China Daily (Hong Kong)

Waterfalls, caves, cool temperatur­es: Anshun an ideal summer vacation spot

- By CHEN MEILING chenmeilin­g@chinadaily.com.cn

Known for its water fall, gorge and stone buildings, Anshun, a city in Southwest China’s Guizhou province, is an ideal place for tourists to visit in summer, officials said at a recent promotion conference.

“The average temperatur­e of Anshun is about 21 C in summer. It has fresh and wet air, always raining at night,” said Gu Xinwei, director of the Anshun tourism developmen­t committee.

The city is home to three national scenic spots, two of which have been granted 5A attraction status.

One of the 5A-level attraction­s, Huangguosh­u Waterfall, is among the largest waterfalls in East Asia.

Located on the Baishui River in Anshun, it is 7 7.8 meters high and 101 meters wide. Tourists can watch the waterfall from different angles at six of its observatio­n decks, according to China’s travel portal Ctrip.

The best season to visit it is from June to October, Ctrip said.

“The scene in the TV opera Journey to the West left me with a deep impression, said Doris Lee, a netizen on Ctrip. “That’s when I first learned about Huangguosh­u Waterfall.”

Lee said she visited the Doupotang waterfall at the Huangguosh­u scenic area, a shooting site for the TV series, adapted from an identicall­y named ancient novel.

“You’d better wear a rain- c o a t , o t h e r w i s e y o u’ l l g e t showered all over,” Lee said.

She also mentioned an undergroun­d karst cave inside the waterfall group; the cave contains many colorful stalagmite­s and stone forests under light.

C a o Pe n g c h e n g , d e p u t y director of the Beijing Municipal Commission of Tourism Developmen­t, said at the conference that the natural tourism resources of Anshun a tt r a c t e d m a ny n a t i v e s i n search of a feast for the eyes, clean air for the lungs and a place to relax from the stress of a busy life.

Cao said the two cities are cooperatin­g to develop more travel routes for Beijing residents.

Zeng Yongtao, Party chief of Anshun, said Beijing is an important market for developing its tourism. The first direct flight from Anshun to Beijing took off in early 2013, followed by a flight named after Huangguosh­u Waterfall in 2015 flying to Anshun from the Nanyuan airport in Beijing.

Guizhou Fenghuang Travel Agency released preferenti­al policies to target Beijing tourists, saying visitors from the capital can get a 50 percent discount for travels in Anshun.

After receiving approval to construct a national tourism demonstrat­ion area in 2016, Anshun is on the way to innovating different tourism products, including Huangguosh­u Waterfall and Dragon Palace Cave, the undergroun­d cave system with lakes, waterfalls and stalactite­s, as well as the Getu River and stone buildings, Zeng said.

During this year’s 2017 Guizhou Anshun Aviclub General Aviation Flight Carnival, which takes place from Friday through Sunday, the city will hold promotiona­l events for air travel.

Anshun ranked No 2 in a list of the Top Attraction­s of this summer, released by China Tourism Academy in July, following only Kunming of Southwest China’s Yunnan province.

Dai Bin, president of China Tourism Academy, said though temperatur­e, humidity and rainfall played an important role in evaluation, the relaxing, fashionabl­e atmosphere is also key elements attracting modern tourists.

Some 300 million Chinese people are expected to seek relief from summer’s heat in Anshun and other domestic vacation spots.

in Anshun, Guizhou province, have been granted 5A attraction status

 ?? PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY ?? A camping site in rural areas of Anshun, Guizhou province, provides a holiday resort.
PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY A camping site in rural areas of Anshun, Guizhou province, provides a holiday resort.
 ?? PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY ?? Huangguosh­u Waterfall in Anshun is a popular tourist destinatio­n.
PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY Huangguosh­u Waterfall in Anshun is a popular tourist destinatio­n.
 ?? PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY ?? The FTC-2000 Mountain Eagle aircraft developed by Guizhou Aviation Industry Group is designed for exports.
PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY The FTC-2000 Mountain Eagle aircraft developed by Guizhou Aviation Industry Group is designed for exports.

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