In October 2005, Chinese National Geography and 34 media
co-evaluated and co-graded "China's most beautiful places." The
result was a compilation of over 100 scenic splendors -- divided
into 17 types of attraction: mountains, lakes, forests, grasslands,
deserts, Danxia landscapes, islands, coastlines, waterfalls,
glaciers, gorges, city districts, country towns and villages, show
caves, peak forest, Yadan landforms and wetlands.?
Tourism resources in China can be divided into three groups:
natural sites, historical and cultural sites, and folk
customs.?
Natural Sites
Mount Taishan in the east, Mount Hengshan in the south, Mount
Huashan in the west, Mount Hengshan in the north, and Mount
Songshan in the center of China have been called the five Sacred
Mountains since antiquity. Mount Taishan, in central Shandong
Province, is admired by Chinese as paramount among them. Another
mountain celebrated for its beauty is Mount Huangshan in southern
Anhui Province, known for its graceful pines, grotesque rocks,
cloud seas and hot springs.
Jiuzhaigou, Huangguoshu Waterfalls, and Guilin are all located
in southwestern China. Jiuzhaigou in northern Sichuan Province is a
beautiful "fairyland" valley stretching over 40 km and covering a
620 sq km area of snow-capped mountains, lakes, waterfalls, and
forests. The Huangguoshu Waterfalls in Guizhou Province is a group
of 18 above-ground and four under-ground waterfalls, and can be
heard from five km away. The Lijiang River in Guangxi Province has
a section of 82 km between Guilin and Yangshuo, which winds its way
through karst peaks.?
On the plateau in northwestern China are many spectacular lakes.
The Tianchi (Heavenly Pool) in the Tianshan Mountains in Xinjiang
Autonomous Region is 1,980 meters above sea level. This 105-m-deep
lake is crystal clear, surrounded by high mountains covered with
green grass and colorful flowers.?
Along the renowned Three Gorges of the Yangtze River are many
scenic spots and historical sites. The Qutang Gorge is rugged and
majestic. The Wuxia Gorge is elegant, deep and secluded. The Xiling
Gorge has many shoals, swift torrents and reefs. The Lesser Three
Gorges are lush and green, its water so clear you can see to the
bottom. The Three Gorges Dam built here is the biggest key
hydropower project in China.
Historical and Cultural Sites
China's long history has left many cultural relics and the title
of "China Top Tourist City" has gone to the first batch of 205
cities.?
The Great Wall, a symbol of the Chinese nation, is a prime
example of China's historical sites that have become major tourist
attractions. As the greatest defense-structure project in the
history of human civilization, it dates back more than 2,000 years
ago to the Spring and Autumn and the Warring States periods. With
its huge scale and incomparable grandeur, it can be called one of
the wonders of the world. Today there are 10 sections of the Great
Wall open to tourists, including the passes, blockhouses and beacon
towers at Badaling in Beijing, Laolongtou and Jiayuguan Pass.
Grottoes, cliff paintings and sculpture are also splendid
treasures of China's tourism resources. China's grottoes are mostly
concentrated along the ancient Silk Road in Gansu Province. The
best known is the Mogao Caves, a "treasure house of oriental art"
with 492 caves with murals and statues on the cliff face. The total
area of the murals is about 45,000 sq m and there are over 2,100
colorful statues, all of high artistry and imagination. In the
south, grotto art is represented in Sichuan Province by the Leshan
Giant Buddha, carved into a cliff face. At 71 meters high and 28
meters wide, it is the largest sitting Buddha built of stone, and
shows the superb carving skills of ancient craftsmen.?
The Shaolin Temple in Henan Province, the birthplace of Chinese
Zen Buddhism, was first built in 495 and is famous for its Shaolin
kungfu martial arts. Here one can see the famous Ming Dynasty
Five-Hundred-Arhats mural, and the Qing period Shaolin kungfu
paintings. In Hubei Province, beautiful Wudang Mountain has 72
grotesque peaks within a radius of 30 km. A sacred site of Taoism,
it preserves China's most complete, largest-scale and best ancient
Taoist architecture. In western Sichuan Province, Mount Emei,
dotted with ancient Buddhist temples and monasteries, is one of
China's four holy Buddhist mountains.?
There are 101 famous historical and cultural cities in China,
most of which are over 1,000 years old. To the south of the Yangtze
River, Suzhou and Hangzhou, long known as "paradise on earth," are
crisscrossed with rivers, lakes, bridges, fields and villages, as
beautiful as paintings. Today's well preserved Pingyao Old City in
central Shanxi Province was built in the Ming Dynasty but was also
a site of Neolithic era Yangshao and Longshan cultures of
5,000-6,000 years ago. The ancient city of Lijiang in Yunnan
Province is not only the center of the Naxi minority Dongba
culture, but also a meeting point for the cultures of Han, Tibetan,
Bai and other ethnic groups. Built in the Song Dynasty, this city
has many stone bridges, stone memorial arches and civilian houses
which provide precious materials for studying the history of
Chinese domestic architecture and can be called a "living museum of
ancient civilian houses."
Folk Customs and Habits
The diverse cultures and life styles of China's 56 ethnic groups
are reflected in their festivals. The biggest Tibetan festival --
Shoton (Yogurt) Festival -- is also the setting for the annual
Tibetan Theatrical Festival when, for five days in summer, Tibetan
theatrical groups perform and compete in the Norbulingka, the
summer palace of the Dalai Lamas.
Another summer festival is the Nadam Fair on the Mongolian
grasslands where the attractions include wrestling, horse racing
and archery contests.?
March Street is celebrated on Diancang Mountain by the Bai
people of Dali, Yunnan Province. It is associated with the Buddhist
Goddess of Mercy suppressing a devil to help the Bai people and it
became traditional to burn incense and offer sacrifices to
commemorate her virtues. The festival has become a major annual
gathering for Bai commercial, cultural and sports activities.
The Water-Sprinkling Festival of the Dai ethnic group in
Xishuangbanna, Yunnan Province, is a lively springtime celebration.
People chase and pour water (a symbol of good luck and happiness)
over each other, among other activities such as dragon boat racing
and peacock dances.
Lugu Lake, between Sichuan and Yunnan provinces, has become a
tourist destination following the building of a new highway giving
access to this area. The matriarchal society of the 30,000 local
Mosuo people is noted for its "no marriage" traditions and is
called the last women's kingdom on earth. The grace of the Mosuo
women, the elegance of their canoes and the undulating singing
constitute the "three uniquenesses on the lake."
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