Erhai Lake is an alpine fault lake in Yunnan province, China. Its name means "Ear-shaped Sea", due to its shape as seen by locals and travellers. Er Lake was also known as Yeyuze or Kunming Lake in ancient times. (Wikipedia)
Source: Fotopedia
Welcome
Saturday, 31 January 2015
Erhai Lake, Yunnan Province
Erhai Lake is an alpine fault lake in Yunnan province, China. Its name means "Ear-shaped Sea", due to its shape as seen by locals and travellers. Er Lake was also known as Yeyuze or Kunming Lake in ancient times. (Wikipedia)
Source: Fotopedia
Sanya crushed by Spring Festival tourist rush
Sanya may be the country's most popular resort during the coming Spring Festival, but the city's infrastructure is not yet ready for the booming tourism.
"Downtown Sanya is designed for 300,000 to 400,000 residents, but during the peak tourism season more than 1 million people will flood into the city," Wang Yong, mayor of Sanya in Hainan province, said on the sidelines of the provincial legislative body's annual session on Monday.
Authorities are speeding up construction, but because of the short annual construction period, it is not an easy job, he added. Due to the four-month typhoon season, the construction period in the tropical city is generally from December to September, and all construction is suspended during tourism seasons such as national holidays and in winter.
The lagging road construction is causing traffic jams and increasing the risks of accidents, especially during the peak traveling season, Wang said.
Besides traffic jams, many tourists in Sanya complain about the difficulty of getting a taxi. According to the Sanya transport bureau, there are 1,234 taxis and another 100 will be arranged in Sanya Phoenix International Airport and other hot tourist spots like Yalong Bay to ease traffic pressure over the coming Spring Festival.
But for Cao Qian, a 31-year-old traveler from Qingdao of Shandong province, the traffic isn't a relief from the winter chill in Shandong.
She arrived in Sanya on Saturday and will return home for work on Feb 15.
"I just gave up getting a taxi because there were no empty taxis coming along for half an hour," Cao said, adding that staying in the hotel to enjoy the sunshine is a good option.
While the traffic problem didn't worry Zhang Chi, a 36-year-old Beijing resident taking his 6-year-old son and wife to Sanya, he said compared with the cold and smoggy days in Beijing, the blue sky and ocean is more attractive.
According to Wang, more than 90 percent of the hotels in Sanya have been booked for the coming Spring Festival, posing a great challenge to the city.
In order to fight price gouging for the coming Chinese New Year, he added, the local price supervision authority published prices of standard rooms in 267 hotels during the holiday with a price cap of 5,000 yuan ($760) for a night.
According to the city's 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-15), Sanya plans to invest more than 180 billion yuan in 243 important projects, mainly for tourism, real estate and infrastructure.
Having received more than 11 million visitors in 2012, an increase of 10 percent over 2011, Sanya has become a preferred tourism destination with tourism revenue reaching 19 billion yuan last year, and the number of tourists is expected to grow by 8 percent in 2013.
Source: By Huang Yiming and Wang Qian (China Daily)
Guatai Mountain in Tianshui, Gansu province
A trip to Northwest China offers fresh air and a connection to the roots of Chinese philosophy, Li Yang reports from Tianshui, Gansu province.
My three-day trip to Tianshui in Gansu province is a refreshing getaway from Beijing's lingering smoggy air - not only for my lungs but also my mind. With its crystal-clear blue sky and fresh clean air, this remote city seems to me more suitable for living than the country's capital.
Many places in Gansu are named for their military purposes in history, as for centuries the area bordered frontier territories.
But Tianshui, which means "sky water", is an exception.
Located in the southeast end of Gansu, Tianshui has prospered for about 2,700 years as an agricultural center nestled in the fertile valley of the Weihe River, the largest branch of the Yellow River.
More importantly, it is one of the cradles of the country's civilization.
Also known as Longcheng, or Dragon City, Tianshui is the hometown of Fu Xi, one of the earliest and most important rulers in Chinese lore. Unearthed relics in Tianshui show that Fu Xi was a real-life tribal leader living about 7,800 years ago.
There is a big temple for Fu Xi built during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) in the city center. Guatai Mountain, where he was born and worked, is now a tourist attraction located near the Weihe River in the north of the city.
Source: By Li Yang (China Daily)
Source: By Li Yang (China Daily)
Thursday, 29 January 2015
Xiamen- A city with beauty and age
It was one of the treaty ports established after the First Opium War, but Xiamen has put aside its history to take its place among China's major cities. Mike Peters finds out the latest attractions.
Egret Island. Island of Abundant Crops. Gateway to China. Amoy. Siming ("Remember the Ming"). Few cities can boast a more colorful series of names - and a history to match - than Xiamen. Legend has it that egrets and poisonous snakes once battled for supremacy here. The birds won, which is why tourists can enjoy a view of Egret Island, and why the egret's silhouette adorns the logos of many local businesses.
