreign tourists in the Philippines, after South Korea, the United States and Japan.

Chinese tourists spent 6.46bn pesos (£89.5m; $144.7m) in the country between January and August 2014, according to a report by the Philippine Department of Tourism.

But in the four days immediately following the advisory, Boracay alone announced 500m pesos in losses due to cancellations.

Some of the people most affected are ethnically Chinese Filipinos who operate the travel agencies used by Chinese tourists.

James Lim is a Mandarin-speaking Chinese-Filipino guide based in Cebu City, the jumping off point for many of the Philippines's most popular tourist destinations.

Mr Lim, who is accustomed to back-to-back tour groups arriving in Cebu directly from China, said the drop in arrivals has put him on an unplanned holiday. He was spending most of his days at a cafe, or playing ping pong.

He declined to read into what the travel advisory could mean for Philippine-Chinese relations, but insisted that Chinese nationals are not specifically targeted by criminals.

'Hoping and praying'

Like other private businesses feeling the strain of the travel ban, Mr Salme is looking for assurances and solutions.

He has asked the Philippine government and the Department of Tourism for help, and invited representatives to the island to discuss ways to bridge the gap in revenue until the advisory is lifted.

"We're just hoping and praying that this can be resolved in the shortest period of time," he said.

Government officials, meanwhile, appear reluctant to discuss the subject. The Department of Tourism declined to elaborate to the BBC, as have some large private firms who are concerned about straining their relationship with the Philippine government over the sensitive political nature of the advisory.

In a press briefing on 6 October, Charles Jose, the spokesman for the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs, said officials were "trying to map out concrete steps that we could take to basically convince China that we are taking measures and that we are guaranteeing and ensuring the safety and protection of their nationals".

On Boracay island, Mr Salme said local authorities were not aware of any incidents targeting any nationalities.

"For us, tourists are a big help and we want to really protect all nationalities," he said. "It is beyond our control what's going on. It's up to our government to find some solution."

Source: BBC  by Aurora Almendral

Forbidden City issues annual passes

(Xinhua) The Forbidden City in Beijing has started sale of one-year passes to better its service, according to a statement from the museum on Tuesday.

It is the first time the Forbidden City, also known as the Palace Museum, has issued annual passes.

An ordinary pass is priced at 300 yuan (about 49 U.S. dollars), while passes catering to special groups including senior citizens and students cost 150 yuan.

Pass holders will be eligible to visit the museum 10 times in a year, according to the statement.

However, in order to ease the traffic in peak season, the passes can not be used during the seven-day National Day holiday, beginning on Oct. 1, according to the statement.

Currently, a typical ticket costs 60 yuan.

Source: xinhua via china.org

Wangfujing Street in Beijing

Described by some as the 5th Avenue of China, Wangfujing has long been Beijing's top international street. Just a short slide down from the Forbidden City, Wangfujing is a melting pot of culture and architecture with some of the city's most famous shops.

At night the street transforms into an episode of Fear Factor, with Wangfujing Snack Street offering up a freakish selection of foods from grilled scorpion to fried seahorse and silkworm cocoons.

Source: china.org

Hotels in China forgo five-star status to dodge anti-graft ire

To avoid the brunt of the government's nationwide anti-graft campaign, some major hotels in China have kept a low profile, abandoning their prestigious five-star status, the Chinese-language Beijing News reports.

Ten hotels have forgone the mark so far this year, including five designated by local governments as official guesthouses.

The downgrading has been made in response to the central government decree forbidding officials from staying at five-star hotels during business travel.

As a result, the number of five-star hotels in the nation had dropped to 804 as of September, as many hotels originally with the celebrated status deliberately forewent the title while undergoing annual official qualification reviews. Those hotels, however, report that their accommodations rates remain unchanged despite the loss of the title, the Beijing News said.

"The government restriction has dealt a major blow to our business, forcing us to abandon our status, since we heavily rely on the patronage of officials," said one official of Yongjiang Guesthouse, a municipal government-designated hotel in Nanning, capital of Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region.

Grand Hotel Qinghuang in Qinghuangdao, Hebei province, also chose to downgrade their status in order to retain businesses associated with public units, which often hold meetings at the hotel.

Many of the hotels laying low claim that their services remain at five-star levels, even without the title, the Beijing News said.

Source: Want China Times

Shangxiajiu Pedestrian Street in Guangzhou

Shangxiajiu Pedestrian Street in Liwan District, Guangzhou, is one of the busiest commercial pedestrian streets in China. Located in the old town of Xiguan, the 1,218-meter-long street is lined with more than 300 shops. The street is also a mixed showcase of architecture, cuisine and folk customs. Its architecture features the characteristics of south European and Cantonese style, being both functional and aesthetically pleasing

Source: china.org