At 10 p.m., May 17th, 2012, Xibu Street witnessed a new Guinness World Record of hugs within 2 hours set by Zhang Qin, an 18-year-old girl of Miao Minority. According to Zhangjiajie Notary Office, in 2 hours, she hugged 2114 people with an average pace of one hug every 3.4 seconds. On that night, throngs of people flock to Xibu Street, young and old, white and yellow--seemed everyone were having a lot of fun gathering together.Translated by Misu Spark LeeSource: Zhangjiajie Official Web Portal 

News 2012-05-19 23:49 View：1319

According to the Ministry of Public Security, on May 15 this year, Zhangjiajie starts to unified enable the issue of electronic ordinary passport at Public Security Bureau.It is reported that e-passport is different in adding fingerprint information of the holder, and more convenient, safe with a valid period for 10 years. A new e-passport will be received in 15 work days after legal register. In addition, the marvelous scenery of Zhangjiajie is shown on the page 29th of e-passports as a symbol of Hunan elements. More details, electronic passport should not be placed in the high temperature. More than 16 years of age, of ordinary citizens to apply for electronic passports, the Public Security Bureau management agencies should be collected at the scene the applicant's fingerprint information, the contents and sign your name on the spot. Ordinary electronic passport will be valid for 10 years, while the passport holder is under 16 years of age, compared to 5 years.Translated by Aileen