Xiamen's story includes plenty of battles among humans, too. Staring out over the harbor is a massive statue of Zheng Chenggong (1624-1662), the national hero popularly known in the West as Koxinga.
Xiamen was one of the five treaty ports established in 1843 after the First Opium War, which made the city - especially the islet of Gulangyu - a place of colonial architecture. The old German consulate is just one of the fine old residences that have been refurbished to welcome overnight travelers.
Today Xiamen is a haven of tranquility - and a semi-tropical escape with special allure as winter's icy grip squeezes the northern half of China. Locals describe Xiamen's appeal as if reciting the Goldilocks and the Three Bears fairy tale: It's not too big and not too small.
"Xiamen is one of the most beautiful cities in China and, located by the sea, it has great views," says Duan Yulin, a local policeman who moved there from Hunan province about eight years ago. He does not like huge cities but also dislikes the inconvenience of small places. "Xiamen is just about the right size," he says.
"I hear people debating whether this is a second-tier or a third-tier city," says Martin Verpoorten, general manager of the new Westin Xiamen, the latest high-end hotel to open its doors on the island.
"This market is not saturated," Verpoorten says. While there are plenty of options in the city center, he adds, new hotels will open on the north side of the island as trade across the Taiwan Straits grows rapidly.
Verpoorten worked in Sanya in the past and says Xiamen has an edge over that sun-and-fun destination. "On Hainan Island, when you're done at the beach, there's not much to do. Here, a lively city awaits."
Entertainment options include an intriguing jade museum, where a terrific English-speaking guide showed us everything from dainty miniatures to a massive jade head with bulging square eyes.
You can stroll and eat your way along Taiwan Food Street, one of several lanes with enticing local delicacies, starting with hot-off-the-grill oysters bubbling with garlic, chopped tomato and sea salt.
You'll find tea "shops" that have brewed regionally grown leaves in the same ceramic vessels for a century. Fujian province is China's main producer of the famed oolong teas.
Laid-back vendors will slice off servings from jackfruits the size of a wall safe, and rose apples - those hot-pink, bell-shaped fruits - are offered three on a stick for about 5 yuan (80 cents).
There's a strong bar and restaurant scene, too, but skip the guidebook-touted Guanren Road Bar Street - a shadow of its once-lively self - and head for the new hotspot: the waterfront strip at Haiwan Park.
Popular hangouts there include the Me & You 2 Bar & Pizza Co, the Havana Bar, JJ's Texas and Steve's, all with live music from spot-on Filipino cover bands. We also liked the food, cigars and music at the Westin's Cuba-themed Qba, where a lively live band from Havana plays six nights a week.
Culture vultures shouldn't miss the Nanputuo Temple, first constructed during Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907). The nearby vegetarian restaurant Dafang Sucaiguan is nearly as famous as the temple itself among the patrons, with dishes that are colorful, tasty and poetically named.
Xiamen University, colloquially known as Xia Da, is the first university in China founded by overseas Chinese in 1921. Backed by green hills and fronted by the sea, its elegant architecture and tree-lined streets make it a treat to explore the grounds on foot.
And then there's that must-do daytrip to Gulangyu islet, a 10-minute ferry ride away. Shuzhuang Garden includes a pleasant bathing beach and the Piano Museum, which features more than a hundred instruments of historic interest from around the world.
Under the influences of European missionaries, the piano has long been popular among locals - one out of every three residences is said to have one - and the island also boasts a famous music college and an organ museum.
Daytrips often turn into overnighters on the islet, and hundreds of beds are available in "home-stay hostels". Some are fully operating bed-and-breakfasts, while others may simply be a bedroom in a busy multi-family dwelling. But even the latter are generally pleasantly renovated with Western-style plumbing and an ambience from bygone days.
If you are a museum fan, you may need an extended stay in Xiamen. Besides the shrines for music and jade, there are museums dedicated to Koxinga, coins, bridges, overseas Chinese and anthropology.
If shopping is your thing, check out the Buy Now Electronics Market for the latest gadgets, and Gulangyu's market streets for souvenir samples of tasty dried meat and fruit, pies and milk-tea cafes. We were gobsmacked by surfboard-sized dried eels, but before you grab one remember they won't fit in the overhead bin if you're flying home.
Xiamen is gearing up to become an aviation hub, with the fourth terminal at its Gaoqi International Airport scheduled to open in June 2014, Business Traveler Asia reports.
In 2012 the airport received about 17 million passengers, and the new terminal will be able to handle 20 million alone.
International trade is nothing new to Xiamen. The first German company to settle in Xiamen in 1854 was Pasedag & Co, notes Stefan Gallon, the consul general of Germany in Guangzhou. International brands with big Chinese markets, such as Denmark's Ecco and US computer-maker Dell, have long-established manufacturing in Xiamen.
