Residents play Lusheng, a reed-pipe wind instrument, in Sanjiang Dong Autonomous County, southwest China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Aug. 16, 2012. Having a history of 2,000 years, Lusheng is a free-reed organ played by people of the Dong and Miao ethnic groups in southwest China. Performers often dance or swing the instrument from side to side while playing. In 2008, Lusheng was listed in the National Intangible Cultural Heritage List.Yang Zhiguang makes Lusheng, a reed-pipe wind instrument, in Sanjiang Dong Autonomous County, southwest China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Aug. 16, 2012. Yang, 58, was born in Tongdao Dong Autonomous County of central China's Hunan Province. He could play Lusheng when he was seven and began learning to make Lusheng at 20. Having a history of 2,000 years, Lusheng is a free-reed organ played by people of the Dong and Miao ethnic groups in southwest China. Performers often dance or swing the instrument from side to side while playing. In 2008, Lusheng was listed in the National Intangible Cultural Heritage List. Since most young people in the villages go out for work, the persons who can play and make Lusheng becomes less and less. "Dong villages can live without Luseng. As the inheritor, I can not let this craft lost," said Yang Zhiguang. Su Dejun, 47, Yang's junior fellow apprentice, was invited to Sanjiang to make Lusheng this time.Yang Zhiguang (R) makes Lusheng, a reed-pipe wind instrument, in Sanjiang Dong Autonomous County, southwest China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Aug. 16, 2012. Yang, 58, was born in Tongdao Dong Autonomous County of central China's Hunan Province. He could play Lusheng when he was seven and began learning to make Lusheng at 20. Having a history of 2,000 years, Lusheng is a free-reed organ played by people of the Dong and Miao ethnic groups in southwest China. Performers often dance or swing the instrument from side to side while playing. In 2008, Lusheng was listed in the National Intangible Cultural Heritage List. Since most young people in the villages go out for work, the persons who can play and make Lusheng becomes less and less. "Dong villages can live without Luseng. As the inheritor, I can not let this craft lost," said Yang Zhiguang. Su Dejun, 47, Yang's junior fellow apprentice, was invited to Sanjiang to make Lusheng this time.Su Dejun makes Lusheng, a reed-pipe wind instrument, in Sanjiang Dong Autonomous County, southwest China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Aug. 16, 2012. Having a history of 2,000 years, Lusheng is a free-reed organ played by people of the Dong and Miao ethnic groups in southwest China. Performers often dance or swing the instrument from side to side while playing. In 2008, Lusheng was listed in the National Intangible Cultural Heritage List. Su Dejun, 47, was invited to Sanjiang to make Lusheng with his senior fellow apprentice Yang Zhiguang this time. (Xinhua/Bai Yu)Yang Zhiguang makes Lusheng, a reed-pipe wind instrument, in Sanjiang Dong Autonomous County, southwest China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Aug. 16, 2012. Yang, 58, was born in Tongdao Dong Autonomous County of central China's Hunan Province. He could play Lusheng when he was seven and began learning to make Lusheng at 20. Having a history of 2,000 years, Lusheng is a free-reed organ played by people of the Dong and Miao ethnic groups in southwest China. Performers often dance or swing the instrument from side to side while playing. In 2008, Lusheng was listed in the National Intangible Cultural Heritage List. Since most young people in the villages go out for work, the persons who can play and make Lusheng becomes less and less. "Dong villages can live without Luseng. As the inheritor, I can not let this craft lost," said Yang Zhiguang. Su Dejun, 47, Yang's junior fellow apprentice, was invited to Sanjiang to make Lusheng this time.Source:Xinhua 

News 2012-08-27 13:47 View：2973

During July 8 to 10 of lunar calendar, the Yao people in Xiaoshajiang Town and Huxingshan Yao Nationality Township performed dance and music show, went to the fair and met friends to celebrate the traditional festival “Taoliaogui”. During the festival, the beautiful Yao girls wear the most colorful traditional costumes to show their best.“Taoliaogui” is translated according to its pronunciation in Yao language and it means escaping the curse of the Buddha.Yao girls in national costumes dance in the festival “Taoliaogui” on August 25.Translator: Wang RongChinese source: hn.xinhuanet.com

