On January 14, the Hunan Provincial Culture Department selected 13 counties and cities to highlight as boasting unique Spring Festival culture.Longshan County, Baojin County and Yongshun County are listed as areas known for Tujia Spring Festival customs. One of which is the Tujia new year "Diaonian", usually celebrated one day ahead of the lunar new year. There is also the Sheba Festival, celebrated from the 3rd day to the 17th day of the first month of the Chinese calendar.Jishou, Luxi County and Huayuan County appear on the list for their unique Miao Spring Festival customs, especially the Qiangzhou Spring Party, which features interesting cultural art performances and other traditional Spring Festival activities.Other areas with characteristic Spring Festival customs include: Miluo City, known for Changle Stories; Nan County, for the "Two-hundred Dragon Dance" and Huagu Opera; Nanyue District, for Nanyue Temple Fair; Zhangjiajie City, for Lantern Festival; Leiyang City, for Aoshan Temple Fair; Ruchen County, for Xianghuolong Art Performance; Yueyang Tower District, for Bianhe Street Spring Festival Temple Fair; Xinhuang County, for Tianjin Village Spring Festival Customs; Xupu County, for Silk Lantern Dance; Jianghua County, for "Dragon and Lion" bonfire dance; and Shangzhi County, for Temple God Parade.Translator: Guo Yan Source: Hunan Official Web Portal

News 2013-01-17 18:09 View：1026

New preferential rules for the ticket prices have been implemented for vulnerable or other special groups since the fist day of 2013 in ZJJ Wuingyuan Resort.According to the newly issued rules, people as follow have a right of free visiting in natural-landscape-viewing and custom-and-culture-viewing scenic spots:1. Children under or with the height of 1.3 meters;2. Solders on serving;3. The disabled;4. People at the age of 70 or over;For tourists as follow, vehicles in the resort are free:Children under or with the height of 1.3 meters;For tourists as follow, tourism cultural show is free but without seats:Children under or with the height of 1.3 meters;Besides, people as follow have a right of enjoying concerning discount for tickets of access to the resort, of vehicles in the resort and access to other scenic spots for rest with valid documentations:1. Teenagers under the age of 18;2. Full-time students under the age of 24 on bachelor study in universities and from other lower education institutions;3. Old people between 60 and 70;4. Solders on serving (military officers, civilian personnels and noncommissioned officers);5. Retired military cadres;6. Lineal family members of military martyr;7. People with a Certificate of Government Minimum Living Allowance for Rural and Urban Residents;Translated by Vincent Chou

News 2013-01-17 10:33 View：1537

The China Net News 2012 Heroes" awards ceremony was held in Beijing on the afternoon of January 15. The ceremony was hosted by the Xinhua News Agency and sponsored by Xinhua Net, Beijing TV and the China Net News Column of Xinhua News Agency.The awards were presented to ten grassroots heroes, including Mountain Guard Liu Zhenmao from Chenzhou, Hunan, Chinese J-15 fighter jet engineer Luo Yang, who died in the line of duty on China's first aircraft carrier, and "most beautiful teacher" Zhang Lili, who sacrificed her own two legs to rescue students from a bus accident.Liu Zhenmao, dubbed "Mountain Guard", is a 65 year-old retired worker from Yaogangxian Town, Yizhang County, Chenzhou City. He began to patrol the Shizikou Mountain in the 1980s and has been protecting the mountain from deforestation for 30 years. His total ranger journey is equivalent to 10 laps around the earth! His long-term dedication has kept the mountain free of forest fires and has helped preserve the pristine ecology of the border area of Hunan, Guangdong and Jiangxi.Translator: Guo YanSource: Hunan Official Web Portal 

News 2013-01-16 18:07 View：2463

On January 13, a grand banquet attended by over 300 villagers was held in Zhangwan Village of Hangsha Township of Baojing County in Western Hunan. As the local tradition of butchering pigs began, the whole village was filled with cheers and laughter of villagers who worked hard in the past year.It is learned that Zhangwan Village, the furthest administrative village in Hangsha Township, houses 122 households of more than 480 residents, of which 100 residents working in other places. Most of residents in this village are Miao people. The Ethnic and Religious Affairs Bureau of Baojing County invested 140,000 yuan to provide running water for each family, harden 2,300 meters of roads, build a tea garden with 200 mu (13 hectares) and a seeding base with 10 mu (0.67 hectares) and organize a Miao drum team.Now most Miao people choose to celebrate the New Year in lunar January, except those living in southeast of Guizhou and some parts of Guangxi and Hunan. Miao people in these areas follow the tradition to celebrate the New Year in October, November and December. Besides worshiping ancestors and enjoying a banquet, Miao people hold other grand activities to embrace the New Year, such as offering sacrifice to Dragon Spring and the God of Farmland and dancing to the Lusheng music.Translator: Xiao JuanSource: Hunan Official Web Portal