Xiamen's waterfront ferry terminals are also expanding, to more easily accommodate the crowds of passengers who line up for tickets to Gulangyu and the nearby islands of Taiwan.
Tourists who come seeking coastal sun, mild temperatures and Fujian cuisine are a major boost to Xiamen's economy, but even the visitors complain about the crowds in summer.
Source: By Mike Peters (China Daily)
China's first luxury liner cruises into service
Henna, the first passenger cruise liner from the Chinese mainland, begins its maiden voyage from Sanya in Hainan province to Halong Bay in Vietnam on Jan 26, 2013. Henna will return to Sanya on Jan 28. The voyage marks the first liner from the Chinese mainland formally entering the cruise tourism market. Henna is 223 meters long, 31 meters wide, has 739 passenger cabins which can accommodate 1,965 people. The ship boasts a restaurant, duty free shop, theater, banquet hall, meeting rooms, bars, swimming pools, spa and fitness center. [Photo by Huang Yiming/Asianewsphoto]
Tuesday, 27 January 2015
Trip to water town Zhouzhuang in Jiangsu province
Located at the northeast of Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, the Lion Grove Garden is famous for the Taihu rocks in various shapes which are said to resemble lions, especially the large and labyrinthine grotto of rocks at the garden's center.
It is recognized with other classical Suzhou gardens as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Together with other three gardens, including Blue Wave Pavilion (Canglang Ting), Lingering Garden (Liu Yuan) and Humble Administrator's Garden (Zhuozheng Yuan), the Lion Grove Garden is one of the four most famous and representative gardens of ancient classical style in Suzhou City.
Sunday, 25 January 2015
40-day Spring Festival travel rush to start on Jan. 26
The 40-day Spring Festival travel rush will start on Jan. 26. (Xinhua)
Friday, 23 January 2015
Boeing's Dreamliner delay hits Hainan Airlines
(Reuters) - Hainan Airlines (600221.SS), China's fourth-largest carrier, said Boeing's (BA.N) failure to deliver its Dreamliner aircraft had forced the airline to delay some new routes, including between Beijing and New York."Frankly, it's a little disappointing the aircraft has been delayed so many times," Chen Feng, chairman of HNA
Group, the airline's parent company, said on Wednesday. "We still think it's a good aircraft, but this has had some effect on our planning."
Hainan Airline has 10 Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners on order. Each aircraft has a list price of $206.8 million, according to Boeing's website.
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration grounded the 787 temporarily after a second incident involving a lithium ion battery caused an emergency landing.
Under Chen, Hainan Airlines has expanded rapidly and added brands such as Hong Kong Airlines to its portfolio. It also bought 48 percent of niche French carrier Aigle Azur in October.
In an interview at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Chen said Hainan Airlines was looking to join an airline alliance, but was unable to join one as all three major groupings - Star, Oneworld and Skyteam - already have a Chinese partner.
Air China (601111.SS) is a member of Star, while China Eastern 601115.SS and China Southern (600029.SS) are both members of Skyteam. Cathay Pacific (0293.HK), Hong Kong's dominant carrier, is a Oneworld member.
"We'll continue looking for an opportunity to work with airlines either bilaterally or through an alliance, but there are issues," Chen said.
Source: Reuters
Island issue sinks China-Japan tourism
As the annual travel peak approaches, Chinese-Japanese tourism remains near rock bottom, and industry insiders say they expect no speedy recovery because of the Diaoyu Islands dispute.Four months after all tour packages to Japan were withdrawn when tensions rose, Japanese travel packages reappeared on Chinese travel agency websites in December.
But the booking records on some websites show that the Japanese tours, once popular during the weeklong Spring Festival holiday, are far from fully booked, a stark contrast with other overseas destinations.
"All travel agencies are testing the waters to see how the market responds to tour packages to Japan, but the results are not good," said Ge Lei, a spokesman for China Youth Travel Service.
At Ctrip, a major online travel agency, almost all tour packages to Japan departing late this month or in February have openings. A spokesman for the company declined to comment due to "the sensitivity of the issue".
The situation is similar at the booking websites of China International Travel Service, another major travel agency. None of the tours to Japan are fully booked.
Ge said the main reason for the lack of interest is that most Chinese people still "have strong feelings" against Japan because of the Diaoyu Islands dispute, and they support boycotting visits to the country.
In an online poll by Japan's Kyodo News Agency on Jan 5, 67 percent of Chinese respondents said they "will not travel to Japan" because of its government's illegal "purchase" of the islands in September.
There has been a sharp drop in Chinese tourists to Japan in the past four months.
The Japan National Tourism Organization said only 52,000 Chinese mainland visitors entered the country in
November, a 43.6 percent year-on-year decline, with a sharp decrease in tour groups.
