China Daily Global Edition (USA)
CHINA’S LARGEST CAMPSITE OFFERS PERFECT GETAWAY
is merely 20 kilometers away from Huangshan Tuju Campsite.
Ding Guangning drives an electric patrol car around a campsite, which is located 1.5 kilometers away from the west gate ofHuangshan, or Yellow Mountain, in East China’s Anhui province.
“Huangshan is probably the most well-known Chinese mountain in the world,” said Ding, who saw a sport utility vehicle stop and restart a couple of times on a road on the campsite.
Ding drove over to the SUV and offered his assistance to the driver, whoseemed a little confused about the location of the caravan he had booked.
“Keep on going and you will see sections marked with letters from A to K. Each section has several caravans, with the room number carved on a stone at the roadside,” Ding said.
The Huangshan Tuju Campsite, which covers an area of about 67 hectares, is the largest campsite in the country, according to Ding. There are 201 caravans available for hire and there will be another 170 in a year or two, he said.
“The passengers in the car seemed to be the driver’s parents, wife and kid. They are typical of the type of visitors we have here. Most visitors come with their families and friends,” said Ding, who has been marketing director of the campsite since autumn last year.
In front of each caravan, there is a parking lot for the tenants’ own cars. “Once you hire a caravan, the parking lot is exclusively yours,” Ding said to the driver.
“It is like a private yard, in which there are facilities to enjoy a barbecue, while the kids can play with each other and the dogs they often bring with them,” he said.
Compared with staying in a hotel room, visitors enjoy more open space for outdoor activities, while some tourists prefer just sitting in front of their caravan or walking around the campsite in the sunshine.
As the campsite is bordered by streams, which have crystal-clear water and are surrounded by stones, tourists can take a leisurely walk around the campsite, enjoying the murmuring streams.
“The Chinese name ‘Tuju’ consists of and whichmean‘travel’ and ‘live’ respectively. We hope visitors can enjoy their stay and make themselves feel at home,” Ding said.
It was a cold and slightly foggy weekend when China Daily paid the campsite a recent visit. The mountains were not clearly visible in looming mist and the clouds made the scenery look like a black-and-white Chinese painting.
The view can be stunning when the breeze disperses the mist to uncover the beauty of the mountain peaks.
In the offseason, the campsite receives about 100 visitors each day. The best time to visit is from April to May, or from October to November, while the peak season lasts all the way from April to November, according to Ding. During peak season, the number of daily visitors to the campsite can reach more than 2,000 on weekends has 201 caravans available for hire. or holidays.
“On spring and autumn nights, there are campfire parties at which tourists like to sing and dance,” said Ding, adding that such activities are unusual in winter due to the low temperatures.
At night, the moon and stars shine brightly in the sky, contrasting with the scattered lights in the windows campsite.
Entering Huangshan from the west gate, tourists can enjoy hiking with magnificent views in the of the caravans on the Xihai, orWest Sea, Grand Canyon.
To protect the picturesque scenery in the canyon, only a few permanent buildings have been constructed there. A cable car takes tourists to the mountain tops, of which the highest peak sits 1,865 meters tall.
In spring, when the rape flowers blossom, which can be seen all over Jiangnan, or the areas to the south of the Yangtze River, many tourists bring their bicycles to tour around the mountainous area, where there are set routes for bicyclists. The campsite also has bicycles for hire for those who cannot bring their own.
Ding said most tourists come in their own cars. Three and a half hours is enough to complete a 150-km tour around the whole of Huangshan, which was added to the list of UNESCOWorld Heritage Sites in China in 1990 and was named a Global Geopark in 2004.
Known as Huizhou prefecture in ancient times, Huangshan is renowned for its numerous remaining ancient buildings, which which are are distinctive distinctive in style.
Mo u n - tainous as the area is, a lot of ancient villages and houses have been well preserved, as the area was seldom disturbed by conflict. A feeling of having traveled back in time arises when strolling through the villages and ancient houses.
One of the most famous villages is Hongcun, which has hundreds of ancient houses that were built during the Ming (13681644) and Qing (1644-1912) dynasties, and has been listed as an AAAAA-rated tourism spot, the highest level in the country’s tourism sector.
Merely 20 km away from the campsite lies the beautiful Taiping Lake, where tourists can use yachts to enjoy the surroundings.
The Huangshan district, where the mountain and campsite are based, was originally named Taiping county due to the lake, but later on, the mountain became more well known.
There are three types of caravan available for hire. The European andUS ones, in accordance to their furnishings, are priced at 880 yuan and 780 yuan per day respectively, with both having two or three beds to accommodate a family. The third type of caravan is a smaller one for couples or those who come alone.
In addition to the 201 caravans, there are also 76 parking lots for those who arrive in their own camper vans or cars. On the lots, water pipes and electricity are accessible.
“Increasing numbers of Chinese are being able to afford their own camper vans,” Ding said.
There is also a hotel on the site with more than 130 rooms. During last year’s weeklong National Day Holiday, which begins on Oct 1, nearly 90 percent of the caravans and all of the hotel rooms were booked.