News 2012-08-26 13:44 View：2051

On 20th, August, ten shutterbugs from Shanghai are taking pictures in Wulingyuan Scenic Spot for photography competition named Baofeng Lake Cup on the theme that Pandora’s too far while Zhangjaijie near. Since the beginning of August, the photography contest on “Fascinated by Zhangjiajie in mist and rain and intoxicated by the beauty of Huanglong Cave” and the second international network photography competition of Baofeng Lake Cup has successively made their debuts, which has attracted photographer and shutterbugs all over the country to flock to Zhangjiajie.These two competitions organizers will provide not only abundant favors to the participants, but also rich rewards. The investment of the two competitions amounted to 600,000 RNB. For the photography contest on “Fascinated by Zhangjiajie in mist and rain and intoxicated by the beauty of Huanglong Cave”, the reward for the golden price is 50,000 + a camera with a value of 20,000 Yuan. And as to the works collected by the second international network photography competition of Baofeng Lake Cup, the authors will receive a prize of 10,000 Yuan and the honorific title as the “Mountain Guard” to enjoy a life-long free ticket.By Brenda

News 2012-08-24 14:03 View：1219

Mao Zedong's lasting charisma has not only ensured Shaoshan village, where he grew up, has prospered into a popular tourist destination, but also has led to a boom in diverse Mao-themed products.Today, souvenir stores line the roads in Shaoshan, with their interiors and fronts decorated with the late leader's statues, pictures and badges.Many tourists and storeowners refuse to bargain for these souvenirs as it seems disrespectful, while many of the Mao-linked products have become famous.For instance, the Mao-style braised pork dish, a life-long favorite, is now named after him.It is said that before New China was founded, Mao would celebrate each victory of his army with a serving.In Shaoshan, the dish appears to have more meaning than elsewhere.Source:chinadaily.com.cn

News 2012-08-24 13:27 View：1189

Recently, Sina published the most notable 13 natural spectacles of East Asiaareas. Undoubtedly, one of Zhangjiajie’s famous scenic spot Wulingyuan topped the chart relying on its large amounts of steles which could resist the geocentric attraction. What’s more, these magical steles also once played another roles—— the inspiration of the surrealistic blockbuster Avatar. In November, 2010, they were named “Zhangjiajie landform” by a group of international geological landform experts.In the meantime, other natural spectacles included in this ranking list are MountHuang, Guilin, Mount Qomolangma, Taroko Gorge, Huangguoshu Waterfalls, Heavenly Lake of China; Mount Fuji, Tojimbo Cliffs,Mount Cangwang, Mashu Lake of Japan; Jeju Island of South Korea; and Gobi dessert of Mongolia.Translated by Becky

News 2012-08-23 14:00 View：2904

According to the Changsha Tourism Development Conference held on August 23, the city will receive 100 billion visitors from home and abroad and achieve an overall tourism revenue of more than 120 billion yuan by 2015. Moreover, by 2020, the value added in tourism will account for 10% of the City's GDP. Changsha has made it into China's top five capital tourism cities, with the scale, quality, and profit of its tourism industry ranking front row nationwide. And great efforts will be made to build Changsha into a tourism service industry demonstration city and an international tourist destination.Changsha will be developed in accordance with the international tourist destination standard while special attention will be given to its internationalized infrastructure construction, finer management and people-oriented service. More emphasis will be put on city promotion, that is, the scheming, marketing, and introduction of a happy Changsha, targeting the whole nation and the world as well.Translator: Li XuanSource: Hunan Official Web Portal