The former growing trend of Chinese tourists visiting Japan began to reverse in September, when ties between the countries soured, and by October, monthly visitor figures slumped, according to the Japanese tourism organization.
In August, the number of Chinese tourists visiting Japan had increased by 88 percent year-on-year. In October, it plummeted by 33.1 percent year-on-year. November continued the trend with a 43.6 percent year-on-year decline.
Japanese tourism in China followed a similar trend.
According to the China National Tourism Administration, 226,100 Japanese tourists visited China in November, down 31 percent year-on-year.
The numbers also declined in September (22 percent) and October (27 percent).
Tourism authorities in both countries have not disclosed the extent of financial losses due to the sudden cooling off.
However, Zhang Qingzhu, a spokeswoman for China Comfort Travel in Beijing, said the company suffered an estimated loss of 20 million yuan ($3.2 million) after it voluntarily canceled Japan-bound tour products and stopped cooperation with Japanese counterparts last year.
"Seeing relations with Japan haven't softened, we're looking to South Korea, because the flight distance is similar to Japan's," she said. The travel service aims to send 100,000 Chinese tourists to South Korea this year.
Industry insiders say they see no sign of a quick recovery, even though the yen lost 10 percent of its value in the past three months, making Japanese visits cheaper for Chinese tourists.
Many Internet users said they would not visit Japan even if the currency devaluation makes the deal good value.
"Even if we didn't have to pay for anything, we should boycott trips to Japan," a netizen wrote on Sina Weibo, a popular micro-blogging website.
Wu Shiqing, a Beijing resident, said that although she has always planned to see Japan for herself one day, "this is not the right time".
Source: By Xin Dingding and Zhang Yunbi (China Daily)
Beijing may overtake Atlanta as world's busiest airport this year
Beijing's Capital International will become the world's busiest airport by the end of the year, replacing Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson, according a report in USA Today.Predicting that China will also be the epicenter of an unprecedented global demand for new pilots, USA Today said one out of every five commercial aircraft built by Boeing will be bound for Beijing next decade. Perry Flint, spokesman for the Canada-based International Air Transport Association, said that China is now world's second largest air travel market, with 300 million passengers a year.
The United States remains by far the world's largest market for air travel, with about 806 million passengers taking off from the country in 2011. But with China's market still expanding, some analysts believe it will surpass the United States sooner or later — perhaps in little more than two decades. The Official Airline Guide based in London predicts Beijing will overtake Atlanta as the world's busiest airport by the end of 2013.
"I think there'll be a little bit of a battle over the next few months between Atlanta and Beijing as they fight it out," said Rob Shaw, Official Airline Guide's director of analytics. "But eventually Atlanta will sit steady while Beijing continues its growth, enabling Beijing to grab and retain the Number One spot."
Angela Gittens, director general of Airports Council International, a non-profit global trade organization, also says Beijing will overtake Atlanta, but not until 2016.
China still has a long way to go, however. The country will need an estimated 71,300 pilots in the next 20 years.
Yet though many job opportunities will be created, it will take a good deal of time for American pilots to get used to the lifestyle in China, said Kit Darby, an aviation consultant who runs a career information service for pilots.
Source: Want China Times
Wednesday, 21 January 2015
Tourists visit Qianmen Street in Beijing
Tourists visit the Qianmen Street in Beijing, January 21, 2013. Qianmen street, a well-known commercial street in Beijing, is a symbol of Beijing local culture. It reopened to the public in 2008 after renovation and attracted many of the China's time-honored brands to open branchs here. Compared with other pedestrians streets, Qianmen Street will give more prominence to the original flavor of Beijing during its future development. (Xinhua/Li Xin)
China budget carrier listed on Shanghai bourse
The stock, with up to 100 million shares, rose to the limit on its first day of trading, closing at 26.15 yuan per share from its issue price of 18.16 yuan.
The company said in its IPO prospectus that it planned to raise funds to purchase nine new Airbus 320 aircraft as well as three new flight simulators.
Industry observers said the stock of Spring Airlines is much higher than those of China's four listed commercial airlines, including Air China and China Eastern Airlines, indicating the carrier's stronger profitability.
The airline reported a net profit of 270 million yuan in the first half of 2014 amid a tough year for the civil aviation market. Experts estimated its yearly profits would rise by more than 10 percent in 2014.
The Shanghai-based firm is one of the first private airlines in China. Its initiators include Shanghai Spring International Travel Service Co Ltd, Shanghai Charter Airplanes Travel Service Co. Ltd, Shanghai Chunxiang Investment Co Ltd, and Shanghai Chunyi Investment Co Ltd.
Budget airlines in China constitute less than 5 percent of the country's total civil aviation market which boasts a big demand for low-cost airlines.
