Several travel agencies in southwest China's Yunnan Province including the Yunnan Overseas Tourism Company recently opened a new tourism route -- "the Southern Ancient Silk Road".

"It has attracted an increasing number of tourists," said Liu Wancheng, vice chairman of the Yunnan Association of Travel Agencies.

According to historic records, as early as more than 2,000 years ago, businessmen from southwest China's Sichuan province had begun to trade with their partners in south Asian countries along the ancient silk road from Yunnan (province) to Burma, India, Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan.

Their trade route is today called "the Southern Ancient Silk Road" on which a lot of ancient ruins and cultural relics can be found.

(People’s Daily 02/15/2001)