A symposium was held on Wednesday in Muli, Sichuan to discuss a project to develop special interest tours in the county.

The project, a tourist route featuring breath-taking sceneries in their most natural state, is named Rock 900 Li because famous Austrian-American explorer, Joseph Rock, described Muli as "a land where robbers turn from pillage to prayer" in a National Geographic article after he visited the little-known place in the 1920s.

Muli, a strange name even to some of the most sophisticated travelers,?is listed as a central area of the world-famous earthly paradise Shangri-la in a plan by the National Administration of Bureau.?The county?has physical features similar to those of Daocheng Yading, but has not undergone any development. For photography enthusiasts and backpackers, Muli’s undeveloped landscape will be totally refreshing.

Special interest tours go beyond conventional sightseeing and vacation to cater to tourists’ interests such as mountain climbing, adventure, photography, cross-country self-driving and hunting.

Home to a number of ethnic groups and religions, Muli is one of the counties in Liangshan where the best tourism resources are concentrated. The diversity of its ecology, landform and climate will surely fascinate tourists.

Meanwhile, Muli is the southern gate to Sichuan’s Tibetans-concentrrated scenic areas for tourists from Lijiang of Yunnan, Shangri-La County, Chongqing, Chengdu, Xichang and Panzhihua. Developing tourism in Muli will not only improve local economy and people’s livelihood, but also help Liangshan to become a characteristic international tourist destination.

The symposium, as part of the 2016 Sichuan International Cultural Tourism Festival, is sponsored by the People’s Government of Liangshan and Sichuan Tourism Board.