In addition to operating regional lines, Spring Airlines launched a direct air route between Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei province, and the western Japanese commercial city of Osaka in July last year. It announced plans to open new air routes to the Maldives, Tokyo, Moscow and Melbourne in the future.
Zhang Wu'an, spokesman of the airline, said Spring Airlines aims to compete with international budget carriers.
Source: xinhua via china daily | Photo: Bloomberg
Flight 'Blacklist' System under Discussion in China
The discussion comes on the heels of a series of incidents involving Chinese travellers.
In one of the latest incidents, a man was arrested in Inner Mongolia's capital Hohhot last week after he tried to open the emergency door while on a fight from Hunan's capital Changsha to Hohhot.
In one of the latest incidents, a man was arrested in Inner Mongolia's capital Hohhot last week after he tried to open the emergency door while on a fight from Hunan's capital Changsha to Hohhot.
Witnesses say the man appeared to be drunk.
This incident is the latest in a series of air-rage events involving Chinese travellers.
A few weeks ago, a flight from Bangkok to China had to return to the Thai capital after Chinese passengers became involved in a dispute with the air staff on the flight, leading to a flight attendant being scalded with hot water.
Incidents involving disruptive Chinese travellers appear to be growing.
Zhang Qihuai, an aviation expert with a Beijing-based law firm, says there are some factors that tend to lead to air-rage.
"On the one hand, the educational background and temperament of passengers can be quite different.
They can act-out and break laws and regulations without even knowing it. But at the same time, the quality and temperament of flight crews, as well as customer service at the airports, can also lead to problems."
Numerous brawls among passengers and attacks on cabin crew are often filmed and posted online in China, creating a growing perception around the world that Chinese travellers are rude and hard to deal with.
As such, Diao Weimin, an associate professor with the civil aviation management institute of China, says steps can be taken to ensure rowdy passengers don't become a potential threat.
"Based on the rules laid-out by the International Civil Aviation Organization, airlines do have the right to prevent passengers who have disturbed a flight or failed to follow orders from the cabin crew from flying. This has become an international convention. However, the application of the rules is different among different domestic flight companies. I think we should set up a unified 'blacklist' system to root out problem passengers."
However, legal expert Zhang Qihuai says he's not sure a unified "blacklist" system is necessary.
"In my opinion, the existing laws and regulations are sufficient to limit illegal behavior among passengers. It is not right to set up a 'blacklist' for passengers with bad manners, since it is only supposed to be used to keep suspected terrorists or criminals off flights. It's also not right for individual airlines to start drafting rules covering the aviation system."
While there have been numerous incidents involving unruly and potentially-dangerous acts on airlines involving Chinese passengers, at this point, none have led to any mid-air catastrophes.
Source: CRI
Tuesday, 20 January 2015
Visitors from overseas to get refunds
But a closer look at the plan suggests that the country has a lot more to do to achieve this goal, according to observers.
Overseas visitors will soon be able to claim tax refunds on purchases across China, the Ministry of Finance said over the weekend.
Tourists from overseas and those from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan who have lived on the Chinese mainland for no more than 183 days will be eligible for a rebate of 11 percent on consumer goods bought at designated department stores.
The minimum purchase to qualify for a tax refund is 500 yuan (about $81) at any one store in a day.
A pilot tax refund program was launched in Hainan province on Jan 1, 2011. The new policy announcement increases the products that are eligible for refunds and the purchasing sites.
It is unclear how many cities will apply to join the plan. Southern Metropolis News reported that Hengqin, an area near Macao, will apply to join, but it is not known if Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong province, will do so.
However, according to experts and expatriates, the biggest problem the policy faces is that most foreign tourists, unlike their Chinese counterparts visiting overseas countries, do not come to China to buy well-known brands.
Wendy Fung, a 28-year-old US citizen who has lived in China for more than 5 years, said most first-time tourists to the country tend to buy Chinese-inspired souvenirs or Chinese antiques, for example porcelain tea sets, intricately painted fans, or panda hats and T-shirts.
"It would be great if these souvenirs or antiques can be included in the designated shops," she said.
But Fung said that many international visitors, regardless of the number of times they have been to China, are bargain-hunters.
They want to buy Chinese-made clothing or accessories from vendors' stalls at flea markets where they can get good deals, which are not available in the designated stores, she said.
A manager at a duty-free shop in Shanghai said the policy may not prove that popular, as international tourists do not have much enthusiasm for products they can buy more cheaply at home.
Leading retail industry expert Ding Haozhou, chief executive of Zonfa Commercial Management Group, said more than 60 percent of Chinese consumers now shop for luxury products overseas, and this trend is predicted to continue.
Maintaining this high-end consumption in China should be the policy's priority, he said.
Ding also said duty-free shops should come up with more brands that consumers can find only in
China. Otherwise, they will buy the same products at home much more cheaply.