News 2012-08-23 13:18 View：1058

DUBAI, Aug. 23 (Xinhua) -- Many leading economists in Dubai believe that the growing ties between China and the oil-rich Gulf Arab states have the potential to expand further and to withstand global economic shocks.When Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao paid a landmark state visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in January this year, the Gulf state's President H. H. Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan said "The UAE has the sincere desire to bolster its relations of cooperation with China in pursuit of more progress and development in both countries and further stability in world economy."Wen expressed the same hopes in exchange and urged his 200,000 compatriots who live in the UAE to respect local Arab culture and customs.There are over 3,800 Chinese companies in the UAE, and the number is growing domestically and regionally at stop-watch speed.WIN-WIN TIESEconomic ties between Beijing and Abu Dhabi, but also between the Gulf Arab countries as a whole, grew indeed at an impressive level in the last decade, with the total trade between China and the six countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), which are Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and Oman, rising ten- fold to hit 100 billion U.S. dollars last year.These new ties mean a win-win situation for both sides. China imports its urgently-needed oil from the GCC; in exchange, Beijing gains access to a fast-growing consumer market with "Made in China " products flooding into the GCC, whose total population stands at 47 million today and grows at 6 percent annually.Due to the new East-Eastern axis, both sides gain a higher degree of independence from traditional trade routes with Europe and North America.AMPLE ACTIVITIESEven during the dull summer month of August, ample activities were seen.The Dubai Mercantile Exchange, at which oil futures contracts are traded, said on Aug. 14 that it witnessed an annual growth rate of 31 percent for its flagship product DME Oman, "an indication of the growing importance of Asian demand for oil in the global marketplace," said DME Chairman Ahmad Sharaf.Data compiled by the DME showed that China's primary energy demand rose to around 2,400 million tons of oil equivalent in 2012, up from around 1,000 tons in the year 2000."China's role in global energy is very substantial, both because of China's power requirements, but also because of its consumer market," said Mark McFarland, Chief Investment Strategist of Emirates NBD Private Bank."If China's pace of urbanization continues at anything like the rate it has done for the last twenty years, China's demand for energy and related products will be immense," said McFarland, who worked for many years in Hong Kong in the 1990s.Meanwhile, on Aug. 9, China's largest lender Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) received a license to conduct commercial banking in Saudi Arabia.Besides oil and capital, tourism flows between the Arab world and the "Middle Kingdom" are increasing year by year. Nearly all Gulf Arab airlines in recent years have expanded their flights to China and vice versa."The decline in arrivals to the UAE from Europe was 80,000 in 2011, while the increase in arrivals from Asia was a 120,000 which clearly off-setting the loss from Europe," said Liz Martins, senior economist at HSBC (Middle East) in Dubai.ABILITY TO WEATHER DIFFICULTYMcFarland also expressed trust in China's ability to weather the global recession as well its own slowdown, but added that external factors will play a significant role in how the world's second largest economy will perform."Clearly, events in Europe will play a serious role in determining the extent of any further slowdown in activity. Europe is China's largest trading partner and successful resolution of Europe's problems is the key to the next twelve months," McFarland added.HSCB's Martins said that "Our global economics team and Asia economics team are generally very bullish on China over the long- term. However, there is a bumpy road ahead, it will be cyclical. Nevertheless, we do think that the Chinese growth model has a structural, solid basis over the next few months and years."Dr. Farouk Soussa, Citigroup Middle East's chief economist, pointed out that, within the GCC, the UAE benefitted in particular from Beijing's sound fiscal and monetary policy."Chinese investment has helped the UAE weather the global economic downturn, and has been across a multitude of sectors, but particularly in infrastructure. The currency swap agreement between the countries will aid trade flows, and will potentially position the UAE as a primary gateway for the region's trade with China as whole."CENTURIES TO COMEPromoting trade flows to new highs will be on top of China's agenda. Whatever the impact from the euro zone debt crisis might be, Beijing with the GCC will continue to walk the path for expanding relations, analysts say.During his visit to the UAE in January, Chinese Premier Wen triggered hopes for more trade by saying that signing the long- awaited FTA with the GCC was "near."Whether this agreement will be sealed this year, UAE Minister of Foreign Trade Sheikh Lubna Al-Qasimi is convinced that "China- Arab relations have centuries to come."Source: xinhuanet

News 2012-08-23 13:12 View：1112

On 12th, August, Zhangjiajie has ended the status of city observer and officially become a member of World Tourism Cities Federation. World Tourism Cities Federation establishment conference, also known as Xiangshan Park Tourism Summit, will be held in Beijing on 14th, September and an official invitation has been sent to the mayor of Zhangjiajie, Zhaoxiaoming.According to World Tourism Cities Federation official news, the federation has communicated with some of their member cities on setting up an office in Beijing and those members all indicates their senior officials will attend this conference.World Tourism Cities Federation which can be abbreviated to WTCF is a non-governmental and non-profit International organization automatically established by tourism cities and related private institutions, associations and enterprises all over the world. It is focused on the concept of “Tourism makes city better” to promote coordinated social and economic development in tourism city , improve cities images and their construction as well as strengthen international exchanges between cities through tourism.By Brenda

News 2012-08-22 13:58 View：1307