News 2012-05-18 23:38 View：1448

The unique sandstone forest landscape earns Zhangjiajie a name on both the UNESCO Natural Heritage and World Geopark lists. Photos Provided to China DailyThe Jinbian Creek at the heart of the nature reserve represents the best of Zhangjiajie with perpendicular peaks, a murmuring creek and a serene forest.The various cultural shows in the city also offer a stage for foreign performers.The Zhangjiajie International Airport has links with dozens of domestic and overseas cities.Forested city becoming hot tourism destinationZhangjiajie, a city in northwestern Hunan province in central China, is on its way to becoming a world-class tourist destination by utilizing its natural wonders and cultural legacy, said local leaders.Covering 951.6 square kilometers, Zhangjiajie boasts a rare collection of tourism resources, including sandstone peaks, valleys, caves, hot springs, lakes, creeks, forests and a wealth of cultural heritage.The most spectacular of all its natural attractions is the 264-sq-km forest of sandstone pillars."(It is) one of the most remarkable geological spectacles existing on our planet," said Simon Winchester, a British geologist, commenting on this rare landform.In an article published in the New York Times, Winchester wrote that the sandstone pillars are "as great as the Great Wall".This area's landscape is somewhat similar to karst landforms, which also have individual peaks and water-eroded caves.Unlike karst landforms, which are made of soft limestone and require a relatively shorter period to form, the pillars are created by millions of years of sandstone erosion, making them a rare geological phenomenon.For this reason, the area was one of the earliest world geoparks in China. It is also an UNESCO World Natural Heritage site.The well-preserved ecological environment of Zhangjiajie is also a big draw for tourists.The city's forests coverage rate is 69.62 percent, well above the world average of 34 percent and the national average of 20 percent.An 'oxygen bar'Hailed as China's oxygen bar, it has as many as 100,000 negative oxygen ions in every cubic meter of air in the mountain areas and more than 20,000 ions per cubic meter in the downtown area. This level of oxygen content has positive benefits for human health.Air collected there was presented as gifts to national pavilions of six countries including the US, the United Arab Emirates, Finland, and Japan during the 2010 Shanghai Expo.The city's authorities are planning to establish China's first research institute on studying forest oxygen ions, which is expected to regularly monitor and release data of the concentration of negative oxygen ions in the forests for tourists.Zhangjiajie is also home to the Badagong Mountains National Nature Reserve - the largest reserve to the south of the Yangtze River.Composed of four national forest parks, the nature reserve boasts more than 3,000 varieties of higher plants, 1,280 varieties of medicinal herbs and some of China's endangered animal species, such as leopards, black bears, and giant salamanders.The excellent ecological environment is the result of the local authorities' long-standing efforts to protect the environment, according to the city government.For instance, since 2000, 1,790 residents living inside the nature reserve have been relocated to the other areas. Such a move not only results in ecological improvements but also offers new opportunities for locals to better their lives.Zhangjiajie's colorful ethnic groups are another attraction for tourists.The city is home to 32 ethnic groups, with the Tujia as the majority. Living in harmony, the ethnic peoples are now inheritors of more than 700 intangible cultural heritage items, with six of them on the national protection list.Galas, ethnic showsBased on these ethnic legacies, a number of cultural shows have been regularly held in Zhangjiajie to attract tourists.These include the "Wood Chopper Liu Hai and His Immortal Wife", a musical based on a popular legend in Hunan's mountain areas.Another highlight of all these shows is the "Glamorous Western Hunan", a performance of local songs and dances directed by world-renowned film director Zhang Yimou.Adding to these local shows are performances by artists and adventurers from all around the world.In September 2011, nine skydivers from six countries performed stunts at the Tianmen Mountain. Jeb Corliss wowed the audiences by gliding through the 100-ft archway at the mountain.In the same month, more than 40 bands from 28 countries and regions arrived in Zhangjiajie to attend a gala of country music.These events have impressed tourists with wonders and showcased the city's open, inclusive and innovative character, said city's officials.30 years of fameDespite all its attractions, Zhangjiajie was rarely known as a tourist destination 30 years ago even in China.Renowned painters and photographers, such as Wu Guanzhong, Huang Yongyu, Chen Fuli and Jian Qingfu, helped open its door to visitors worldwide.Since then, it has been taking the lead in Hunan in the number of tourists received.In 2011, its tourist sites received 30.41 million visitors, with 1.83 million of them foreigners and generated 16.7 billion yuan in revenues, a growth of 26.5 percent, 29.5 percent and 22.5 percent, respectively, from the previous year.Zhangjiajie, once a backwater area in northwestern Hunan, has also evolved into a road, railway and air transportation hub in western Hunan over the past three decades.It has expressways to neighboring Chongqing and the provincial capital Changsha. Expressways like the one linking Baotou in Inner Mongolia and Maoming in Guangdong province are scheduled to start construction in Zhangjiajie soon.It has an airport with flights to more than 20 domestic cities, including Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. It is also open to chartered flights to Japan, South Korea and Thailand.With such advantages, Zhangjiajie's government expects more domestic and foreign investors to join in its efforts to build a world-class tourist destination.Source: chinadaily

News 2012-05-18 22:50 View：1477

A visitor watches a bullet train model at the Hunan booth at the Expo Central China 2012 in Changsha, capital of central China's Hunan Province, May 18, 2012. A series of commerce forums and trade conferences will be held during the 3-day expo, which kicked off here Friday.The Macao booth is seen at the Expo Central China 2012 in Changsha, capital of central China's Hunan Province, May 18, 2012. A series of commerce forums and trade conferences will be held during the 3-day expo, which kicked off here Friday. The Macao booth is seen at the Expo Central China 2012 in Changsha, capital of central China's Hunan Province, May 18, 2012. A series of commerce forums and trade conferences will be held during the 3-day expo, which kicked off here Friday. Visitors tour the Hunan booth at the Expo Central China 2012 in Changsha, capital of central China's Hunan Province, May 18, 2012. A series of commerce forums and trade conferences will be held during the 3-day expo, which kicked off here Friday. Source:xinhuanet