According to Fitch Ratings, the Chinese retail industry has been hit by a downturn since the second half of 2013, and the outlook will remain negative for 2015.
The challenges faced by Chinese department stores last year, including stiff competition, growing consumer preference for other retail formats, and growth shifting to lower-tier cities, will persist in 2015.
Meanwhile, the number of overseas visitors to China, which has grown steadily in recent years, is still relatively low.
Ctrip, China's largest online travel agency, told China Daily, "The new policy will not boost sales of any internationally known luxury brands in the short term, as Chinese retailers do not enjoy any advantages in terms of price or design.
"However, local high-end brands are very likely to see their sales increase, including sales of silk, tobacco and liquor."
Source: china daily via china.org
Monday, 19 January 2015
Migrant workers return home ahead of Spring Festival travel peak
As Chinese Lunar New Year celebrations approach, many migrant workers have started to return home to avoid the Spring Festival travel peak that begins on Feb 4 and will last for about 40 days. Spring Festival, the most important occasion for a family reunion among the Chinese people, falls this year on Feb 19, with hundreds of millions of people heading for their hometowns to touch base with relatives and old friends.
Source: Xinhua
Sunday, 18 January 2015
China expects investment surge in tourism sector
Li Jinzao, head of the National Tourism Administration, predicted that the 3-trillion-yuan investment would attract additional investment projects worth 15 trillion yuan during the period.
"China's tourism will play an increasingly important role in boosting investment, consumption and exports," Li said at a national tourism work conference held last week in Nanchang City in east China's Jiangxi Province.
"Tourism is not just about consumption. Investment is also an important contributor to growth, and the tourism sector has a large demand for investment," Li said.
Official data showed that direct investment in the tourism industry reached 650 billion yuan in 2014, up 22 percent year on year.
The growth rate for tourism investment surpassed the general investment growth rate for the tertiary industry by 5 percentage points.
Li predicted that rural tourism, small townships, large scenic spots, holiday resorts, and online business would be among the key areas for investment during the next three years.
Source: xinhua via china.org
Saturday, 17 January 2015
Beihai in Guangxi Province
Beihai is covered in lush greenery, even in winter days.
The winter chills in Beijing make me miss my recent visit - short though it may be - to the warm coastal city of Beihai.
During my three-day stay, I enjoyed the unique charms of the city on the edge of Beibu Gulf of Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region.
The moment we landed, we removed our coats and sweaters. The temperature was hovering around 30 C.
A young city, Beihai looks clean and tidy with rows of new buildings. The roads are well planned, spacious and decorated with colorful oleander flowers, bougainvillea shrubs, and trees with flowers I did not recognize. Green belts in some parts of the city are as wide as 25 meters.With water on three sides, Beihai boasts fabulous seascape and beaches.
On the first night, we stayed at a hotel by the shore and the balcony facing the sea offered a breathtaking view.
I head down to the beach immediately after dinner for some fresh sea air and decided to walk barefooted to feel the soft sand massaging the soles of my feet. After a tiring day, the experience rejuvenated me.
We spend the whole of the second day on Weizhou Island, where we not only feasted our eyes on the island's peculiar volcanic landscapes, but also enjoyed the land's fresh seafood and tropical fruits.
We also explore Xingdao Lake in Hepu county, a body of water with little islands spreading like stars across it.
The lake is in fact a huge reservoir. A film set built for Outlaws of the Marsh, one of China's four classic fictions, still stands on one of the islands.
Besides the panoramic views, we also have a chance to experience some history with a visit to a museum showcasing relics recently excavated from an ancient tomb group that dates back 2,000 years ago. The fine bronze ware and pottery are evidence of the city's past glory.
But nowadays, Beihai is known for two things - beaches and pearls.
We visit the 24-km Silver Beach at the south of the Beihai Peninsula and the much touted beach does not disappoint. Covered with fine quartz sands, the beach glitters under the sunshine.
It was named as a national-level tourist site in 1992.
We take off our shoes and rush to join other tourists on the beach, playing with the gentle waves, watching powerboats speed by, and observing swimmers flirting with the waves.
After about an hour, we leave reluctantly and arrive at the famous Old Street of Beihai.
The 9-meter wide and 1.5-km long street was first built in the late 19th century. It is still flanked by old buildings, many of which combine traditional Chinese architectural elements with Western ones. They all bear witness to the city's past.
Now the street has turned into an ideal place for tourists to relax at night, with cafes and souvenir shops housed in the old buildings.
The aroma of freshly brewed coffee leads us to Laodao Cafe where the atmosphere is very relaxing, with soft music playing in the background of the coffee shop, which retains a 1960s-look and the walls are scribbled with slogans from those days.
On the last day, we make a trip to a mangrove forest. Beihai has the best-developed and relatively well-preserved mangroves in China.
