Tourism in China

Baltic Academy of Tourism and Business 
 
 

«Tourism in the People's Republic of China» 
 
 

Maltseva Ekaterina Anatolievna

Department of Tourism and service, 2^th course

Mastermind: Kenf Tatiana Vasilievna  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

St. Petersburg

2011

Content of article

Introduction

1. Tourism services
2. China cuisine
3. Shopping
4. Tourism resources

1. Natural sites

2. Historical and cultural sites
3. Folk customs and celebrations
4. Entertainment and nightlife

5. Cities

1. Notable ancient capitals

2. Renowned historic cities and old towns

6. Famous Sites

In conclusion

List of sources used 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Introduction

  Tourism in China has greatly expanded over the last few decades since the beginning of reform and opening. The emergence of a newly rich middle class and an easing of restrictions on movement by the Chinese authorities are both fueling this travel boom. China has become one of the world's most-watched and hottest outbound tourist markets. The world is on the cusp of a sustained Chinese outbound tourism boom.^[1]

  China is the world's third most visited country in the world. The number of overseas tourists was 55.98 million in 2010.^[2] This figure is limited to only mainland China and does not include Hong Kong(16.9 million visitors in 2009) and Macau (10.4 million in 2009) or Taiwan (4.4 million). Foreign exchange income was 41.9 billion U.S. dollars, the world's fifth largest in 2009. The number of domestic tourist visits totaled 1.61 billion, with a total income of 777.1 billion yuan.^[1]

      According to the WTO, in 2020, China will become the largest tourist country and the fourth largest for overseas travel. In terms of total outbound travel spending, China is currently ranked fifth and is expected to be the fastest growing in the world from 2006 to 2015, jumping into the number two slot for total travel spending by 2015.^[1]

China's tourism revenue reached $185 billion in 2009.^[3]

1. Tourism services

  The fast development of China's transportation infrastructure provides wide-ranging travel for domestic and overseas tourists. Throughout China a great many hotels and restaurants have been constructed, renovated or expanded to satisfy all levels of requirement, and there are now 9,751 hotels with star ratings. All large or medium-sized cities and scenic spots have hotels with complete facilities and services for both domestic and international visitors.

  China currently has 1,364 international travel agencies, 249 of them located in Beijing, Shanghai,Tianjin and Chongqing.

2. China cuisine

3. Shopping

 

IV. Tourism resources

  The most popular kind of tourism in China is Eco tourism, historical and cultural tourism, and of course tradition and celebrations are interested for tourists.

1. Natural sites

  China is blessed with numerous sights with natural beauty. China attracts travelers who are seeking places to admire and explore the beauty of nature.

China's mountains, lakes, valleys, caves and waterfalls:

  Mount Tai in the east, Mount Hengshan in the south, Mount Hua in the west, Mount Hengshan in the north, and Mount Song in the center of China have been called the Five Sacred Mountainssince antiquity. Mount Taishan, which snakes through central Shandong Province, is admired by Chinese as paramount among them. Another mountain celebrated for its beauty is Mount Huangin southern Anhui Province, known for its graceful pines, unusual rocks, cloud seas and hot springs.

  Jiuzhaigou, Huangguoshu Waterfall, and Guilin are all located in southwestern China. Jiuzhaigou in northern Sichuan Province is a beautiful "fairyland valley" running over 40 km through snow-covered mountains, lakes, waterfalls, and forest. The Huangguoshu Waterfalls in GuizhouProvince are a group of waterfalls, 18 above-ground and four below, which can be heard from five km away. The Lijiang River in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region winds its way through karst peaks for 82 km between Guilin andYangshuo.

  On the plateau in northern China are many spectacular lakes. The Tianchi (Heavenly Pool) in the Tianshan Mountains in XinjiangAutonomous Region is 1,980 meters above sea level. This 105-m-deep lake is crystal clear, the high mountains surrounding it carpeted 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 Wu Gorge elegant, deep and secluded, the Xiling Gorge full of shoals and reefs and rolling water. The Lesser Three Gorges are lush with greenery, flanking water so clear you can see to the bottom. The Three Gorges Dam built here is China's biggest key hydro-power project.

2. Historical and cultural sites

  As of 2010, 40 noteworthy Chinese sites were inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritages List. Twenty-nine of these were inscribed as World Cultural Heritage Sites, while seven were inscribed as World Natural Heritage Sites, and four were inscribed as both Cultural and Natural Heritage Sites. China can not be called "China" without its history. The country has a written history of over 4,000 years. Historical sites and relics are many travelers' reasons to take their trips to China. Listed below are all the history-related sights in China.^[4]

  China's long history has left many cultural relics and the title of "China Top Tourist City" has gone to the first group of 54 cities. The Great Wall, a symbol of the Chinese nation, is also a prime example of 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 - huge in its scale and grandeur. There are more than ten sections of the Great Wall open to tourists, including the passes, blockhouses and beacon towers at Badaling in Beijing, Laolongtou in Hebei and Jiayuguan Pass in GansuProvince.

  Grottoes filled with precious murals and sculptures are concentrated along the ancient Silk Roadin Gansu Province. The best known are the Mogao Caves, a "treasure house of oriental art", with 492 caves with murals and statues on the cliff faces. There are 45,000 sq m of murals and over 2,100 colorful statues, all of high artistry. In the south, grotto art is represented in SichuanProvince by the Leshan Giant Buddha, carved into a cliff face. Seventy-one meters high and 28 meters wide, it is the largest sitting Buddha in stone, showing the carving skill of ancient craftsmen.

  The Shaolin Temple in Henan Province, the birthplace of Chinese Zen Buddhism and famous for its Shaolin Kung Fu martial arts, dates back to 495 A.D. Here can be seen the Ming period Five-Hundred-Arhats Mural and Qing period Shaolin kungfu paintings. In central China's HubeiProvince, beautiful Wudang Mountain, with 72 peaks in 30 km², is a sacred site of Taoism, which preserves one of China's most complete and largest-scale ancient Taoist architecture. In western Sichuan Province, Mount Emei, dotted with ancient Buddhist temples and structures, is one of China's four sacred Buddhist mountains｡

  Most of China's 101 cities classified as famous historical and cultural cities are over 1,000 years old. South of the Yangtze River, Suzhouand Hangzhou, long known as "paradise on earth", are crisscrossed with rivers, lakes, bridges, fields and villages, as beautiful as paintings. Today's well-preserved ancient cities includes that of Pingyao in central Shanxi Province, but was also the site of the Neolithic era Yangshaoand Longshan cultures, 5,000 to 6,000 years ago. Ancient Lijiang in Yunnan Province is not only the center of Dongba culture of the Nakhiethnic group but also a meeting place for the cultures of Han, Tibetan and Bai ethnicities. Built in the Song Dynasty, this city has many stone bridges, stone memorial arches and dwelling houses, which provide precious materials for architectural history and can be called a "living museum of ancient dwelling houses."

3. Folk customs and celebrations

  "March Street" celebrated by the Bai people in Dali, Yunnan Province, is associated with the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy suppressing a devil to help the Bai people. It became traditional to burn incense and offer sacrifices to commemorate her virtues every year and 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 occasion taking place in the spring. 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 dance.

  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 the earth. Mosuo women, local dugout canoes and undulating singing style are considered unique to Lugu Lake. 
 
 

2011 Dates for Major Chinese Festival & Events^[4]