News 2012-05-18 22:44 View：2909

Wulingyuan Xibu Street opens to public on May 17. The Street spent heavily on a concentrative display of Xiangxi's intangible cultural heritages, inviting inheritors of dozens of intangible cultural heritages in the area to stage a show.Publicity Secretary of Zhangjiajie Yu Huaimin stated that the event is a successful model for integrating ethnic culture, tourism and entertainment, and also it is of great significance to carrying forward Xiangxi culture and speeding up the upgrading and transition of tourism resources in Zhangjiajie.On the evening of May 16, series of activities such as Gala Night for Thousand Nuomian (wood carving), Ginkgo Love, Gala Night for Songs and Dances were held. Dozens of primitive art performances of Xiangxi will be seen in the three-day event and amaze thousands of visitors from home and abroad.Translator: Xiao JuanSource: Hunan Official Web Portal

News 2012-05-17 22:35 View：4284

The nation's largest and most influential tourist event - the 2012 China Tourism Day - will open on May 19 in Zhangjiajie, Hunan province.Located in the northwest of Hunan, Zhangjiajie is China's first national forest park and also a UNESCO World Natural Heritage site and a world geopark.Top leaders from the National Tourism Administration and several other ministries as well as senior officials from the Hunan provincial government will be present at the event.Also kicking off on the same day will be the Tourism Investment Fair, a part of the seventh Central China Expo, which is to be held in several locales in Hunan from May 18 to 20.Government officials as well as experts and business representatives from tourism companies and financial institutions will be in attendance at the Tourism Investment Fair, where they can learn about the latest tourism projects in central China that require investment.Zhangjiajie's Sunny Hotel will host the two events.The Sunny Hotel, funded by an investment of 600 million yuan from Hunan Investment Holdings Ltd, is a five-star hotel that can offer services for both sightseeing and business tourists.Covering a land area of more than 6 hectares and a floor space of more than 800,000 square meters, it has comprehensive facilities for lodging, conference and exhibition.It has more than 500 luxurious rooms for guests, a 1,000-sq-m dining area, a 1,200-sq-m multi-purpose hall for both conferences and exhibitions and 18 smaller conference rooms.The hotel is close to the Zhangjiajie outlet of the Changsha-Zhangjiajie Expressway. It takes about 10 minutes to get there from the railway station and the airport, and it takes 30 minutes to drive to the Zhangjiajie World Geopark and World Natural Heritage site.Source: chinadaily

News 2012-05-17 22:29 View：1360

The Tourism Investment and Financing Fair, one of the theme activities of 2012 Central China Expo is scheduled to debut in Zhangjiajie on May 19, according to Yang Guangrong, head of the Hunan Provincial Tourism Bureau.Among  600 participants, majority are overseas entrepreneurs including representatives of world organizations in China, continental tourism groups, world prestigious tourism groups,  multinational groups, top 500 global companies and strategic investors.Also present at the fair would be leading domestic tourism investors, heads of key tourism enterprises from six central China provinces, representatives of National Tourism Administration, Ministry of Commerce, National Bureau of Statistics, China Development Bank and banks across Hunan Province. The event will focus on promoting 74 out of over 700 tourism financing projects.Hunan plans to present 75 projects worth 103 billion Yuan, of which 11 will be prioritized and 28 cooperation projects involving 34.1 billion Yuan still wait for partners.Translator: Guo YanSource: Hunan Official Web Portal

News 2012-05-16 22:27 View：1293

Every year has two special days that are only for parents , it is Mother's Day and Father's Day .Recently, Ctrip.com has made a survey about the top5 beloved places for parents ,especially seniors who in their 60s ,to go on their holiday.The result shows that the top5 domestic places are Sanya (Hainan Island) Beijing ,Guilin (Guangxi province )Xi'an(Shan xi province ) and Zhangjiajie(Western Hunan) in sequence .For outbound travel ,parents prefer Tai bei ,Bangkok ,London,Seoul and Tokyo.Zhangjiajie nowadays has been well prepared for the "May,19 Tourism Day ".More and more tourists from all over the world come to witness its superb scenery.Parents mostly are keen on paying a safe and satisfying visit in Zhangjiajie.Translated by Aileen

News 2012-05-15 00:42 View：1244