The Shankou Mangrove Reserve in Beihai covering an area of 8,000 hectares was listed in 2000 as one of UNESCO's World Network of Biosphere Reserves.
It was fun and exciting to enter the mangrove forest through a long floating raft bridge and to be surrounded by greenery in the unique ecosystem.
Before we leave the city, we stop by the Ocean Museum, where a unique collection of live corals and rare shells are on display. There are also pearls, of course.
Later, at a local pearl center, we not only admire some of Beihai's best quality pearls, known for their size and magnificent color, but the shop assistants also show us how pearls are harvested from their shells.
Source: By Liu Xiangrui (China Daily)
Yuyang Ski Resort - Bunny Hills and Beyond
Skiing in Beijing somehow remains a bit of a secret, despite the fact that there's over ten within reach of the city center. Yuyang is about an hour's bus ride from Beijing, a modest mountain in the eastern district of Pinggu.
It's essentially one face of a mountain, which according to the website has over three kilometers of trails, accessible via two chairlifts. The map claims that nine runs are available, though in effect there is just one main run down the mountain, one smaller branches down the left side, plus two bunny hills on the right.
Faster skiers or snowboarders could cruise from the heights of the top chairlift to the base of the mountain in roughly seven minutes.
The bottom of the central run is where the ramp section is located, targeted at snowboarders though certainly open to all. A series of rolling ramps and rails should keep tricksters entertained.
The mountain allegedly has trails for all levels of skiers, but although the numerous icy patches can make descents dicey, the lower runs aren't particularly challenging. Black runs on the upper mountain are steeper, but straightforward.
Like any ski hill near Beijing, the snow is usually all manmade, which may be a turn off for ski snobs, but the truth is, beggars can't be choosers in this environment.
Yuyang is particularly well-suited to beginners. It has two reasonably spacious bunny hills, and a wonderfully forgiving conveyer belt to take newbie skiers and boarders up the hill.
Staff at Yuyang are particularly helpful, meeting visitors at the gate, and leading them through a potentially complex process of renting gear and suiting up. However, they can also be entirely too helpful in trying to convince beginners that they need to take lessons at 200 yuan a pop. Such coaches certainly have the skill to teach people how to get down the hill, but those who are uninterested in employing them may be bothered by them up and down the mountain.
Admittedly, safety is an issue, and even on the slight slope of the beginner runs, people slowly careening into fences and other people is not an uncommon sight (usually to the hilarity of onlooking friends). Liu Ying was enjoying her first time on skis, and was quick to recognize its difficulties. "If you go skiing for the first time with some friends who also can't ski well, hiring a teacher's not a bad idea," she nodded. "Because skiing's a bit of a dangerous sport. If you can't ski, if you don't know how to turn. You could fall down or hit somebody. I crashed into a person, and somebody crashed into me too!"
For beginners and advanced skiers alike, a key draw at Yuyang is the price tag. In western countries, the cost and effort to get in a day on the hill are not to be taken lightly. At Yuyang, however, prices are downright reasonable. Four hours of skiing on the weekend costs 260 yuan for entrance fee, lift ticket and equipment rentals. On weekdays, the price drops down to 180 yuan. Visitors should note that prices will be slightly elevated for the upcoming Spring Festival holiday.
People who bring their own equipment should receive a 40 perecent discount for doing so.
For those who have no interest in even attempting to ski or snowboard on the slopes, there is a section of snow dedicated for sledding (clearly designed for children), or a section for "snow motorcycles."
Having only opened in 2006, Yuyang is kitted out with decent equipment and facilities. There is a large, spacious building filled with rental clothes, equipment, lockers, retail stores and restaurants.
Yuyang Ski Resort
Fees:
Entrance: 20 yuan
4 hours of skiing (including equipment and lift ticket): 160 yuan on weekdays, 240 yuan on weekends. 8 hours of skiing (including equipment and lift ticket): 240 yuan on weekdays, 340 yuan on weekends.
Getting there: From Dongzhimen Bus Terminal (Dongzhimen subway station Exit B), take Bus #852 to Century Plaza (世纪广场)in Pinggu, then take a local taxi to Yuyang Ski Resort (about 20 yuan).
Winter Hours: 08:30 – 17:30
Spring Hours: 08:30 - 1800
Source: CRI By William Wang
China launches tourist tax refund scheme
According to the plan, foreign tourist and those from China's Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan who have lived in the Chinese mainland for no more than 183 days -- can receive a rebate of 11 percent on consumer goods purchased at designated department stores.
The minimum purchase for a tax refund is 500 yuan (about $82) at any one store in one day.
China started a pilot tax refund program in south island province of Hainan on Jan 1, 2011.
"The expansion of the program will spur inbound trips and boost the export of China-made commodities," said Liu Shangxi, a senior researcher with the MOF.