News 2013-01-16 10:29 View：956

On December 31th, 2012, from ZJJ wulingyuan tourist service center detailed constrution program review meeting, the meeting decided the core principles that at the entrance of zhangjiajie scenic spot to build “wulingyuan tourist service center”, the details construction marked the main entrance of zhangjiajie scenic spot in two years would present a world natural heritage, 5 A-class tourist scenic spot level.Wulingyuan tourist service center will be in strict accordance with the ecology, culture and the principle of human nature. The planning target fully follows the fusion of cultural and tourist industry, the principle of development. In order to be characteristed by zhangjiajie landform and tujia folk customs, strengthen the entrance image, through implanting the theme format, improving tourism service facilities and traffic distribution system, making recreation, scenic spot entrance comprehensive services, cultural display, leisure culture experience, large public activity functions in one body. Thus showing a tujia national characteristics with folk culture theme square.The theme of the center position: With zhangjiajie landform and tujia nationality amorous feelings, through the high standards of tourist service facilities and distinctive characteristics of the entry image, and improving the traffic distribution system, setting international tourism scenic spot service synthesis and comprehensive urban cultural leisure square to “zhangjiajie sealand karp theme culture square”.Functional localization: refining the tujia ethnic customs culture, building image formats, implanting traffic organization. Making wulingyuan scenic spot tourists and city residents as the main consumer groups, in order to set the entrance comprehensive services, cultural display, leisure culture experience, large public activity to the “composite travel service synthesis”.Translated by Sophia

News 2013-01-16 00:51 View：1208

Changsha Pioneering District on the West Bank of Xiangjiang River plans to set up eight urban green corridors with a total length of 45 kilometers and an area of 2.5 million square meters by 2016, according to the Administration Committee of the district revealed on January 14. The eight green corridors will be built along Pingtang Avenue, Yanghu Avenue, Xiaoxiang Avenue, Meixi Lakeside, Dawangshan Holiday Resort, urban areas to the south and north of Meixi Lake and Dongfanghong Road (Xiaohe Landscape section).  The district commenced 27 environment projects worth nearly 2 billion yuan in 2012. The completed Meixi Lake has become Changsha's largest urban lake with a capacity of 7 million-plus cubic meters. Phase II of Yanghu Wetland Park covering 1,500 mu(100 hectares) has been basically accomplished, making it the largest urban wetland park in central China. Other projects include Taohualing Park, Meiling Park, Yinxing Park, Shijiagang Water Park, Green Xiaoxiang Avenue, Green Lane around Meixi Lake and Green Dongfanghong Road.Translator: Guo YanSource: Hunan Official Web Portal

News 2013-01-15 18:05 View：968

Recently, Hunan Price Bureau has announced that price of transportations in core scenic area of Wulingyuan has adjusted and will be executed from January 5, 2013. Specific changes are as follows:Price elevation in Wulingyuan Scenic Spot in ZhangjiajiePrevious price(￥/person)Present price(￥/person)Additional fare(￥)Single tripRound tripSingle tripRound tripResources compensation feesQuality improvement fundsRopeway of Yellowstone Village509665118113Tour Tramcar of Ten-Mile Gallery3040385243Ropeway of Tianzi Mountain5267116Bailong Elevator5672115By Brenda

News 2013-01-15 10:42 View：1228

1, The overall environment: most of Zhangjiajie vegetations are evergreen, so no silent swish of falling leaves and lifelessness even in winter. Instead, Zhangjiajie mountains and water still keep spiritual and vigorous.2, Winter weather: You’d better get to know something about ZJJ weather condition for fear of overcast and rainy days, before you decide to pay a visit. If you are lucky enough, you may encounter snow, which is a kind of blessing during your winter trip.3, Preferential policies: Parts of scenic spots have sales promotion, so please pay close attention to official announcement.4, Accommodation: Downtown hotels tend to have a high use ratio, with normal heating generally. Comparably speaking, baddish hotels within the scenic spots are slightly worse.5, Transportation: Trains hardly show any differences both in off seasons and boom seasons. However, airplanes change largely, because sometimes a few airlines may decrease or even stop their scheduled flights.Translated by Becky

News 2013-01-15 09:46 View：1751