Source: xinhua via china daily
Taiwan wants US intervention over China flight route controversy
The Taiwan government hopes the United States will push Beijing to continue to negotiate with Taipei on China's plan to open new flight routes over the Taiwan Strait, Minister of Foreign Affairs David Lin said Thursday.
The unilateral move by China is totally unacceptable to Taiwan, and the government has expressed its objection through the United States and other countries, Lin said during a legislative hearing.
Because Beijing has yet to file a formal application with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the plan can still be changed, he said.
Acting Transport Minister Chen Jian-yu, meanwhile, said there is still time for communication with China before the plan is implemented on March 5.
Prior to China's announcement, the two sides had met twice, without reaching a consensus, Chen said.
Earlier in the week, Beijing unilaterally announced that it is planning to open a new north-south route M503–west of the median line of the Taiwan Strait–and three east-west routes–W121, W122 and W123–that connect with it.
According to Taiwan's Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA), route M503 is too close to the Taipei Flight Information Region, a key air transport hub in the West Pacific, while routes W121, W122 and W123 could affect flights between Taiwan and its outlying islands of Kinmen and Matsu, which are located just a few kilometers off the coast of China.
When asked about the matter during a daily press briefing Wednesday, US State Department deputy spokeswoman Marie Harf said that "our primary focus is on maintaining and enhancing international aviation safety."
"We do encourage China to engage and consult with the parties affected by the newly declared air routes in the Taiwan Strait to ensure that air safety concerns are addressed," Harf said.
Source: Want China Times
Friday, 16 January 2015
Greenland Group to invest 31 billion yuan in Nanjing subway
China's largest developer, Greenland Group, would invest 31.3 billion yuan ($5 billion) in a subway project in Nanjing as it pushes forward its strategy to engage in massive urban development through financing subway transportation.
According to a memorandum of understanding the company signed with the Nanjing government on Wednesday, the company would participate in the development of the city's Line 5 subway. The engagement would give it access to commercial projects related to the subway, such as construction and land development along the line.
The company also would invest over 30 billion yuan in a city light rail project in southwest Chongqing. Greenland previously spent 11.7 billion yuan in its first subway development project in eastern Xuzhou.
The strategy could help the developer to acquire land at a cheaper cost amid rising land prices in major Chinese cities, analysts said.
Source: China Daily by Zheng Yangpeng
Chengdu to Build 11 Billion Dollar New Airport
The new airport in Southwest China is scheduled to be completed by 2025.
The new Chengdu airport is going to have three runways, and should be able to handle 40 million passengers per year.
Chengdu's existing International Airport, built in 1938, is already the 5th busiest airport in the country, behind only Beijing, the two airports in Shanghai and Guangzhou.
Beijing to Open Motorail Routes to 6 More Cities
The six destinations are Haikou city in Hainan province, Guangzhou city in Guangdong province, Kunming city in Yunnan province, Fuzhou city in Fujian province, Wenzhou city in Zhejiang province, and Harbin city in Heilongjiang province.
The prices of the car-transporting service depend on the vehicle size and distance, roughly ranging from 2,000 yuan ($323) to 4,000 yuan for a single trip.
The new move comes after the bureau received positive feedback on the previous motorail routes which were rolled out during the National Day holidays and the APEC holidays.
With motorail service, passengers taking the train can have their cars transported to the destination at the same time. The vehicles will be loaded onto autoracks, car-carriers, or flatcars.
As the number of car ownership soars in the fast-developing country, the demand of self-driving tour also increases. For those heading to a scenic spot far from home, the motorail service would save them energy during their travel.
Just one day before Beijing's announcement, Shanghai also decided to open a motorail route to Huangshan city in Anhui Province.
Source: china daily via cri
Chinese Tourists Warned of Credit Card Data Theft Overseas
A woman surnamed Wei from Nanjing nearly lost a thousand Euros after her card was compromised during a recent tour in Belgium.
"There were two payments that didn't get my authorization. One was more than 300 euros and the other exceeded 500 euros. I went into a flat spin. How could it happen to me?"
A third unauthorized payment was prevented after the woman asked her bank to block the card.
After checking her payment records, the bank exempted her from paying the debts in question.
The traveler's card didn't have a password. She suspects the card numbers were stolen by cashiers at local restaurants or stores who scanned the cards when she wasn't looking.
Chinese tourists have been the biggest-spending travelers in the world, but meanwhile have to face the rising threat of credit card data theft overseas.
Tour guide Duan Dongdong urges travelers to set passwords for their credit cards, and register for payment notifications to reduce risk of fraud.
"I strongly recommend tourists register for instant notifications. It can ensure every payment record will be sent to your handset through message and Wechat as soon as the payment is made."
He also suggests high credit-line users apply for a temporary reduction in their credit limits before a trip, while travelers should be more careful when in small shops and use cash for small payments.
Source: CRI
Source: CRI